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It’s the morning of Landy’s funeral and I’m once again standing in front of my mirror, smoothing out the wrinkles in my dark-green dress. I chose not to wear black, because Landy would have taken one look at my morbid atttire and scoffed while telling me to lighten the fuck up. Laughing to myself, I twist around when I hear my door creak open, only to pull up short as Luca steps into the room and shuts the door behind him.
He’s dressed in a sharp suit with only hints of his tattoos peeking over the pressed collar at his neck. His hair is freshly faded, and clean cut, and he looks so much older and put together, but under his eyes are dark circles that give away his concern. I sigh deeply as he walks into the room further. Memories of the hours before my mother’s party flash through my mind and I chew on the inside of my cheek nervously.
“You look beautiful,” Luca whispers. My eyes raise to his slowly and I can feel the sincerity of his words sinking into me. His eyes roam my body.
“Are you here to humiliate me again?” I snap, but there’s no heat behind the words. I’m just lashing out because I'm sad.
Still, he winces softly, flickering his brown eyes towards the floor. “That shouldn’t have happened,” he mutters, taking a step closer. “There’s no excuse for what I did to you, no matter what our past looks like.” I stare at him, saying nothing. Luca clears his throat, eyes bouncing from his feet and then back to me. “I want to start over with this whole thing. I want to put things behind us and beusagain.” He steps closer and this time, I feel no apprehension. “I can’t live like this, Nora. I can’t pretend to hate you anymore because I’m just lying to myself.”
I let him approach me slowly. Catching that manly, musky scent of his makes my heart race and my mouth dry up. After all this time, despite what we’ve put each other through, he still makes my whole body light up. Reaching out slowly, Luca’s hands glide over both of my arms, rubbing them gently. He has no idea the effect he’s having on my sanity. I don’t pull away, though.
I don’t shrink away as he kisses my forehead the way he used to when we were younger. Comfort wraps around me and so do his arms. His hug is gentle and welcome. I just turn my head sideways and lay my cheek against his strong chest while he holds me, listening to the rapid beating of his heart.
We stand there for a while, until I open my eyes and glance at the clock on my nightstand. “We need to go.” I nudge him backward.
Luca smiles at me reassuringly as we turn toward the door, but right before he opens it back up, he turns and stretches his hand out, beckoning me to let him lead me. I weave my fingers through his and let him.
Nora
The funeral really is a solemn yet beautiful affair. Practically the whole town came out to say their goodbyes to the quirky, old woman who swept in like a summer storm. I spent the entirety of the sermon staring at her portrait instead of the body lying next to it in the casket. I want to remember her as she’ll continue to look in my memory—alive and so full of life and with a dirty sense of humor.
After the ceremony and burial, the town congregates in the event hall for food, drinks, and well wishes, but after a few hours of forced smiles and acceptance, I can feel my energy waning. The need to get away from it all is almost frantic. Excusing myself from the table, I see my mom watching me in concern, but I just give her a bland smile before leaving the room in a hurry.
Bypassing the restrooms, I burst through the double doors and into the fresh night air. The doors open and close again behind me. Turning around, I see Luca approaching and he pulls his tie free from his collar. He stops in front of me. “C’mon, I wanna show you something,” he tells me before turning and heading to the parking lot.
I hesitate, but it doesn’t last long. Anything is better than waiting around in this stifling place. After buckling ourselves into his car, we drive through town in silence and I have to look away for a moment as we pass by Landy’s studio. The lights are all out and my eyes fill with tears.
A few more minutes down the road, we finally pull up in front of a smaller building painted in dark grays with tinted windows lining the front of it. Looking up, I see that there’s a space where a sign should eventually go, but I have no idea what we’re doing here. Luca puts the car in park and gets out without a word. I follow his cue and get out, too.
He pulls a key from his pocket and opens the door to the building, ushering me through ahead of him. It’s dark and I can’t see much, but I hear him close the door and lock up behind him. He walks to the wall and flips a lightswitch. I blink at the brightness, but as I take a look around, my eyes widen.
“Holy crap, Luca.” Framed records, band murals, and memorabilia decorate the dark-charcoal walls. The floor is black concrete, adding to the hardcore edge of the space. A black reception desk sits in the center of the room.
“It’s nowhere near finished, but it’s coming along.” He comes to stand next to me as I gaze around in awe. “What do you think?”
“It’s incredible…” I nudge his arm and smirk. “You’re really doing it, Luc...like actually doing it.”
His smile is warmer than I’ve seen in a long time. “Let me show you the rest,” he says before grasping my hand and pulling me along after him. My heart does a little flipping motion at the contact.
We head down a long corridor, passing multiple empty offices until we reach a back section with a small recording area facing a wide window. I gape openly at the setup. Three leather couches are situated around the room on the other side of the window and mic stands are scattered all around. The walls have racks of guitars hanging from them and a brand new drum set is set up over in the corner.
“You like?” he asks excitedly, his eyes tracking my every move as I roam the room. “Like I said, it’s not done, but I’d say in about a month or so we’ll be up and running. I already have some local artists lined up.”
“Luca this is fucking incredible.” He practically preens under my praise. I walk toward a low couch and take a seat. Luca strolls over to the wall of guitars and plucks one from the rack before heading over and sitting next to me. “You’ve talked about having your own studio for so long, but seeing it makes it so real.”
“I know you’ve had a fucked-up day, so I wanted to try and do something to help you relax. I don’t know if this will help in the slightest, but would you mind if I played something for you...to get your mind off of things?” He looks unsure of himself, which isn’t normal for Luca. His fingers work to twist and tune the guitar strings.
Warmth fills my chest. “Please do. I really missed hearing you play…”
His eyes meet mine sadly. “What do you wanna hear?”
I blow out a long breath. “Anything at all, just make me better,” I whisper.
He smirks. “No pressure or anything then.”
Rolling my eyes, I sit back against the couch and make myself comfortable, kicking off my heels and clasping my hands in my lap. Luca’s dark eyes trace my movements and heat up ever so slightly, but he turns his attention back to the guitar and plucks out a few notes, testing the tune of it.
When he starts to play in earnest, the song seems hauntingly familiar, though I can’t seem to place it. He doesn’t sing...he’s never been good at it, but frankly he doesn’t need to. I find that I have to look away as he strums with his eyes closed tight. I'm trying not to let myself get carried away at the sight of him with his guitar, just the two of us here with nobody to interrupt us. It's the most intimate we’ve ever been, and that includes the night we slept together so many years ago.
