Wild Love ✓

27| Bonfire

I'm having the best time in my life. I had spent every night with Luca, either tangled in his sheets or mine. But it doesn't matter which room we're staying at, as long as he holds me while we sleep, I'm content. I try to spend time with Sara and Ben. But they're both sick love birds so they don't mind that I'm spending less time with them and more with Luca.

Ben is bringing his, drumroll please... girlfriend for dinner sometime next week to meet mom. I've already seen her a couple times but never had a formal introduction. Mom is beyond ecstatic to meet her, she's been calling Ben and I nonstop for questions about what she likes for food, if she has allergies, if this or that recipe is good enough. Ben says she's an easy-going girl and is fine with whatever.

For the first time in history, Ben is not attending a party at his own house to celebrate a win tonight. He is going out somewhere with Victoria. Everyone is teasing him about it, saying he's become pussy whipped, but he's taking it like a champ and not letting all the comments bother him. His teammates tried bribing him and convincing him to at least make an appearance, but he says the plans he made require the whole evening and that he has to get going before the party even starts.

So when Sara told me there will be a bonfire at the beach at the same time as the party Ben is skipping, I immediately accepted. Not because I only go to the football parties because Ben is there. But if Ben, the team captain, can skip one, I sure as hell can do that too. It won't be my first time, anyway.

"You think it'll get cold?" I ask Sara as I'm standing in front of my closet trying to pick out what to wear.

"Probably, but it's bonfire. So there will be a fire in case you get cold." Yeah, no shit.

"It's crazy, right? That Ben is not at the party right now."

"I mean, I always knew he was a softie." She shrugs.

"Well, yeah. But he always attends the parties. Remember that one time when he had food poisoning. Even though he didn't play, he still was sitting in the kitchen and partying. He told me he was in so much pain but sucked it up for the party and his teammates." I shake my head.

"Love does that to you, I guess." I hum in response and my eye catches Luca's sweatshirt that he left this morning. I almost put it in the washing machine this morning but didn't want to lose his scent that's clinging on it so I just hanged it in my closet.

"So what's happening between you and Luca? You two are practically living together now."

"We're just having fun."

"Nah uh. Having fun is what you did with Jace. With Luca it's more than that." I don't even know what the deal is with him and I. We are having fun, but she's right. It is more than just that. I've known that since the very first time I slept in his bed. Never after a hookup have I stayed the night, I know it's more that a hookup with Luca at this point but I've been pushing back thoughts about what our...relationship is. He has given me complete control of the pace we're going in and what we are to each other.

"You're thinking pretty hard over there." Her voice cuts through my thoughts.

Sighing, I grab his blue sweatshirt and pull it over my head, then lay on my bed next to her.

"He's taking me to meet his cousins tomorrow." She gasps and sits straight.

"Really? Girl, he's already your boyfriend and you don't even know it."

"It's not like that. They have like a monthly get-together and he thought I'd have fun if I came with." She nods, but I know she's not believing me.

"Let's look at the facts, shall we?"

"Shall we not." I know where this is going.

"One, you're wearing his clothes. That only happens when two people are dating. Two, you always sleep in the same bed when you say it's just 'having fun'. I don't sleep over every night when it's not that serious and just a hookup. I mean, you never did that with anyone else. Not even Jace. For fuck's sakes, he made you breakfast in bed! Alex never did that for me, and he's my actual boyfriend."