Before I Fall (ON HOLD)

VIII

The wind blew through their hair as they walked side-by-side; not a care in the world. Both forgetting the broken homes they'd have to return to as the sun began to set. The light chatter from adults walking past them filled the air as they finished off the last bits of their ice-cream. Luca stopped and plucked the empty cup out of Ambra's hands as they passed by a rubbish bin.

Luca winked as Ambra began protesting, "don't want you getting your hands dirty for no reason."

"I could've done that Luca. You didn't have t-"

"I'm here, aren't I? As long as I'm around you don't have to worry about little things like these," Luca turned around to throw away the rubbish. Ambra stared at him in awe. Throwing away someone's trash wasn't a big deal to Luca, he'd spent his entire life picking up the pieces of his broken heart; trying to piece it back together. But to Ambra? She'd never seen someone like him. It warmed her heart knowing that they'd become so close in just a couple days.

Luca turned around and the pair continued to walk around the park. "So tell me more about yourself. What are your parents like? When did you move here? Did you have a lot of friends before? Let me get to know you," Luca smiled as he spoke almost as if the idea of getting to know someone knew intrigued him. Ambra couldn't imagine, she assumed the looks of the six-foot-something tall male would be enough for him to get to know everyone. How didn't he have a girlfriend already, she wondered.

"Well, my parents are lawyers like I told you in the shop the other day. I moved from the city because my parents got a job here. They don't really like it though, but I do! I wasn't that popular, I had a good group of friends but nothing worth missing. I'm twenty years old an-", Ambra paused. Her eyes widened before she swivelled round and turned to a confused Luca. "How old are you?? Oh my gosh, what if I'm hanging out with a pervert. Do you have make-up on to hide how old and wrinkly you are? You're so gorgeous though you must have an amazing makeup artist. I'm not ready to die yet oh Jesus. I wanna die a virgin I made a promise to my favourite stuffy that I'd be purer than the Virgin Mary until twenty-five," Ambra rambled and started pacing before Luca. Her rambling was cut short however as she heard a deep chuckle sound from next to her.

Two sets of pearly white teeth shone from underneath a pair of full lips. Ambra was briefly hypnotized by the way they shone in the sun but was taken out of her staring my Luca bending over and laughing louder and clutching his chest. "I-I'm not a pervert," Luca was cut short by another set of giggles erupting from him. Ambra stood next to him and giggled nervously as Luca fought to catch his breath. As he straightened up his face painted itself with an amused smirk, "I'm thirty-five love and no I do not have a make-up artist stashed away in my house somewhere. It's nice to know you think I'm good-looking though." A wink was passed Ambra's way as she flushed a deep red.

"Y-you can never be t-too sure, I just had to check and wait thirty-five?? You're fifteen years older than me my parents would kill me Luca. Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Hey, I'm sorry it's not like either of us asked each other how old we wer—"

"NO. It doesn't matter you should have told me you were a lot older than me!"

Luca ran a hand through his hair frustratedly. How had a day that had been completely fine gone to shit? He knew he had to be careful with his words so he wouldn't scare the younger woman away.

He needed her.

The realization hit him like a truck but in a feat of denial, Luca pushed it to the back of his head. They had just grown really close and he needed a friend. Yeah right, his subconscious spoke. Regardless of the fact, he diverted his attention back to the seething woman in front of him.