A Crash, A Song, A Wave

Chapter 16

TW in the description
Art by rare.candykale on Instagram!

Luca POV

The air grew colder and colder. Luca found himself wearing a jacket even in the middle of the day, the sun no longer providing him with enough warmth.

Autumn was here.

And following soon after - the first snow.

"He said he'd be back before the first snow," Luca said to himself one early morning as he prepared a latte for a customer.

He was still covering both his and Giulia's shifts. On the positive side, it meant he was making great money and was closer to building his school. On the downside, Luca was exhausted. He was still on rotation to watch the hill every night with Leo. And even though Leo let him catch a few quiet hours on the grass, the nights were getting too cold for him to sleep comfortably.

But that didn't bother Luca. He liked talking to Leo. Somehow, spending time with him made the nights pass quicker. Luca found himself thinking how lucky he was to be partnered with Leo instead of someone else. Someone he might not have liked so much.

They'd had one message from Mattias, who was still hiding... who knew where. Their honeymoon had extended by several weeks, pushing further into the cold season as they waited. Waited for the all-clear from Talia. In his message, Mattias said he'd been in contact with Talia and that the Bracaleone family was still discussing the matter. Convincing them to turn over the family to a female heir was proving to be a more daunting task than anyone expected. But for now, she was able to stave off an attack on Portorosso.

But this left them in a constant state of fear. Any day or night, at any moment, there could be an attack. An attack ten times worse than facing a small branch of the Visconti had been. An attack with the full force of the Braceleone family.

Luca thought about all the lives lost in the battle. About how many had to be sacrificed, both friend and foe, to gain their freedom. How many would they lose this time? Would Portorosso even survive? Would they be... massacred?

"You're spilling, you know." A voice called, snapping Luca out of his depressing train of thought.

"Oh crap!" Luca said as he stopped pouring the overflowing coffee into the mug. "So sorry, sir; I'll get you a fresh cup."

"Calling me sir now? I kinda like it."

Luca turned to see Leo leaning comfortably against the counter. His sandy hair was messy over his face, and he was smarting a fresh sunburn on his shoulders. Despite having the night watch, Leo continued working on his father's fishing boat daily. For the first time, Luca noticed the sleepless signs under his eyes.

"Oh, hey, Leo," Luca said with a smile. "I'm glad it's you; another customer might have given me a hard time."

"Well, if anyone gives you a hard time, I'll just have to come and set them straight."

"Ha ha." Luca mimed and rolled his eyes. "I can handle myself, you know."

"Oh, I have no doubt. But it never hurts to have someone watch your back, does it?" Leo said, fiddling with a toothpick in his mouth.

"I guess not."

"If I'm ever in a pinch, will you have my back?" Leo asked, raising a brow.

Luca feined taking a moment to think.

"Mmm, depends."

"Oh? I thought I'd get an outright yes." Leo said, putting a hand to his chest in mock hurt.