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He wasn’t kidding. It was beautiful and breathtaking how the outside could hide the structure and intricate interior. The whole backside of the home was covered with floor-to-ceiling windows inviting the view of the calm lake inside. The light pendants, cans, and chandeliers were unnecessary during the day as natural light illuminated every corner of the house. Tall ceilings with accent oak beams hung from above, and the pillars around held the architectural weight allowing an open and inviting feel of peace.
Montana was prettier by the minute, and if I spent each day wrapped in bedsheets and in his scent, it would become the wildest state to be in.
“It’s stunning.”
“Thank you. I knew when I bought it, it would be difficult to visit often, but I got it anyway. Probably paid more than I needed to, but the view was worth it.”
“It is.”
His phone rang, cutting through the harmony in the house, and he quickly silenced it.
It all changed. The calm had rolled into chaos as Lucca returned to the distant and untouchable man that was so hard to pull apart. And while his darkness always lured me, today it was disheartening.
“It was a long flight. You should rest.” He loosened his blue tie without meeting my eyes.
Iwastired, and the hunt for a glass of red wine would be my first task, but he hadn’t meant forusto rest.
“What if I’m not tired?” I tipped my head back.
Lucca’s jaw tightened, but he never glanced at me. Instead, he turned and said, “I have work.”
Don’t, I told my heart.
Don’t, I said to my breathing.
Don’t, I warned my tears.
Why are we here?
I fell asleep alone,woke up alone. Lucca’s side of the bed hadn’t even been touched and the morning light filtered through the window. It blinded me as deeply as the acknowledgment of his absence.
In a quick heap, I left the light-colored room that was meant to bring tranquility but instead delivered irritation. While the cabin was grand, it didn’t compare to Lucca’s home, and as I searched through the halls for him, I pulled my robe tightly around me. My hair was in disarray, my face puffy from sleep, and only my teeth had been brushed all by the need of finding him.
The need to give him an ear full and set my boundaries.
I passed the white and brown oak kitchen, dismissing all details as I focused on finding an Italian man. Not just any Italian, but mine.
Door opened, elbows on the desk, and inked hands over his face, Lucca sat in front of a book wall. The clean white desk seemed out of place by its color. Lucca wasn’t light and never searched for its tones. He was the contrast I could only see as the bright window shined daylight over his bowed shoulders.
He seemed exhausted in the same suit he’d worn yesterday, and for the first time, I’d met an unkept Lucca. While irritation still clawed, his features and distraught appearance took over with worry.
“Lucca?” I called out his name, wondering if he had fallen asleep.
Red-rimmed and heavy lids slipped away from his hands. He looked drained.
“Have you slept at all?”
He shook his head, and a messy strand of his dark brown hair toyed with his brow. I wanted to pull it back as if it didn’t belong to him, as if his appearance troubled me. And it did.
“Come,” I muttered for him to follow me.
I wanted to take him to bed and force his mind to rest. However, Lucca shook his head, and I didn’t have the patience to treat him with calm.
“I’m not asking, Lucca. I didn’t sleep well and I’m tired.”
Lucca’s eyes closed briefly.
“Please,” I uttered. “I don’t want to be alone in bed.”
