The Men Next Door

Ch 20 - Luca

When an alarm goes off before the sun comes up, the right thing to do is throw it out the window.

But instead, I graciously hit the stop button, shook off my sleep, and searched my jumbled dresser for a warm base layer. It was November, after all, and even though it was in the fifties that morning, I knew it would feel colder out on the water.

Which was something I had definitely forgotten to warn Bella about.

Probably, at least.

Maybe.

I couldn't remember, and it was pretty damn important for the success of our date, so I quickly pulled on my clothes, brushed my teeth, and headed to her apartment a solid ten minutes before I'd agreed to be there.

She groggily answered the door, half dressed in a long sleeve top and her underwear—and half dead to the world. "Why'd we have to get up at 5:00 a.m. for this again?" she asked.

I placed a soft kiss on her forehead, trying against all odds to keep my eyes off her bare legs. And succeeding, for the most part. It was an impressive show of restraint considering I was half asleep myself. "Because the earlier we get out there, the better chance we have of being the only ones on the water," I reminded her. "And it's nicer that way."

She muttered out a halfhearted protest before getting ready to go. Of course, that included making herself a latte and, more surprisingly, offering a light breakfast to me. I gave her shit for her coffee addiction while scarfing down the toast, but I knew I'd be in the same boat if it didn't fuck with my ADHD meds. Caffeine was the only way I could keep an office job before the doc ordered Adderall.

And back then? Moving in with Hayden was the only way I stayed afloat.

He was my first roommate when I moved to Jersey City after high school, and truth be told, the only reason I made my half of the rent was because my brother Carlo refused to let me sleep in a car. But then I found my place in the tech company, and Hayden found a business partner with the right connections, and we both turned out alright after all.

Him more so than me, I'd say. Which was pretty damn helpful when I needed a favor like this one.

And sure enough, he was waiting on the dock when Campbell and I arrived thirty minutes later with the first signs of the sun.

"Luca!" he greeted, pulling me in for a hug. "What's up, man? It's been too long."

I squeezed him back before stepping away. "It really has. Thanks again for meeting us out here this early." I turned toward Bella. "This is my...Campbell." I didn't know what to call her. My neighbor? My friend? My date?

I don't think she was sure either, but her left hand was already nestled in mine, and she kept it there while she and Hayden got acquainted. It felt good to be there with her. Whatever we were. And after Hayden cautioned us with his typical safety spiel, we got zipped into our wetsuits, set up with some fancy headsets, and handed a matching pair of kill switch lanyards.

"The sun's just coming up," Hayden said, "so there shouldn't be anyone else out doing water sports. But keep an eye out for boats, just in case—and don't go past those buoys," he warned, pointing to some red dots in the distance. His lips pursed thoughtfully as he ran through some sort of mental checklist. "And oh, yeah. There's a walkie in each dry box in case you break down or get stuck for any reason. You know how to operate those, right, Luca?"

I nodded. Hayden gave me two thumbs up before heading for the shops at the small marina. And with that, Bella and I headed for the water.

By the time we threw our things in the dry boxes, the sunrise was casting a pretty orange glow all around us. It was romantic, even if it did require waking up at the ass crack of dawn. And it could've stayed that way if we went slow and floated about, which probably would've been the smart choice for our first official date...but I was dying for a little pick-me-up after our early bird start.