Always

21: just a jacket.

Luca gets to the stage and the crowd starts cheering, their excitement palpable. He takes a deep breath, feeling the energy of the audience coursing through him. The lights dim slightly, casting a spotlight on him as he approaches the microphone.

"Good evening, everyone!" Luca's voice booms through the speakers, and the crowd responds with an even louder cheer. "Are you ready for an unforgettable night?"

The crowd roars in agreement. Luca smiles, his confidence growing with each passing second. He signals to the band, and the opening chords of the first song fill the air. The music is electrifying, and the crowd starts to sway and dance to the rhythm.

As the night goes on, Luca captivates the audience with his powerful voice and magnetic stage presence. He performs song after song, each one met with enthusiastic applause and cheers.

"Before we go onto the last song for the night, I specially wrote this for today. It's unreleased, so this next song is for someone out there. Thank you for always being there, for your unwavering support, and for making every day brighter. You inspire me in ways you'll never know," he says, looking at me? No, that can't be right; there are all his friends in the VIP section. It might be for Felix or Celeste or anyone else; it's just not for you. Get over yourself, Ivy.

I look to the right to realize that Celeste and Felix are staring at me. I look to the left, and Grace and Phoenix are also staring at me. "What? Why are you all staring at me?" No one replies to that, but for some reason, they all are smiling. Weirdos.

The song continues. It's the one he sang to me last night at the treehouse, and my thoughts go back to that night we fell asleep in the treehouse. I smile at the memory when a shiver runs through me. My spine shivers due to the cold wind. "You have a jacket, Ivy. Wear it; you're shivering from the cold," Grace says. I eye the jacket in my lap.

Lucas just doesn't share his clothes; he hates giving anything that's his to others.

I ignore the thoughts in my mind and wear the jacket because I'm going to die from hypothermia otherwise. As soon as I wear the jacket, the smell of his cologne surrounds me, comforting me in an odd way. The jacket, being big on me, reaches mid-thigh. "Why is your jacket so big on you, Ivy?" Grace asks, confused. "Because it's not hers, it's Luca's," Celeste replies, wiggling her eyebrows at Grace before I can reply. "That fucker shared his clothes?" Phoenix asks, surprised. Grace nods. "Why are you so shocked?" Grace asks.

Not this again. "Because I once fell in the pool at his house, and he refused to give me his clothes. I had to drive to my house shivering, and I got a fever because of that dick," he says, looking at us, and Felix smirks, "That was fun." And everyone starts staring at me and the jacket again. "Oh my god, he just gave me his jacket, not his fucking property. Stop staring at me," I yell. "Getting his property is easier than getting his clothes," Phoenix says, and everyone starts laughing at what he said. One glare at him, and he immediately shuts up. I roll my eyes.

---

"Yes, please send someone to pick me up, yes, right now," I call my helper to send someone to pick me up since I came with Luca and he's going out for a celebration. The concert ended a while ago, and everyone mostly left, and we are waiting for Luca to come out so that we can congratulate him and everything.

"Hey guys," we hear Luca speak as he comes towards us. We all stand up from our seats to meet him when my phone starts ringing. I step away from everyone and answer the call. "Hello, miss, I'm here to pick you up." "Um, yes, I'll be out in a minute or so," I say, turning back to Luca when our eyes meet. I cut the call and walk towards him when Grace stops me. "Ivy, everything is ready. We have to leave at midnight, so I'll just meet you there, alright? I'm leaving with Phoenix now." I nod at her.

I look around to see that everyone already left. "Where did they go?" "Oh, they left for the dinner I told you about." "Oh, well, congratulations on the concert; you killed it, as I told you." "Thank you," he says with a smile. He is so happy today; he is literally beaming with excitement. "Oh, and you know something weird happened? I saw Bella." "Bella? Your ex?" "Um, huh, she was sitting right above your seat," he says, smiling. No, no, just please no. "Oh, and when did you notice her?" "Um, right after I gave the special announcement." Fuck. That announcement was for her. And she is the reason for his happiness, not the concert. "Oh, well, that's good or bad, I don't know. I'm gonna leave now; my driver's here, bye." I turn around and practically run. I can hear him calling my name, but I don't have it in me to face him.

---

I sit down in the car, and the driver starts driving. That's when the exhaustion of the day hits me. I close my eyes, keeping my head on the window, and the black spots and dizziness come through. I was so happy when a week ago I started having regular breakfast. But that all went in vain when I started puking again; sometimes even coffee made me spill my guts, so I stopped trying.

I enter my house feeling dizzy, unable to see properly. "Ivy, sweety, are you alright?" I open my eyes, trying to focus, to see a worried Abuela. "I'm okay," I reply. "Did you eat something? I can make you something if not." "Nuh-uh, I'm okay; really, I had food," I say, sitting on a chair since I can barely stand. "Here, take this." She gives me a glass of cold water, which I drink in under a minute.

"You know, sometimes I wonder why I'm even here. You're barely home; you leave early for work, you come late, and even when you are home, you rarely eat. Sweety, work is important, and I get that, but health is really important, you know. You work way too hard; this way, you'll be burnt out," she says. "But I forgot how to breathe without working, Abuela. That's just who I am; I bury my feelings and work. All I know is work,"

I whisper slowly, each word stabbing my own heart. "Yes, love, but you gotta have a healthy lifestyle, yes? For your parents." My eyes start blurring at that. "I don't have my parents," I say, shaking my head slowly. "Just my meemaw and an idiot that doesn't answer my calls frequently, but he's there," I smile at their memory. "Well, not only them, but have you ever noticed that sweet girl Grace? She loves you like anything. Do you know she sometimes calls me just because you don't pick up your phone? And not to forget that handsome neighbor of yours." I laugh at that.

"Abuela, no, he's just a friend," she nods, giggling. "Now, I'm not saying that something is going on, but my husband was also once 'just a friend,' you know," she says, winking, making me smile.

"And from the look on your face, I just know that you love them all dearly, so you gotta live right for them, love," she says, and I smile, nodding, wiping my tears. I stand up. "Well, I'm gonna go and pack my bag for the trip," she nods. "Do you need anything?"

"Just coffee, please," she nods, smiling.

I enter my room and take a shower, wearing my comfy PJs and an oversized t-shirt. I take out my luggage when the bell rings. It's 9 o'clock; no one was supposed to come now. I leave my room to get my coffee and check who's there. Just as I open my door, I notice Luca standing downstairs, talking to Abuela, smiling. The fuck's he doing here?

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The next chapter is soo cuteeee .
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K. Byeee
Xoxoxoxo