Page 100 of All at Once

Looking down at my hands now, I’m reminded of the bracelet I made for Luca and suddenly feel self-conscious. I reach out the collection of beads toward him timidly. “Mine isn’t as sentimental as yours.”

“‘Question…?Foyer or Voyeur,’” Luca reads out loud as the sides of his eyes crease so deep that I can’t help but also smile. “Nice subtle Taylor reference.” The curve of his lips flickers a warmth right through me.

“I thought you needed one with a strong message on it,” I explain with a gesture of my hands. “You know, like something you’d look back on and instantly remember who gave it to you.”

“I don’t think I couldeverforget you,” he says so endearingly that it distracts me from his sentiment. “I love it. Thank you.” Then he tilts his head up at the ceiling. “Great. Now I can’t get thatguy’s voice out of my head again.” Luca groans, while I snort at his reference to the Google audio from that one night.

_________

As predicted, it’s around 4 am when our last cake is ready to cool off from the oven. “Should I take you back now?” Luca asks.

I wonder if Enrique would think it’s weird for me to spend the night here, but then again I think he’d assume I would, considering how much time all of this entailed. So I reply, “It’s pretty late though. Besides, how are you going to bring all the cakes back by yourself in the morning?”

“I can manage.” Luca turns around to look at the now messy kitchen counter. “Okay. I think you’re right. I can’t believe we actually finished,” he says as he turns back around.

“We couldn’t have done it without each other, that’s for sure,” I say with a smile.

“I also can’t believe we only messed up two of the cakes,” he adds, referring to the one we dropped, and the other that was my fault for putting it on the wrong pan, which made the cake turn into a really thin crispy chocolate cookie. I guess that means that I just hit my 29th clumsy streak while on this vacation.

As the night flies by and our energy levels drop, I pick up on a random word I hear in the background of the television before turning toward Luca, who might actually be asleep now. “Ravishing is a nice word,” I say. “Imagine if we used it more often to compliment each other?”

His eyes are still closed, but I hear the sound of his sleepy voice. “Like?”

“You look ravishing tonight,” I give an example.

“And how exactly would you react if someone were to say that to you now?”

“I’d think it’s cute.”

“Really?”When Luca opens his eyes, my body immediately wakes up again.

I reply, “Yeah, it’s a little different from the typical compliment. You don’t think so?”

“I think I’d probably runfaraway from the person who’d say that to me,” he deadpans.

Then he falls asleep next to me on the floor minutes later. After watching his eyelashes flutter gently for a few seconds, I feel myself drifting off as well.

_________

I momentarily don’t know where I am when I wake up the next morning. The floor is hard, the sun is bright, shining through the window. And then I remember last night. Baking with Luca for hours. Talking on his couch for even longer. How his words made my heart flutter and warm and melt all at the same time.

When I feel an arm tighten around me, I realize my exact position.

It’s a good thing I don’t move. Not that I could even if I wanted to. With the way my head is cuddled into the crook between Luca’s shoulder and chest, his strong arm wrapped around my shoulder.

And my hand. My hand is on hisstomach. Probably a littletoolow. My heart quickens as I take in this very intimate position.

His muscles are toned and firm everywhere I’m pressed against him, but not hard enough that he doesn’t make a good pillow. On the contrary, I’m amazed to feel as if our bodies have melded together perfectly. Like two pieces of a puzzle.

I don’t know what’s most consuming. The goosebumps that have grazed all over my breasts, the warmth that’s gatheredbetween my thighs, or how if I even went as far as to slightly flinch, I’d probably feel surfaces of his body that have only remained in my wild imagination.

It feels nice.Betterthan nice. Comfortable and safe. Wonderful and unlike anything I’ve ever felt before.

Our faces are so close that I can feel his breath on every steady exhale. He smells so uniquely him that I could cry. I want to live in this moment forever. Actually, I’d like to drown in the feel and smell of him.

At least I have a chance to process all of this in the few seconds I have to myself. Until the blaringly obnoxious sound of his alarm goes off, sending the loudest shock through both our bodies.

Luca immediately releases his arm from underneath my shoulder. So quickly that I think I feel the crescendo of his heartbeat vibrate across his chest.

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