Page 74 of Amore
* * *
“We’ll see you tomorrow,”I said as I hugged Lucy goodbye.
“I can’t wait.”
After hugging his parents goodbye, Luke and I walked to the rental car. “See? That wasn’t so bad,” Luke stated as we slid inside.
“You were right.”
“What was that?” He put his hand to his ear as though he couldn’t hear.
“You were right.” I rolled my eyes.
“I don’t think I heard you. What did you—ow!”
I’d punched him playfully. “Stop being an ass.”
“I’m only teasing, baby.” He cranked the engine.
“I know, but I’m glad everyone is okay with us dating.”
“Did you think they wouldn’t be?” he asked, putting the car into reverse.
I lifted a shoulder. “Not necessarily, but it makes me happy they’re okay with us being together.”
“Well, Dad has known since the day you pulled up next door that I was into you.”
“Oh, please.” I snorted.
“I’m serious.” He pulled out of the space, and then started toward the exit of the parking lot.
“You told him that?”
Luke shook his head. “No. He saw me staring at you, and he said, ‘you can pick your jaw up off the ground now’.”
“I was fourteen.”
“And I was twelve and had just seen the prettiest girl in the entire world.”
“I didn’t even have boobs,” I argued.
“I didn’t care.”
“Why didn’t you ever ask me out?”
He turned onto the main road and headed toward the rental house. “Because you were older and my and Lucy’s best friend.”
“I would have said yes, though.”
“I know that now, Franks, but then, my little heart wouldn’t have survived the only girl I’d ever loved turning me down. I couldn’t take the chance.”
“Do you think we’d be where we are now if we’d started dating back then?”
He looked over at me briefly. “Honestly, I don’t know. I thought about going to college in New York to be near you, and maybe I would have if we had started dating back then, but I don’t know if we would have lasted since we were so young.”
“You’re probably right.” After a few minutes, I asked, “What did you and your dad talk about when you left the table?”
Luke looked over at me. “You’ll find out soon.”
