Page 9

Luca wasn’t trying to claim he could read minds now, but even he could tell their second date was going better than their first.

Granted, it wasn’t a very high bar to surpass.

Luca had found this little out-of-the-way place (mostly thanks to Sho’s nudging) for a private conversation. It was, in fact, a foot bath, which also offered hand massages. He and Noe had taken advantage of the services first, getting nice and unwound, and now sat hip to hip, their legs submersed in hot water with yuzu bobbing about. It felt delightful after being on his feet most of the day.

Sake and snacks were on trays to either side of them, and he nibbled on some apples and cheese between shots of sake. The atmosphere was meant for relaxing, and there were small potted plants and bamboo dividers between the guests so people could sit without needing to socialize.

All in all, a perfect date spot.

Luca undoubtedly owed Sho a favor for this suggestion.

He also had a list of questions he wanted to ask Noe. Not for must fit requirements reasons this time, but because he genuinely liked the man and wanted to know more about him. Also, he was somehow cuter today? Or perhaps Luca thought this because the brown shirt and green vest complemented Noe’s fair skin and hazel eyes so well.

“So, Noe. How long have you known Giric?”

“Oh, ages. We grew up together. He was my next-door neighbor, and our mothers were friends before we were even born.”

“Ahh, one of those situations.”

Noe’s eyes crinkled a little at the corners in a silent laugh, hands gesturing as he talked. “We’ve always been thick as thieves, too. Went to the same school together and everything. I’m so thankful for him. At least I have one true brother, even if he’s of my heart and not of my blood.”

Wait, that didn’t sound right to Luca. “I thought you got along well with your family? That they accepted you?”

Noe let out a long, gusty sigh. “I may have lied. I feel bad about it now.”

Uh-oh. Luca didn’t like the sound of this whatsoever. “Will you tell me?”

“I should. I’m just…” Another long, gusty sigh, like his soul might escape a cage. He leaned back, not quite able to meet Luca’s eyes. “Not even sure where to begin, in a way. It’s been hammered into me from knee high that you keep family business within the family. You don’t air out stuff to the outside world. Keep up a united front, yeah? It’s why I think I automatically said my family was fine with me. Even though they’re really not. I never could figure out why it matters so much to them either. We’re a commoner family who’s in the fishing trade, its not like we have to keep up such a front.”

“I do understand such brainwashing, yes. My parents did it to me. Takes a while to undo it.”

“I’m working on it, I promise. It’s still hard to manage.” Noe knocked back a shot of sake and made a face. His tone was a bit flat as he spoke, as if he were trying to keep the strongest emotions at bay. “In essence, no. My family doesn’t approve of my taste in partners, and they’re assholes about it. My brother Petar is by far the most outspoken of the lot. He gets physical, too, although he’s never punched me.”

Luca felt the distinct need to get on a ship and go wring someone’s neck. The sudden urge to murder surprised him. Since when was he this invested in Noe?

“Part of the reason why I leapt on the opportunity here was it got me away from family, for potentially years, and at the time that sounded perfect. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the idea of coming to Shiirei and experiencing the culture for myself. Other languages and cultures have always intrigued me. It seemed too good an opportunity to pass up.”

“So it wasn’t just them saying things like ‘there’s this nice girl I want to introduce you to’ or…?”

Noe groaned, head flopping forward. “If I hear those words one more time, I’ll scream bloody murder.”

“I’m with you there.” Luca would personally commit murder. He wouldn’t even feel bad about it.

“But no, it wasn’t just that. It was them haranguing me for even finding men attractive. I went a full month without speaking to my parents or Petar, and that’s when I was sixteen and still living at home.”

“Ouch.” Luca winced.

“Do your parents ever do that to you?”

“The silent treatment? Yes, often, but never for a month at a time. Brutal, isn’t it? The silent tension.”

“Damn near lethal.” Noe looked blindly ahead and into the water.

He seemed so forlorn, Luca felt compelled to give him a hug. The man sorely needed one. He slipped an arm around Noe’s waist and pulled him in a little more. He was surprised by how well Noe fit under his arm. Luca had expected this to be a touch awkward, but it wasn’t, which surprised him again. Noe immediately put his head on Luca’s shoulder and snuggled in, making a happy noise.

“Thank you,” Noe murmured. “You can let go when it gets awkward.”

“You fit in my arms just fine, Noe. I’m in no hurry to move.”

“You smooth talker.” Noe chuckled.

He hadn’t been trying to be smooth, but he’d take the compliment.

“Have you confronted your family?” Luca asked. “Their opinions about whom you should date and marry, I mean. Surely after you were chosen by Alexandria to come here, they had to realize their opinions were no longer acceptable.”

“Well, no. Honestly, I’m horrible about confrontation.”

“You don’t like it at all?”

“Unless someone else is in danger, I can’t seem to manage it. I feel like a doormat some days, with the way family reacts to me, but I’d rather avoid them than fight with them. The few times I’ve stuck up for myself, it’s ended with those month-long silences.”

So to him, there was nothing beneficial about confrontation, as it never led to a good end. Luca could see how he would end up in this cycle of avoidance instead.

“I should stand up to them more, I know I should.”

Luca made a disagreeing noise. “Sometimes, it’s best to realize when you’re in a losing war. I’ve learned that in both actual war and with my family. Sometimes, you have to look at a situation and go, this isn’t worth fighting over, as there’s no way to win. I’ve done more than one strategic retreat in my time. Rather, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve chosen to spend my time and energy with people I adore. If my family doesn’t want to engage with me, that’s their loss.”

“That’s a wonderful way to look at it.” Noe seemed heartened, his tone almost wistful.

“Isn’t that basically what you did by choosing to come to Shiirei?”

“Huh. I guess it is. I just didn’t think of it as a…what did you call it? A strategic retreat? I thought of it as running away.”

“Strategic retreat sounds more dignified.”

Noe snickered against his chest. “It does, at that.”

“Will you ever go back to Scovia, then?”

“Maybe to visit friends, but in all honesty, I’m not tempted to see my family again. There was a screaming match between us the night before I left. Well, they screamed. I just sat there and listened and wondered why I’d fought so hard to keep in contact with them. There didn’t seem to be a point, when they clearly do not like me. It’s a hard lesson to learn—you can love someone and not like them.”

“Sadly, yes.” Luca’s heart broke a little hearing this. Noe wasn’t wrong, though. He’d experienced it himself.

Trying to jostle him out of this mood, Luca gave him a squeeze. “Think of it this way. Even when we’re done here, you can’t go to Scovia anyway. You have to come home with me. One way or another, you’re fixing my fortress.”

“That’s true, I am.” Noe tilted his head back, gaze soft. “And how long do you think that’ll take, hmm?”

“Years.”

“I was thinking one year, tops.”

“No, it’ll take longer than that.”

“You sure?”

“Perfectly.”

“Even though I’m the engineer?”

Enjoying the teasing lilt from Noe, Luca felt a surge of affection for this man rise up in his chest. He was too precious. It made Luca want to wrap him up in another hug and never let go.

Seized by impulse, he tipped Noe’s head back and leaned in, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to his mobile mouth. He felt his own heart flutter from the contact.

Noe’s hazel eyes went wide behind his glasses, breath caught in a short gasp. He looked so enticing that Luca wanted to do it again.

“Years,” Luca promised him again, eyes caught in Noe’s like a man drowning in a well. “Maybe decades. I’ll make sure of it.”

Noe’s words were a little breathless. “I’m holding you to that.”

“Please do,” he murmured, leaning back in for a kiss because he couldn’t seem to help himself. He wanted Noe’s mouth on his again. “I’m counting on it.”