Page 14 of When the Leaves Fall

DREW

A t this point, there are four people actively working on my mom, while two more stand aside with the stretcher, waiting to know what the next steps will be.

There’s an ambulance in the driveway, but they’ve also called in a helicopter.

Since my parents live almost an hour from the closest major hospital, the helicopter is the quickest and safest way to get her there.

Police cars and first responder vehicles block our road, clearing a place for the helicopter to land. The two with the stretcher have it prepped and ready to go outside the front steps because there’s no room to get it into my parents’ house.

Mom collapsed right inside her front door.

It’s been thirty minutes since we called 911, but it feels like it’s been hours, and I still don’t know if she’s even alive.

L uca’s lips are soft, gentle at first. He holds my chin and lightly kisses me for a moment before pulling me in tighter, our lips clashing together in passionate force.

The build-up of the flirting, the wanting, the need taking over.

His one hand is on the small of my back, holding me close, while the other wraps around the back of my head.

His fingers entangle in my hair. My hands wander up his strong arms.

I can’t believe this is happening.

I pull away from the kiss, trying to catch my breath. Luca takes the opportunity to kiss down the side of my neck.

“Ohhh,” I moan.

Ding.

The elevator doors start to open, and we jump apart like we’re in high school getting caught by our parents. I comb my fingers through my hair quickly, hoping the elderly couple walking into the elevator doesn’t figure out what we’ve been up to in here.

“Which floor?” Luca asks calmly.

How the fuck is he so calm right now?

“Ground floor, please,” the woman replies with a big smile. “Thank you.”

Luca pushes the button, which will take us back to where he was supposed to exit in the first place. We’re standing slightly behind the couple, just out of their eyesight. Luca looks over to me, and a wide smirk lines his face. I follow his gaze as it travels from my eyes to my lips and back .

The elevator dings again, and the doors open to the ground floor.

All four of us exit, but Luca quickly pulls me around the corner into an area that’s having electrical work done and is separated by a plastic tarp hanging from the ceiling.

It’s the weekend, so no one is working in this area right now, making it the perfect place to have some privacy.

As soon as we’re sure no one can see us, Luca pulls me in close to him again, his lips lingering a mere inch from mine.

“That kiss…” he smiles.

“I wholeheartedly agree,” I smile back.

“I’d like to do that again. And again,” he replies.

“I wholeheartedly agree. Again,” I say back. “But how will this work?”

“What do you mean?” he asks.

“Well, like you said, my mom is your patient. And I don’t want you getting into trouble.”

He pauses a moment, reflecting on our situation. “I’m not sure, Drew,” he finally replied. “All I know right now is you’re worth the risk.”

My chest tightens. That might be the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me, but it’s also a buttload of pressure for something that can only be a fling.

“You say that now, but how will you feel if we do get caught? Especially, since I’m eventually going back to Colorado.”

I can tell by the look on his face that he forgot I live so far away .

“Yeah, Colorado,” I repeat softly. “I’m here as long as my mom is here for sure. And I’ll likely stay with them for a bit until I feel comfortable that she’s okay without me around, but…” I trail off.

“I understand,” Luca replies, his voice quiet. “But I don’t care. I’ll take what I can get for as long as I can get it.”

I can’t help but smile. “Are you sure?”

He pulls me into him more, my hands flat against his chest. I can feel how fast his heart is beating. I’m pretty sure mine could match it beat for beat.

“We’ll just have to make sure we make the best of the time we’ve got.”

His lips crash into mine again, my lips parting slightly, allowing his tongue to twirl around mine, and that’s it for me. I’m done for. Everything around me has disappeared, and all I know in this world is how much I love kissing Luca.