Save the Date

38

See, there you have it, I thought to myself sadly, letting more tears roll down my cheek. The elevator ride felt like an eternity, last night it had been out of anticipation, today all I had was dread. On the fourth and third floors, people joined me for the ride down so I quickly pulled myself together and dried my tears. I would have to wait to have my meltdown. Eventually, the elevator reached the bottom and it dinged open. The people in front of me filed out and I followed. I had scarcely stepped out of the elevator when Luca came bounding down the stairs. He was slightly out of breath and still in just his boxers. The people who had left the elevator turned to stare at us but he didn't seem to notice. "Look you can't leave this way." He panted, "I have been in rooms filled with models for hours on end but all I could think about is you." My jaw dropped. I hadn't been expecting anything but this floored me. Howard, the doorman, watched us with a quizzical smile. We must have looked insane. My hair hadn't been brushed and Luca was standing in the hallway half-naked. I so badly wanted to believe him and I could feel my resolve starting to slip. "Okay fine, the blond at the park, you said it was nothing." It wasn't a question but Luca replied, "Remember I overheard Patrick say you hate me? Then we had that moment after the fight? And every time I'm near you I feel a pull, a kind of electricity that I can't explain. I left the bar feeling conflicted," His eyes were laser-focused on mine. "I didn't know what was real, you had a thing going with that guy but you were willing to kiss me not once, but twice. Then I hear you hate me." When I heard it from his side, it did make me feel a bit guilty but he wasn't done, "Beverly, she's a model." "Of course, she is," I rolled my eyes. "Would you let me finish?" he said annoyed, "We've been flirting a bit, nothing serious, for a while now. I needed to figure out if the feelings were still there. So I kissed her." "Right, the feelings for Beverly." I couldn't form proper questions. He took a step closer closing in the gap and before I could move he cupped my face in his hands, "You said that last night was a mistake. Do you feel this? This current running between us? It was there last night just like it is now." I could scarcely breathe. "Luca?" a melodic voice coming from the entrance broke the trance when we both turned our attention heads in its direction. He was still holding my cheeks in his hands. "Luca, what's going on here?" Beverly was blond perfection in her yellow sundress. Her bright blue eyes darted between Luca and me. He quickly dropped his hands from my face and turned to her, "Bev what are you doing here?" With a tight smile, she said, "We had plans, remember? You didn't answer your phone and I got worried. Also, what are you wearing?" My heart plummeted to my feet. How was I supposed to compete with her, she was tall and beautiful and kind. She extended her hand out to me, "Beverly." She introduced herself with a smile. If I had found my boyfriend in his boxers clasping onto some random in the middle of a public place I don't know if I would have been smiling. "Rachel," I returned shaking her hand. "Luca, do you care to explain what's happening?" she gave me the once over and once she was satisfied that I was short enough not to be much of a threat she turned her attention back to Luca. "Uhm..." he stalled and it gave me the perfect out. Despite his words, it was clear that something was going on between them. "If you'll excuse me," I gingerly moved past Beverly, Luca made to follow me, calling out my name. Beverly blocked his way which gave me enough time to push past several people watching us and out through the revolving door. I kept my head down, too embarrassed to even look at Howard. Luca kept calling my name, he had managed to dodge Beverly and follow me out the door. I was in luck because my Uber had pulled up not a second too late and I jumped in before he could reach me. He looked crestfallen as he watched the car pull away with Beverly, looking perplexed, right behind him.