The calm with which we had lived the last few days ceased to exist the moment the doorbell rang very early that morning. We had spent our time going to the Sag Harbor spa, eating fresh seafood in picturesque restaurants, and roasting in the sun for hours, letting our skin acquire that much-desired tan for which we would surely have wrinkles for life.
Amy, the event organizer, had left us alone to enjoy that girlfriends' moment we so badly needed, but just a few days before the wedding and with the imminent arrival of numerous guests, it was impossible to continue with our dolce far niente.
Jenna seemed to get more and more nervous, and it showed by her talking nonstop and, above all, calling Lion every time she had a panic attack. After months of preparing for the test that one of Jenna's father's companies required, he had earned the well-deserved position as manager of one of its branches, and things finally seemed to be on track for the black sheep of the group. The two of them had managed to forgive each other for the past and were more in love than ever.
That morning I finally got to see the wedding dress. The seamstress had arrived with Amy so that Jenna could try it on almost for the last time and get the final alterations done. I have to say the dress was incredible — white lace and fitted to the waist, from which a flared skirt emerged. It reminded me of the dresses worn by movie protagonists or the models in magazines that inevitably make us drool. Jenna's mother, along with one of the most expensive seamstresses in Los Angeles, had designed the dress, and it looked spectacular on my friend.
Soon a group of workers arrived and decorated the entrance of the house with flowers, according to Jenna, matching the floral theme of the wedding; likewise, another group arranged the catering with which all the friends and relatives who would arrive during the day would be received: there was food to spare. In short, in the enormous garden, what would be a pre-wedding reception worthy of admiration was being prepared.
The rehearsal dinner would be held two days later in a hall next to the bay. Needless to say, I was a nervous wreck. I was not prepared to see Nick again and much less to spend more than two days in the same house.
The house soon turned into a hive of people — family members and friends arriving nonstop and, excited, approaching Jenna with the intention of asking her things about the ceremony or simply gossiping about the dress and everything else.
My friend had invited her closest friends to stay at the mansion as well as her closest relatives, especially the younger ones, since the adults preferred to stay in hotels where the youthful excitement and the drunkenness we would surely end up in that night would not disturb their adult peace.
Jenna was surrounded by some of her cousins while the catering staff, who seemed endless, kept coming in through the main door. I was just walking past the entrance, with the clear intention of going up to my room to find a bit of peace, when a familiar car parked by the door. I raised my hand and placed it like a visor to see Lion's brother getting out with that dangerous smile that seemed tattooed on his face.
He spun the car keys between his fingers and locked his gaze on mine when he noticed I was watching him from the porch.
"Look who we have here," he said with a crooked smile as he approached the steps. "The little princess lost in action."
I rolled my eyes. Luca had never really sat well with me. He had spent years in jail and, according to what Jenna had told me, still got into trouble — trouble that Lion now had to solve. I had to admit Luca was quite changed since the last time I had seen him months ago, during those awful races where Jenna had ended things with Lion. Nick and I had also had a monumental fight, a fight that, as always, had ended in sex — sex that solved nothing, sex that only helped us ignore the inevitable: that we were destroying each other little by little.
"How are you, beautiful?" he said, standing in front of me and forcing me to lift my gaze a little. If Lion was a big guy, Luca was no less. His tattooed arms could have scared off any respectable person, but he showed them off proudly, and I could not have cared less.
"Very well, Luca, I'm glad to see you," I replied, taking a small step back; he had gotten closer than I liked, and I was not very pleased. "Jenna is inside if you want to say hello to her."
Luca looked over my shoulder with little interest. His green eyes, identical to his brother's, dropped back to mine, shamelessly ran over the white dress I was wearing, and crinkled as he smiled again and looked back at my face.
"I have time to say hello to the future bride, and speaking of brides... and grooms. Is it true that you are single?"
His interest threw me off a little, and since I did not feel like talking about my love life, much less with the rowdy brother of my ex's best friend, who surely knew what had happened — especially what I had done — the urge to run to my room and lock myself in grew considerably.
"I'm sure you know the answer to that question," I said rather coldly. The reminder of my current situation only managed to make me feel a sting in my chest.
Just then Jenna appeared. A smile much nicer than mine greeted Luca, who opened his arms to pull her into a hug.
"Hello, future sister-in-law," he greeted, rubbing her with his hands. "Are you fatter? Be careful, or that dress might not fit you."
Luca was smiling, and Jenna wriggled out of his arms, breaking free with a jerk and glaring at him with her slanted eyes.
"You are an idiot," she snapped, smacking him on the arm.
Luca turned his attention back to me.
"I was asking Noah where my room was. You know I am not used to living in castles by the beach, and I feel tired from the trip."
Jenna rolled her eyes.
"Only you would think of crossing the country by car. Do you not know about those things called airplanes?"
I opened my eyes in surprise.
"You drove here from California?"
Luca nodded, adjusting the backpack slung over his shoulder.
"I love roadside diners," he declared, passing between us and entering the house. "Where do I go?"
Jenna shook her head, smiling. At that very moment, someone called her from the kitchen.
"Noah, take him upstairs and tell him to stay in the room on the right, the one next to the balcony."
"But..."
Jenna did not stay to listen to my protests; she disappeared down the hallway toward the kitchen and left me alone with Luca.
"Come on, princess, I do not have all day."
After showing him the room and with the clear intention of getting rid of him, I turned to go out the door and slip into my room, which was only two doors away, but Luca intercepted me halfway, sliding between me and the door.
"Let's go to the beach," he proposed with resolution in his eyes.
"No, thank you," I replied, trying to dodge his body and reach the door handle.
"I do not want to stay here. Come on, do not be boring, I'll buy you a hot dog."
I studied him carefully, trying to guess what his intentions were. Luca was a restless person, someone hard to control. I was sure staying there with all the guests arriving nonstop stressed him more than he wanted to admit.
"I do not want a hot dog, I want to go to my room and read a good book, so move, please."
He ignored me.
"Read?" He pronounced the word as if it were an insult. "You can read when you are dead. Come on, let's go take a spin around this posh place."
"Luca, I cannot just leave, Jenna needs help; besides, we do not know this place, and I do not feel like getting lost with you around the Hamptons, honestly."
Luca turned his cap backward and looked at me intently.
"Getting lost with me is the best thing that could happen to you, beautiful, but that is not what I am interested in right now; I just want to go out and get something to eat with good company, and you are not bad at all, despite your stuck-up princess airs."
I crossed my arms and almost slapped him, just like Jenna had done, but he let out a laugh that interrupted the insult I was about to let slip.
"It was a joke! Come on, don't be a bore, I promise to bring you back safe and sound — God forbid Jenna ends up without a maid of honor."
Just then a group of Jenna's relatives started climbing the huge stairs, and soon the hallway was full of people chatting excitedly, so Luca's idea of going out did not seem so horrible anymore.
"I will go out with you on one condition," I said, looking at him straight-faced, without even a hint of a smile.
Luca, on the other hand, looked at me with a bad-boy smirk.
"Whatever you want."
"I drive."
Contrary to what I expected, Luca could not have cared less that I was the one getting behind the wheel of his shiny black Mustang; in fact, he seemed happy not to have to pay attention to the road and enjoy the views of the coast instead. The sun would soon be setting, and there was a rather pleasant breeze.
We were wrapped in a silence that was not uncomfortable at all, and I enjoyed driving along those back roads with the simple goal of taking a drive. I knew a part of Luca was holding back with me: he was not the type of guy who hung out with a girl just to pass the time, but his intentions mattered very little to me.
Finally, after driving aimlessly for a while and once night had fallen, I stopped at a hot dog stand by the sea. Around it there were tables, at which two couples and a couple with two small children were sitting.
"I am hungry," I announced, taking the keys out of the ignition.
Luca smiled and got out of the car. I watched him from my spot by the window and hurried to catch up with him.
"I didn't know you drove stick," he said, taking off his cap, running his hand over his almost shaved head, and putting it back on afterward.
"Well, it is not like you and I know each other that well, so it is normal that you did not know."
I walked ahead to the food stand that sold what was considered junk food but smelled like heaven. I ordered a hot dog with everything, some fries, and a Coke; Luca, in turn, ordered the same but with a beer. When we had our food, we sat at one of the tables. It felt a bit strange to be there with the brother of my best friend's future husband, an ex-convict with a bad reputation, but I had to admit that so far he had behaved pretty well.
"You're not really into diets, are you?" he said, pointing at my greasy plate.
"I work out," I replied, taking a bite of the hot dog. It was delicious.
Luca nodded, took a sip of his beer, leaned back, and kept staring at me.
"Earlier you said we don't know each other, why don't we play twenty questions?"
I carefully put the hot dog down on the plate and averted my gaze for a moment.
A small part of my brain caught the flirty undertone in his suggestion, but the other part drifted off to bring back an old memory — a memory that had brought me closer to Nick in a very intimate way, when we had played that silly game to get to know each other better.
The memory of that time, when we barely knew each other, the memory of being with him, with neither of us knowing the other's problems, almost made me get up and run back to my room, where I should never have left, but I did what was appropriate in those circumstances: I closed my eyes for a second, took a deep breath, and focused on anything else.
I had an attractive guy in front of me, a guy that was completely wrong for me and who would only bring trouble to my already complicated situation, but what he did not know was that it didn't matter what he did or said, nothing would ever make me feel the way a simple look from Nicholas Leister could make me feel. Sometimes it was just that — what I missed — his gaze, his eyes fixed on mine in that unique and incomparable way.
Luca waved his hand in front of my face to make me snap out of it, and I refocused on him, on his tattoos, and on his green eyes full of far too much curiosity.
"I will let you ask me just one question," I replied so as not to sound unfriendly.
Luca smiled, rubbed his chin, and leaned over the table.
"If you're only limiting it to one, I'll have to get straight to the point," he said.
I squirmed a little uncomfortably in my seat. I think this was the first time in months I was alone with a guy, and I didn't like the feeling in my stomach, as if I were doing something wrong.
"Would you go out with me tomorrow night?"
His question was clear, but my answer was clearer.
"No."
That was me being direct and concise. In fact, I stood up from the table — I no longer felt like eating — but he grabbed my wrist, forcing me to stay standing next to him, and turned to look me straight in the face.
"Why not?"
"Because I can't."
He looked at me, puzzled.
"You can't? What kind of answer is that?"
I shifted a little uncomfortably, but he was still holding my wrist.
"I don't want to," I said, fixing my gaze on his right shoulder.
A few seconds passed before he spoke again.
"I see... you're still in love with him," he said, stating it more than asking.
I yanked my wrist free and took a step back.
"That is none of your business, do you hear me?"
Luca raised his hands and burst out laughing.
"Noah, I was just going to ask you to go for a run, okay? It's not such a big deal... God, they told me you had a temper, but..." My look seemed to warn him it was not a good idea to keep going. "When the sun goes down and it's not so hot. That way we can escape the madness tomorrow will be, with all the guests still left to arrive. Come on, I'm just looking for excuses to sneak out of that house, nothing more, so wipe that look off your face, you can stay in love with whoever you want, I couldn't care less."
His answer made me reconsider his request. This was Luca we were talking about, a troublemaker — he didn't care about my personal life, he just opened his mouth and said the first thing that came to mind.
Running... I could do that... It was boring, boring and impersonal; besides, who invited someone to run with any intention other than having company? I would be sweaty and gross, so there would be no danger... right?
"Just running?" I asked, cursing inwardly for that insecure voice I did not even recognize as mine.
Luca frowned slightly, released my wrist, and nodded with a forced little smile on his thick lips.
"Just running."
I sighed inwardly and sat back down to wait for him to finish eating.
The next half hour we spent talking about the wedding and unimportant things, but despite that, I could not help feeling like I had been exposed to him, that I had let him glimpse the insecurity I had been working on for months, and I did not like that one bit.
There was only a day and a half left until the wedding, and Luca was stuck to me like a barnacle. We had gone running just as he had asked me, and to my surprise, I had realized that it didn't bother me: he put on his headphones, I put on mine, and we ran next to each other until we reached the harbor and then ran back along the beach. I have to admit it was our most subtle way of escaping the house — so many guests had been arriving that there were hardly any rooms left. Jenna's parents had arrived the night before, and I finally felt a little freer about leaving her alone. Her mother was a born hostess, and they seemed happy to welcome so many friends and relatives to celebrate the marriage of their eldest daughter.
At that moment, I was almost at my limit, Luca had insisted we go farther this time, and my legs were already resisting, threatening to make me walk back.
"Come on!" the smartass shouted as he ran backward to be able to look at me and mock me at the same time. I flipped him off and tried to ignore him, but I had to stop to drink some water and catch my breath. In a few hours it would be nightfall, and we had to be showered and dressed to have dinner with the rest of the guests. Jenna's father had hired catering for those days; it was a continuous celebration, with a tent installed outside and food available at all hours. The Tavish house had turned into a five-star hotel, and everyone seemed delighted.
"Don't be a wimp!"
I exhaled slowly and poured water over my head. The pink top I was wearing got soaked, but I got rid of some of the sweat running down my stomach and my breasts. I wiped my face with my hands and decided I would walk back — I had already pushed my body too hard for one afternoon.
"Keep going without me, idiot!"
Luca shook his head, stopped, and came back to where I had stopped.
"I thought your endurance was improving, princess. You've disappointed me."
"Oh, shut up."
Together we started walking along the pavement back toward Jenna's house. We were going up a huge hill, and in the distance the sun was setting quickly, painting the sky with amazing colors.
"Not long now until the big day. Are you nervous?" Luca asked, doing the same thing I had done a few seconds earlier and pouring the rest of his water bottle over his head. He shook himself off, and drops of water mixed with sweat splashed on my body and face. I shoved him with my arm, and he grinned like an idiot.
"I am not the one getting married, Luca," I replied with feigned indifference.
The little we had talked about during those two days had made it clear that a certain topic was untouchable, although given that there was barely any time left for the wedding, I understood his curiosity.
"You're the maid of honor... your role is important," he said, looking straight ahead.
I didn't respond, but my suppressed anxiety came back all at once, and my stomach turned. I hadn't wanted to ask Jenna when Nick was arriving; I wasn't even sure whether he'd show before the day itself… Maybe he would just appear right before the ceremony started. For me, that would be better. Just the thought of seeing him again made me tremble. Right then, a car passed by us so fast that Luca pushed me aside for safety. "Dickhead!" he shouted, but the black Lexus had already nearly vanished up the road. I had a strange feeling, and I wanted to get back to the house as soon as possible.
(Above mentioned words are all from the book of Culpa Nuestra, Spanish book written by Mercedes Ronn, I just traslated this in English if you want to communicate with me ...my Instagram account @_._priyeah_._)
Be ready for chapter 5 guys...