Cold Hearted Bastard

Chapter 17

Two days later, and I was getting ready for my date with Luca. It took me a while to build up the courage to even call him. I was not a put-yourself-out-there type of girl.

I straightened the flowy mini dress I was wearing t for the fifth time and watched myself in the mirror. My dad used to tell me stories of blueberries when I was younger. He used to say they reminded him of my eyes, a hint of violet hue reflecting off of the blue. So unique, so inhuman. The image of me didn't make sense. He used to say things don't belong when they're placed until they're made to belong and you can't imagine anything else fitting perfectly. He'd said those were my eyes.

I smiled as I remembered, feeling slightly nostalgic.

"Luca's here!" Meredith shouted from downstairs distracting me from my thoughts. I hurriedly grabbed my purse and skipped down the stairs. No sight of anyone else as I looked from a distance, watching as Luca was standing in the foyer, towering over Meredith. He was dressed in a suit with a turquoise tie. It contrasting perfectly with his matching eyes. Both hands were placed in his pants pockets and his jet black hair was combed back. He looked so put together, his confidence steaming off of him onto everyone else. I couldn't help but wonder how he was attracted to me.

"I'm worried about him too Meredith," Luca was saying to her. Meredith looked concerned as she timidly nibbled at her thumb. I knew they were talking about Aspen but I wondered what would have them so distraught.

"Hey," I said interrupting them. Meredith jumped while Luca turned to me calmly. Both of them looked guilty as if they were caught in the middle of committing a crime.

"Wow," his husky voice commented, the sound rattling my bones. A smile spread across his face revealing his perfectly straight teeth, "you look beautiful Wynter."

"You don't look so bad yourself," I joked and mentally cursed myself for being so lame, "Why are we worried about Aspen?"

I couldn't help probing. I needed to know what they knew that I didn't.

"It's nothing." Luca smiled through the lie. This date was already off to a bad start.

"Okay," I replied, not bothering to mask my annoyance. I looked around again distractedly, seeing if I saw him. I really didn't since our last conversation.

"Should we go?" Luca asked, changing the subject and I nodded waving to Meredith, and followed Luca out the door.

He offered me an outstretched hand and I took it feeling indifferent. I didn't have the usual bundle of nerves in me and I knew that was because of one person and one person alone. I was disappointed in not seeing Aspen around. But I had to remind myself that I was going on a date with another man. Aspen was just a friend.

"So where are we going?" I asked as we climbed into his car. The engine purred so softly it was clear the car was of the highest quality.

"Well, there's this place off of the city, near a lakefront. There's a restaurant there that serves the best Italian food."

"Italian food is my favorite, how'd you know?"

"Good guess." He grinned.

It only took a short drive before we were already approaching the lakefront. The sun was setting, its colors reflecting off the lake. They blended perfectly and if you didn't look close enough you'd swear it had no beginning or end. Contemporary styled buildings joined wall to wall as street lights bordered the cobblestoned road, lighting up the little town. I marveled at the authenticity of it all.

We parked and walked towards the restaurant. Somewhere around, Italian music was playing and I'd never visited Italy before but I imagined it to be like this place.

"Buena sera," a man greeted us at the entrance, his voice thick with foreignness.

"Hello," Luca returned, guiding me inside. The waiter placed us to sit on the upstairs veranda, allowing us a view of the sunset. The crisp air tousled my waves of hair and I was forced to tie it up.

"You're beautiful," Luca praised me, bumping my self-esteem up a notch. I blushed and thanked him.

"You come here often?" I asked him as I flicked through my menu, looking at all the different options. He did the same and nonchalantly replied, "sometimes. I enjoy the ambiance and food a lot. So I try to come back as much as I can."

The waiter came back placing two glasses of water in front of us. He then proceeded to ask for our orders. I was indecisive but they both waited as I chose my entree.

"Picky eater huh?" Luca commented not as an insult but it came off more accusatory than anything.

"Not really," I defended myself, taking a large gulp of the filtered water, "they just have so many options, it was hard to choose."

He chuckled, meeting my eyes and saying, "I know what you mean. But I've had what you ordered and it's divine."

I smiled, not really sure what to say. The awkward first date jitters were finally coming out to play and I guessed he felt them too.

"So," he began after a painstakingly long pause of silence, "how's having Aspen as a roommate? Have you felt to kill him yet?" He joked, rubbing a nervous hand behind his neck.

I internally cringed. It seemed as if I couldn't escape him. As much as he pushed away, it was like everyone still reminded me about him. Even in his absence.

"Aspen is okay, he's a bit moody sometimes. And you could say a bit rough," I replied, my words meaning a different interpretation to the one Luca probably got, "But he's not even here, let's talk about you. How did you decide to move to here of all places?"

The tension in the air finally evaporated as Luca unfolded his life events. He asked me similar questions and eventually, it felt like no time before our food arrived. I had to admit I was finally starting to enjoy the date even though since Luca had brought up Aspen I couldn't erase him out of my mind. I found myself wondering what was keeping his time preoccupied at the moment while Luca told me about his family back home.

"What's Aspen's deal?" I sucked up the courage and finally asked. The question gnawing at the back of my mind since leaving the house.

"What do you mean?" Luca asked, placing a forkful of food into his mouth.

"He never talks about himself. Why? He always seems to shut off when I ask him anything about his personal life."

"Well," Luca began to look uncomfortable, "if he hasn't told you as yet it's because he's not ready too. Honestly, I don't even think he's ever even told anything about the accident."

"What accident?" I probed.

Luca seemed nervous as if he spilled too much already. "Aspen should be the one to tell you not me..." He trailed off, his mood shifting. Before I could reply he changed the subject. "How's your ratatouille?"

I looked down at my plate and picked a forkful of the vegetables. I moaned as it reached my mouth, chewing it as slowly as I could.

"Delicious," I sighed, as the flavors exploded in my mouth.

He snickered, clearly pleased at my reaction. We finished our meals in silence. I was enjoying it too much to try and take pauses to talk.

"Any dessert?" The waiter asked us as he cleared our plates from the table. I looked at Luca and shook my head.

"No thank you, the bill is fine." He replied as the waiter handed him the black bill folder. He'd insisted I didn't pay a cent towards it even though I had offered to split it. I would have been embarrassing him if I did he had explained. I couldn't help but give him a pointed look at that.