Save the Date

46

Electricity coursed through me but I remained tight-lipped. Outside in the dim light of the street light, shadows played on Luca's handsome face as he said, "How are you?"

"I'm alright," I said, still not meeting his eye.

"Have you heard from the psycho again?" so that was what this was about.

"No," I replied flatly, "I haven't."

"Rachel," he said my name softly and took a step towards me, "please, look at me." He lifted my chin with his index finger but I pulled away, finally looking him in the eye.

"I see Beverly is doing better," I said crossing my arms in front of me. His lips pulled tight.

"This again?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

"What do you expect from me, Luca? You tell me one thing and then when I look again there the two of you are...together." I could feel my lip start to quiver so I turned around to go back inside.

He put his hand on my shoulder and said, "She's still a client. This was a meeting. I didn't want to invite her to my house because that would have been a bit intimate." I cringed. "Look around, she's gone."

I turned back around and saw that she and her white Audi were nowhere to be seen.

"You always think the worst of me," he said sadly shaking his head. I looked into his eyes and made a mental note that his eye colour changed sometimes. "I don't think the worst of you, you just scare me."

"What do you mean? You've got a maniac coming after you but I'm the one that scares you?" he looked at me disbelieving.

"You don't scare me like that," I said softly, "You scare me in the way that I feel when I'm around you." His face softened, "You scare me because I can't get a read on you. You seem unpredictable but then other times I feel like I've known you forever."

"I don't know what you want from me though," he said calmly, again taking a step towards me. "You have to tell me what you want."

"I don't know what I want, especially now," I said closing my eyes as I saw the fire build in his.

"That's our problem, isn't it? We never know what we want." He said bending his face down towards mine, I felt his breath brush against my skin.

"Rachel!" Patrick's voice cut through us and we both stepped apart and turned our heads in the direction which the voice had come from. "Oh my gosh, Rachel! Mac told me everything! Are you ok?"

Patrick practically shoved Luca out of the way to give me a bear hug.

"Patrick you're suffocating me," I said trying to wriggle free of his grasp.

"I've been so worried about you," He said squeezing me tighter. Eventually, he let me go just in time for me to see Luca walking back to his car. "Luca wait!" I yelled hoping he would turn around. To my relief he did, "Oh hey," Patrick said as if seeing Luca for the first time.

"Hi," Luca said curtly, which made the blood rush to my ears again, this was exactly what I meant, he could be fine one minute and the next he was acting weird.

"Patrick this is Luca," I introduced them formally because technically they had never met. The night of the bar fight had been so confusing and strange that there had been no time for introductions. "He is shooting Shannon's wedding."

"Nice to meet you," Patrick said awkwardly putting his hand out to shake Luca's.

"Likewise," Luca said through gritted teeth. He looked furious, letting go of Patrick's hand.

"Okaaay," Patrick said sensing the tension, "I'm going inside." He turned and opened the door, sounds from inside the bar rushed out and then silence followed as the door closed again.

"See, why do you have to behave like that?" I asked infuriated, "Do you not like my friends or something?"

"Are you ashamed of me?"

The question hit me in the stomach, how could I ever be ashamed of him? "What are you talking about? Why would you even say that?"

"Because every time we're together and your friends are around you distance yourself from me. You get cold and quiet."

This was unbelievable! He thought that I was ashamed of him? How did he not know that I was more embarrassed for myself? That I felt unworthy of his attention?

"What do you mean?"

"This is exactly what I mean, Rachel," he shook his head, "You never acknowledge me as a friend."

I deflated a little, things were finally starting to make a bit of sense. "You asked me what I want, and what I want is some definition. I don't acknowledge you as a friend because are we? Are we friends? " I threw back.

He looked taken aback, "I think we are."

"Okay then. Well, friends speak things out they don't run away when they get annoyed." I could see a hint of a smile play on his lips.

"Okay, that goes for both of us."

"Yes," I said, "Secondly, friends don't just sleep with each other."

"Unless they are friends with benefits," he teased.

"Which we are not," I said, my breath catching because he had moved so close to me that I could smell his cologne.

"Well, then something needs to change." There was barely air between us now.

"Uhm..," I managed to choke out before his lips crashed down on mine.

His kiss was seeking and urgent, and too soon he pulled away, "I'll give you till Saturday to figure it out." With that, he left me paralysed and speechless as he sauntered over to his car.