So, how about you keep your fingers off the good things and stay on your side of the twenty-four hours?
The time when you can’t make anything gray because it’s already painted black.
How about you stop ruining everything perfect with your pathetic attempts to make you perfect?
You will never be good enough, Tilly, let alone perfect.
Chapter 22
Tilly
He is back.
Luca isfinallyback.
The apartment felt weird without him, but I realize it still feels weird.
I stand in my doorway and look at the view.
Everyone crowds around him, their voices overlapping.
Yana is squealing, Matt’s clapping his back, and Zara is hugging him.
I smile at the view.
If only my mind would snap back into place.
This is family.Myfamily.
So why do I feel like a stranger?
When his eyes find mine, I feel like the ground disappears from under me.
Like, suddenly I’m falling down a tunnel with no bottom.
My knees feel weak, and I grab the door for security.
He smiles, and my stomach churns.
He walks toward me, and I feel like we are in an alternate universe.
Our surroundings disappear, all that exists is his ocean blue eyes.
“Hey,” I say, my voice coming out way too soft.
“Hey.” He smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “It’s good to be back.”
I want to hug him, to say I missed him, to ask if he is okay — but something about him is stopping me.
He looks distant. Like he’s here, but not really.
He finally looks away, breaking the spell we were in, when Matt slings an arm around him. “Man, you have to tell us everything. Italy, Nonna, the food–”
Luca chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, about that… there’s something I need to tell you all.”
I feel my stomach drop.
We all sit down, and the living room seems smaller than usual.
