Fight Club

03|Beautiful Day

My talk with the girls was cut short. Max came running back inside, screaming at everyone to get out. Luca, at some point, grabbed my hand and pulled me back to his car. He drove away and stopped at a gas station a few miles away. He looked over at me.

"I will answer all of your questions" Luca said, leaning back in his seat. I looked over at him and sighed.

"What happened?" I asked. It was a simple question, but it was all I wanted to know at that time. I didn't mind being there, I didn't mind anything. I wanted to know why I'd been dragged out of Max's house with no explanation.

"One of the guys I'd pointed out to you earlier, he had a gun. Pulled it out on another guy and shot his shoulder. He violated one of the main fight club rules" Luca said.

"And that is?" I asked. I didn't know the rules, obviously. Luca looked happy to answer my question, though.

"Hand to hand combat only. Anything else is means for disqualification" he said. I nodded. Luca looked over at me.

"Is that all?" he asked. I thought it over, then nodded. I didn't need to know so much more yet. If he was done with me after this date, I'd never hear about fight club again. If he wasn't, I'd find out more.

"I'll take you home" he announced, pulling out of the gas station and heading back to my apartment.

A few minutes later, we pulled into the parking lot of my apartment complex. Luca walked my up the stairs, neither of us saying a word. 

I unlocked my door and stepped inside. He stood outside. Summer rain had started to come down, and I could see it falling on the other side of my door.

"Come inside" I said softly. Luca stepped inside. I opened my mouth to say something, but he leaned in and kissed me. The tall, muscular boy kissed me on the lips. I stood frozen for a few moments before leaning into him. 

He finally pulled away. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that..." he drifted off. I shook my head.

"You're fine. It's okay" I assured him. He ran his fingers through his hair and smiled at me.

"I'll text you" he said before turning around and walking down the steps to his car, the rain falling on him. I closed the door and walked to my bedroom, slipping off my dress and putting on a pair of loose shorts and a white t-shirt. There was a knock on my door, so I opened it.

Luca stood there, completely soaked.

"Can I borrow your cell? My car won't start" he said. I laughed and nodded, ushering him inside. I grabbed my cellphone and opened it, clicking on the 'phone' icon. I handed it to him.

"You can come in. I'll grab you a towel" I told him, scurrying off to my bathroom as he used my phone. I grabbed the largest towel I could find and brought it out to him. He was off the phone, and he handed my cell to me when I came into the living room.

"The car company will be here in about thirty minutes to take it and get it fixed" Luca informed me, wrapping the towel around his shoulders. I nodded.

"How long have you had the car?" I asked. Luca chuckled, pulling the towel closer around him.

"It was my fathers when he turned sixteen, and he's dead now, if that gives you an idea" Luca told me. I looked up at him, and he was smiling.

"Well, how old are you?" I asked. Luca shook his head.

"So many questions! I'm twenty. What about you?" he asked. I ran a hand through my hair.

"Eighteen" I told him. He nodded, running the towel through his wet hair. He smiled and laughed.

"And your parents are letting you live across the country by yourself?" Luca asked, taking a step closer to me. I chuckled and nodded.

"I don't think they liked it very much, but I need time for myself" I told Luca. He nodded and inched closer. 

"You're beautiful, you know that?" he whispered. I leaned up to kiss him. Our lips pressed together for the second time that day. He wrapped his hand around my back. Strands of his wet hair touched my forehead. 

The doorbell rang, and we pulled away laughing. Luca went to answer the door, and he talked with the man. I grabbed an orange from the pathetic-looking fruit bowl on my counter and peeled it, listening to the conversation. Luca slid out of my apartment, closing the door behind him. I slipped over to the window to watch them walk down the stairs and towards Luca's car. They exchanged cellphone numbers, and the man towed Luca's car away. 

I heard Luca's footsteps pounding up the stairs, and he slipped into my apartment, grabbing the already damp towel to dry off with.

"Do you want me to grab you a new towel?" I offered. Luca shook his head.

"No, this one is fine. Could I borrow your cell to call my mom. She can come pick me up... I sound like I'm in middle school" Luca finished, laughing. I chuckled and handed him my phone, popping the last section of orange into my mouth.

A few minutes of conversation later, there was a knock at my door. Luca answered it, and his mom stood in the doorway with an umbrella in her hand. She leaned past Luca to look at me.

"Oh, hi Giselle! I want you to know that you got the job" Luca's mom said. I laughed and smiled at her, and waved goodbye to Luca as he exited my apartment.