Never Letting Go

Chapter 18

                   

I stare down at my phone as it goes off with Luca's name on the screen. I swallow the sip of juice I have in my mouth and listen carefully for the sound of the shower going on in the bathroom. I don't want Allison to hear my conversation with Luca and considering the fact that I spent the whole journey home from work yesterday listening to her moaning about him, my Saturday will go a lot better without her continuing her rant.

The shower goes on and the sound of Allison singing away to something Ellie Goulding fills the flat.

I pick my phone up and walk over the door leading out to the balcony for some privacy.

"Good morning, Luca." I answer, sliding the door closed until it's opened slightly.

I pull my cardigan tightly closed as a way of keeping myself warm and somewhat shielded from the rain. After a good week or so of sunshine, today is the day it's turned sour and all the plans I had have gone out the window.

"Morning?" He says, questioning why I said it until it clicks in his head. "Isn't it lunch time in the UK?"

"I don't know. Is it?" I peek back into the living room at the clock on the wall nearest the kitchen. It's only gone past twelve in the afternoon so I guess he's right. "Hmm, you're right."

"At least it's not early hours in the morning I'm calling like the last time."

I take a seat on one of the wooden chairs. "Very true."

"How was the rest of your week at work?"

I almost smile at his kindness but I know it's just the basics of a simple conversation he's going through before telling me why he really called me today. I don't want to sound pushy, so I go with it.

"Busy as always," I answer truthfully. "How is your work going?"

"Very well," he happily informs. "I'm currently at the airport to go back to the UK. I should land back later tonight or early tomorrow morning."

"Just don't wake me up if it is early tomorrow morning," I warn with a smile creeping onto my face.

He laughs. "So I'll be alright to call you if it's late at night?"

"No!"

He laughs again. "Worth a try just to hear you get angry."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"You always were a little firecracker."

"And you always were a dickhead."

"Guilty as charm."

I wipe the side of my face as a spot of rain falls onto it. "You might want to try and bring some sunshine back with you. It's pouring down here."

"I'll see what I can do." He goes silent for a moment before going on. "Do you remember when we were out for a walk and got caught in a sudden downpour?"

"I do." I'm smiling away like an idiot at the memory he's about to recall.

"It came on all of a sudden and we had to run to my house but my parents were out and we had no choice but to wait in the garage."

"You're lucky that garage was broke and you knew the technique on how to open it without a key or else we would have been drenched."

"We got the old deck chairs out and sat on them listening to the rain coming down which went on for a good hour before my parents come home."

I laugh and get to my feet. "Those were the days."

"Good days," he agrees.

I walk back into the living room. The sound of Allison singing has stopped and been replaced by the radio. The shower is off and I know I need to end the phone call to Luca before I get caught.