The temperature began to shift; winds blown in from the Atlantic could already be felt, and with them the country's rules and customs seemed to settle in even more.
"Shit!" Valentina said as she slammed on the emergency brake."Valentina?!" Lucas asked."Cows… I didn't see them coming," Valentina said, honking the horn.
Valentina didn't know what to say, but she wasn't about to let Andrea go to a meeting he hadn't been invited to. Besides, those wounds they hadn't closed yet were still bleeding.
"Let's meet with Lorenzo first," Valentina said, serious.
The call ended there; Valentina had no intention of giving an answer right then, knowing Andrea was probably listening. For her own peace of mind, she let the topic rest a little longer.
__________________________________________
When you don't keep your promises, whether for good or bad, conscience strikes; when you don't clear up misunderstandings, the other person labels you.
Andrea didn't want to give the matter too much attention, though he felt a bit uncomfortable about what had been happening with Valentina.
Besides, his mission from now on was to focus on Lucas and make sure his rut arrived as soon as possible. So he decided to erase those strange thoughts crossing his mind and not stress out.
"She's acting a little weird, isn't she? Do you think she fought with Bastián?" Lucas asked, uncertain."I don't think so. Anyway, are you hungry?" Andrea said, heading to the kitchen.
Lucas kept thinking something had happened, though he didn't want to worry Andrea. He felt sad, disappointed in himself, frustrated for not having controlled himself; and not only that. Every morning, when he woke up, he kissed the cut on Andrea's forehead. The man treated him like a king, and every little detail made him feel guilty.
________________________________________________________
The week started chaotically. As always, Lucas woke up before Andrea, though a bit dizzy from the rush of it all. When he got to his shop, he ran into a long list of deliveries and, on top of that, noticed he had half the office full of unopened boxes.
Gloves, helmets, tires, parts of every kind. Being independent was hard sometimes—harder if you worked alone. He was happy despite everything; it was his lifelong dream.
By Wednesday afternoon he noticed he had no more customers: he'd managed to deliver everything that had piled up, but in exchange he now had a long list of new products.
He thought about calling Valentina to reach out to the photographer again, though he was a bit short on money; maybe he could barter like last time. It was necessary: now that Andrea was under the same roof, he needed to earn a bit more to make him comfortable.
Life in Switzerland was much more expensive than in Italy; he hadn't even coordinated with Andrea how they would split expenses, though supposedly he would only stay a couple of weeks. After all, the priority was that Andrea wouldn't be alone.
"I'm back!" Lucas said, dropping a box on the floor.
Andrea ran into his arms, covered him in kisses, and told him how much he'd missed him. When things got a little hotter, Andrea pulled away to hand him a big cup of tea.
"Finish it first, then the rest."
The night went by normally: they ate dinner, watched a comedy series, got ready, and then went to bed. Another day done; another day where everything felt a little too perfect.
Thursday passed normally; Lucas didn't have any customers all day. Some days were like that: every business had its seasons, and his was no exception.
"Hey, love…"
A familiar voice echoed through the shop. It was Andrea; he'd come to pick Lucas up so they could go home together.
"Babe, what are you doing here?" Lucas said, surprised."What do you mean? I came to pick you up," Andrea said, arms crossed.
Lucas was happy with the surprise; it was something none of his exes had ever done, and the fact that he'd do that for him made Lucas feel like he was the person he'd been waiting for.
They closed up together and then headed to the supermarket, as usual, to buy some desserts—both Andrea and Lucas loved sweets.
Once home, they settled in; each took care of their responsibilities. Andrea handled the kitchen while Lucas cleaned and got everything ready for dinner.
When Andrea finished, he headed to the bedroom to join Lucas in the shower, but a phone started ringing.
Phone call:"Lucas, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?" Valentina demanded."Hello…" Andrea said, with a doubtful tone."Andrea? Sorry… is Lucas there with you?" Valentina asked, surprised."Yes, he's in the shower… do you want me to put him on?" Andrea asked."No, just tell him to call me," Valentina said.
__________________________________________________
The night felt fresh, thanks to the laughter, the voices around, and the almost–weekend air.
Valentina and Lorenzo agreed to meet at Clouds, a bar famous for its view of the city. There were all kinds of people there; although most were certain castes, others weren't turned away.
"Valentina!" Lorenzo said, giving her a kiss on each cheek."Lorenzo, I'm sorry; my partner couldn't make it," Valentina said, embarrassed.
Lorenzo noticed the discomfort on Valentina's face; she was sometimes easy to read and, at the same time, difficult. For Valentina, Lorenzo had very sharp features, a face that hid a lot behind it, and an aura of wisdom.
Drinks and snacks arrived; they talked through the event in detail. At first glance, it was specifically for directors from the top agencies in the country, where most people went to make contacts.
"You and I both know it's really an event to show off—but also to spy," Lorenzo said with a sigh.
It was true: Valentina had never attended this kind of event; she didn't have the experience, though she intuited its purpose. Still, although they had never worked together, both Lorenzo and Lucas knew that client circuit well.
Even so, something told Valentina this event wouldn't just be for bragging—it would also be to size up future rivals.
When they checked the time, they realized they'd talked about everything except the most important thing. Lorenzo still hadn't told Valentina who the client was or what her role would be there.
"So the client is the CEO of a company…" Lorenzo said.
Just as he began to explain, his phone started ringing, and he had to cut the topic short.
He apologized and stepped away from the table for a few seconds. At first it seemed a little strange, but she assumed he had his reasons. From a distance she saw a Lorenzo she didn't know: he crossed his feet, looked down at the floor, touched the back of his neck, smiling like someone in love.
For a moment, Valentina wondered: did Lorenzo have a partner? And if so, it definitely had to be an alpha.
She cut off the thought quickly and checked her phone. Bastián had sent her a message; she smiled instantly. But her smile faded when she noticed someone was returning a call she'd made earlier.
Phone call:"Forgive me, I forgot. I'm sorry," Lucas said."We need to talk. Pick me up tomorrow," Valentina demanded.
When Lorenzo came back, he noticed Valentina got slightly nervous, hanging up the call as he finally reached the table.
"You didn't hang up on your boyfriend because of me, did you?" Lorenzo asked, watching her curiously."Nooo. It was my friend," Valentina said, laughing.
Lorenzo didn't press further. He knew her as someone upright, but he'd never thought she'd get along so well with that beta; the hours went by so quickly they felt short.
They set up another outing for the following Friday; after all, the event would be in just three weeks.
___________________________________________________
The weekend arrived, and they only wanted to curl up—or "spoon," as Lucas called it—without doing anything.
"I adore you, my piece of heaven," Lucas said, kissing Andrea on the forehead."Your medicine!" Andrea said, dragging himself out of bed.
Lucas didn't understand why Andrea got so worked up; he felt better every day, though he still had mild aftereffects. He didn't even see the famous "healing teas" Andrea made as that necessary anymore.
Andrea became extremely strict, so Lucas couldn't refuse; if he tried, Andrea pointed at the wound on his forehead to make him take it seriously.
"Do I have to? I'm better, and besides, sometimes it makes me feel a bit hyper; I guess it's because I'm getting better," Lucas said, pouting.
Lucas took his medicine in the mornings and at night and, since he felt more energetic each day, he asked Andrea for more caresses in return… After all, every time they connected, he only wanted to leave a big mark on that skin.