Wild Love ✓

03| Misunderstanding

Sunday, I spend the entire day shopping and doing girls' stuff with Sara. Half of Monday flies by with lectures, working on essays and a workout. Same goes for Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Sara, Alex and I decide to eat in a French restaurant and Luca is coming with us. It isn't anything fancy, so I don't put much thought into my outfit; a cute little yellow sundress with a few accessories to elevate the look.

Sara and her boyfriend are already there when I arrive at the restaurant. They both stand up when I reach the table to give me hugs and kisses.

I always kiss my friends on the cheek and give them hugs every time I see them and when we go our separate ways. Some people find I'm too touchy and affectionate, but it's how my mom raised me and how I am with people I'm close with.

"Luca isn't here yet?" I ask them, glancing at the empty seat next to me.

"He'll be here in— " Alex suddenly cuts off and looks behind my shoulder. "There he is." He gestures to the entrance. I turn a little in my seat and see him walking toward us.

With black jeans and a maroon dress shirt, the three top buttons undone, he looks like he just came from a business meeting.

I can't help but admire his physique. His shirt is loose around his biceps. His curly dark hair is messy in a I just woke up way. His jawline is so chiselled, I can see it from here. His strides to us are confident and sure, his aura radiating confidence.

He gives Alex a handshake and leans to give Sara a quick kiss on the cheek.

I'm surprised to see him giving Sara a peck, but Sara spends a lot of time in Alex's room so they must have become good friends.

When he sits down next to me, he gives me a boyish smile. "Hi." I note that he doesn't have dimples. Not that he's any less hot without them.

"Hi." I greet back. His eyes appear darker, almost black, against the deep shade of red of his dress shirt. Who knew dark eyes could be so fascinating?

We order food and wine and the waiter doesn't bother asking for our IDs because he knows us from college, even if we are not legal to drink yet. I'm surprised he's not been fired, because a lot of college students come and eat here and most of them aren't twenty one yet, but they still get served wine with their food. It's probably good business to serve them, though.

We make small talk to get to know Luca better in the time food arrives.

We learn he has a younger brother named Leo. Luca used to go to NYU but he didn't like being away from his family so he changed colleges.

We continue conversing while eating, getting him acquainted with us. After we finish our food, we order another round of wine and sit back with our stomachs full.

I'm pretty full, but do I still have a place for dessert? But then again, they say dessert goes to the heart and not the stomach.

I get pulled out of my dilemma about whether or not to order something sweet when I sense Luca draping his arms on the back of my chair, his skin almost touching the back of my nape. My nerves prickle with awareness, but I continue listening to Alex, who is telling us stories about basketball, as if nothing happened.

Sensing Sara's gaze on me, I glance in her direction. She looks at Luca with slightly widened eyes, then back at me. I roll my eyes playfully.

Something tugs softly at my hair. When I look down at the curls that are on my shoulder, I see a hand twirling a strand around its fingers.

I face Luca's profile, who is still in deep conversation with Alex. As if sensing my gaze on him, he quickly glances at me. I cock one of my eyebrows up in question. His own set of eyebrows furrow in confusion before his eyes widen. He quickly removes his hand from behind my chair.