➼ Chap. 37

72.5K 1K 133
                                        

P A R I S

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.

P A R I S

Today, we're heading to visit mom, something dad, Luciano, and I do every month, to stay connected to her. As we climb into the car, dad takes the wheel, Luciano sits up front next to him, and I settle in behind Luciano.

"So, how's the expansion going?" Dad asks Luciano, his eyes on the road. "I hear Florida's not enough for you anymore."

"It's going well," he replies. "The Miami office just opened, and we're starting to look into Texas now. It's a lot to juggle, but you know how it is-once you start something, it's hard to stop."

"Ah, you and your ambition," dad says, shaking his head with a smile. "But good for you. I remember when you first talked about starting your own thing, and now look at you."

While they're deep in conversation, I feel something graze my right leg. I look down and catch Luciano's hand sneaking behind the seat toward me. His fingers brush against my knee as he subtly tries to grab my leg. I bite back a smile and pull my leg away, teasing him. I peek up at the rearview mirror and catch his glare.

"You should slow down sometimes, Luciano," dad advises. "Take some time for yourself. Life's more than work, you know."

"I try," Luciano responds, his hand still trying to reach me. "But you know me, it's hard to step back once I'm in the middle of something big."

As they talk, I smirk and pull my leg just a bit further away. Luciano's hand pauses, and he glares at me again through the mirror, his jaw twitching. He reaches out further, finally grabbing my ankle. I surrender, letting him hold it. He squeezes firmly, his thumb rubbing slow circles on my skin.

"You really should take a break, man," dad continues. "Before you burn yourself out."

"Yeah, I'll try," Luciano says, his thumb still tracing soft patterns on my skin. "But you know how it is-things don't slow down for you. You've got to keep up."

I rest my hand on his arm and start tracing the veins and tattoos on his skin. His hand tightens slightly around my ankle, and he shifts his arm to give me more room, making me smile.

We park in front of the flower shop and get out. This is our usual stop whenever we visit mom, and I know exactly what I want. Luciano walks beside me, holding my hand as we stroll through the rows of flowers. Dad's already ahead, inspecting the roses-mom's favorite.

"What do you think?" Luciano asks, picking up a pastel bunch of lilies.

I glance at the lilies and then at the daisies next to them.

"I think she'd love those, but let's add a little color, you know? She always liked the brighter ones."

Luciano nods, puts the lilies in our basket, and grabs a few bright orange and yellow gerbera daisies. His hand finds mine again, squeezing it gently as we move through the store.

𝗦𝗘𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗧𝗟𝗬 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗦 ✔️ (𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀)Where stories live. Discover now