From London to Rome

Chapter 43

Five days. Luca has been in New York for five days and I already miss him like crazy. We text all the time and call at least once a day, but the time difference is already taking its toll on us. Luca is busy with work most of the day and once he gets back to his hotel room I'm already asleep. I keep my early afternoons free so I can spend my time talking to Luca. I miss him too much to skip out on our daily call. I've been trying to keep myself busy, but there is only so much school work I can do. Luckily, Tess and Madison have been keeping me busy with shopping and having dinner together. We go out a few times a week, but that doesn't stop my mind from longing for Luca's presence. There are still four weeks left and the girls can't keep me occupied forever, so I'll have to come up with a new plan.

I have been calling Hailey and Noah a lot more the past few days. Hailey is on vacation with our parents, since she's still in high school her holiday started before Noah and mine. While I'm sitting in the library finishing my extra credit work, she's been laying on a beach working on her tan. Noah is still at university as well. He's already done with his courses but is spending time with some mystery girl at Oxford. He won't tell me anything about her, and until the day I can look him in the eyes he can keep on hiding things from me, but once I can look him straight in the eyes he will break and tell me everything I want to know.

My siblings and I have always had a strong bond. Ever since we were little we were able to read each other's minds and we can tell how they are feeling or what they are thinking with just one look at them. We can never keep secrets from each other, I can always tell when they are lying or hiding something and they can do the same with me as well. Noah has been in university for three years already, but only after spending a full year at university myself, I realise how much I miss them. I missed Noah those two years when I was still at home but at least I had Hailey close to me. Now I barely see either of them. I'm really looking forward to spending most of this summer with them again. The sibling trio is back, and we have weeks to annoy the hell out of our parents together.

Luca and I talked on the phone a few hours ago and he was supposed to be busy the rest of the afternoon and evening with fittings and practice runs for the fashion show. I'm a bit surprised when he texts me a link to a gossip site. Luca usually never reads those kinds of things so I wonder what makes this so important. Besides, it's midnight already and he knows I would usually already be in bed at this time. He's still typing what I assume will be a long message.

"I cannot believe this. Remember when I was glad mum gave me this job? Guess what; she has had an ulterior motive all along. Tonight she suddenly shows up at my hotel room with her, saying we need some bonding time before the shows. I can't even stand the girl and now I'm sitting in a god damn hotel bar with her and the press already picked it up, of course. I'm so done with my mother right now."

I have a very strong feeling that I know exactly who the girl is Luca is talking about. I open the link and indeed, there are pictures of Luca and Sydney. The gossip sites are going insanely crazy. Both of them arriving at JFK, separately and days apart, but what does the trick is that they checked into the same hotel and were spotted at the bar together. Everyone is going nuts. After the pictures from a few weeks ago, everyone believes this is the confirmation they needed and the gossip wheels have been spinning like crazy.

Most of the stories I read are too crazy to even be true, but people still believe it. Sydney has been seen with Ella which was described as bonding between mother and daughter-in-law. Well, guess what, the actual daughter-in-law is still in freaking London has never met the mother. Ella has done a great job at avoiding meeting me if I have to believe Luca, which I do. She couldn't get her son on a plane across the Atlantic quickly enough when she realised Luca wasn't giving in to her demands.

I know I'm going crazy, Luca and I have only been dating for less than three months, but she better keeps her hands off of him. If I ever catch her crossing that line, I will fly to New York and beat the hell out of her until she needs another nose job. No one touches my man.

I fall asleep with that picture in my head. Me beating Sydney's pretty little face until my arms give out. I can't believe I'm going this crazy because of a boy. But the thing is, he isn't just a boy. He is special. He is the kindest, smartest, funniest guy I've ever met. And I am lucky enough to call him mine. I won't let anyone mess with my relationship with him, he's my everything.