I didn’t have time to think about that. I had to text Katie, so I snatched the device out of his grip and opened the message app.
There were several unread texts already waiting for me, but only one from Katie. I held my breath as I swiped to open the message.
Good morning, sunshine! You’ve been killing it lately and you stepped up big time recently when I needed you. Dal and I are in this weekend, and we have a full staff, so I want you to take today and tomorrow off. Enjoy a (paid) long weekend. Thanks for being amazing!
I reread the text three more times before lifting my gaze to Luca. “You didn’t…Luca. Please tell me you didn’t tell Katie we…that you didn’t tell Katie anything.”
He tilted his perfectly shaped head. “What are you talking about?”
I turned the phone so the screen faced him. “She gave me todayandtomorrow off. For literally no reason. Sounds fishy to me.”
“Or lucky, depending on how you look at it.”
“I haven’t had enough coffee for this.” I pushed past him and stormed back into the kitchen, taking a swig from my cup.
“You’re overthinking this,” Luca said, joining me, and picking up his muffin. “It sounds like Katie just wanted to do something nice for you as a way of saying thanks for all the shit you’ve been doing while they’ve been away helping me get…” He paused and cleared his throat. “While I’ve started working to get my shit together.”
I studied him for a moment. He’d never said why he was visiting beyond mentioning he’d been having a hard time and needed to not be alone. I hadn’t pressed because it didn’t feel like my place, but Ididwonder. He dropped his gaze to his feet, which indicated it might still not be the right time to ask. So, instead, I shifted my focus to the fact-finding mission at hand.
What had actually happened last night?
“On a scale from one to ten, how much did I embarrass myself last night?” I asked, taking another pull from my coffee. “Like, twenty-three?”
“Nah.” He grinned. “Only like a six. Seven, tops.”
I scrubbed my hands down my face. “Great.”
He laughed. “I’m kidding. It wasn’t that bad.”
“How bad is not that bad?”
“You don’t remember?” he asked, his top teeth scraping over his lower lip.
Had I kissed that perfect mouth last night? It seems like something that would be engraved into my memory forever like a secret message in a locket. One meant for me and only me.
“I gotta be honest,” I said, “after leaving The Basement, I don’t remember much.”
He nodded, leaning against the counter beside me. “Well, by the time we got here, you were pretty far gone.” An amused smirk spread over his face. “In fact, I did have to carry you up those steps.”
“Oh God.”
“But that was after you, um, puked in the bushes,” he said with a wince, as though that somehow made this knowledge less embarrassing.
“Fuck,” I cried, my cheeks burning hot. “I’m sorry you had to see that. Shit, why didn’t you just leave me out there to rot with the worms? This is so embarrassing.”
“Trust me,” he said. “I’ve seen much worse. I’vebeenworse.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better? Because it doesn’t.” I took a ginormous bite of my bagel sandwich, grease dripping down my chin.Whatever. It’s not like he hasn’t seen worse.
“You were fine,” he assured me. “I got you upstairs, you…chilled in the bathroom for a bit, then went to bed. I slept on the couch.”
So, we hadn't had sex.Whew. It was all a dream.One I wished was real, but I’d rather be able to remember it, so I could replay it like a movie for the rest of my life. Not that I’d ever get the chance to make it a reality. Especially after what he’d witnessed the night before.
“Actually, Earl Grey kept me company.”
“Wow, really?” I asked. “He’s usually a little weird about strangers.” Visitors were allowed in my apartment so infrequently that both of my cats were generally put off by any sort of unexpected company. I was sure my cats were also pretty displeased with me. First, I’d brought home a stranger, and then I’d interrupted our usual nightly routine of me singing made-up songs to them while I washed my face before our bedtime snuggles.
“Well, we must have met in a past life then, because I woke up with him sleeping on top of my head,” he said. “I’ve never been a big animal person, but I think that cat could bring me over to the dark side.”
