Secrets, Love and Lies (18+)

17 - Wicked Games

Spending the night in Luca's arms is the best sleep I've had all week, maybe even my life. Every time I stir, I feel his arms wrap around me, drawing me so close I almost ache for space to cool down. But I don't fight it because his arms are blissful and his steady heartbeat the most beautiful melody I've ever heard.

I lost my whole heart in a blur of heat and pain and joy last night.

It's about six in the morning when my eyes register the first rays of the early sun. I smile happily for the first morning I can remember, but the grin quickly fades from my lips when I roll over and find the space beside me cold and empty.

Did he really leave me to wake alone and without any explanation on this, of all mornings?

I search the room for any signs of him. The clothes he'd tossed on my floor in the heat of last night are missing and my door is slightly ajar. Maybe he's gone downstairs to make breakfast?

I quickly gather my mess from the floor, brush my teeth, throw on some clean clothes and head out in search of him. My heart quickens at the memory of our limbs intertwined, the warmth of his bare body against mine. I shiver at the glorious image, eager for him to hold me again.

I'm so glad that I had waited for love, waited for him.

I make it to the kitchen, but find it empty. Where has he gone? I pull my phone from my pocket and send him a text to ask where he went. I wait impatiently, watching my phone, expecting his immediate response.

He reads my message, but doesn't reply.

A cold chill creeps into my veins, and though I push back the thoughts that tell me something is wrong, I can't hold back the onslaught of fearful thoughts that assault me.

I make myself a coffee and head into the sunny sitting room to read while I drink, hoping it will distract my grim imagination. He told me that he loved me, didn't he? I need to trust him and wait, just give him a chance to prove himself.

Luca has never betrayed me before; why would he wait to do it when I've just given him my heart and body? We've loved each other forever, even when it was just as friends.

If I know anything, it's this: he's the one person I can trust with my heart.

No matter how I argue with myself, I can't settle my thoughts without some reply from Luca. Eventually, I put my book down with a sigh after having read the same sentence about a hundred times, and pick up my phone to call him. It's only been about a half hour, but I feel like I could crawl up the walls.

I hold my breath as the phone rings once, twice and then is cut off, sending me to voicemail. I don't know what to say, so I disconnect. I won't be that girl - the one who rings down his phone like some needy, possessive clinger. Instead I move it to my pocket so that I can't see the screen, but I can still feel or hear my alerts.

I force myself to start my day. I tidy my room, shower and dress in my uniform, doing my makeup and hair so I'm ready for Luca to pick me up for school at his usual time.

It's past the time that Luca would usually arrive and when I hear a soft knock on my bedroom door, I leap from my bed in excitement, ready to wrap my arms around him. The door opens and my face falls in disappointment.

"Hey Dad, what's up?"

"It looks like Luca is late today. Things have been settled, so you can head to school on your own. You're okay to drive yourself again from here on out," he says with a gentle smile.

I nod at him, swallowing my fear and disappointment. He gently plops the keys in my hand and pulls me into a soft hug as I try to exit the room. I tense in his arms, then relax as my dad mumbles softly "I love you, baby girl," against my hair.