Page 28 of When the Leaves Fall

DREW

W e’ve had to repeat this story at least five times now. Between the medics, doctors, nurses, and chaplain. Well, I’ve had to repeat the story. Dad shuts down each time we’re asked. I’ve taken the reins on making sure all questions are being answered and our family is kept informed.

All Dad is able to do right now is wait. Wait and pray.

The chaplain excuses himself to go check in with Mom’s care team, promising he’ll return shortly.

“I can’t lose her, Drew,” Dad whispers to me.

L uca and I lie in his bed, tangled in sheets and blankets. We haven’t stopped touching each other since we left Fall Fest. This night has been nothing but perfect .

I’m really going to miss him.

Luca strokes my arm gently with his fingertips. “Drew?” His voice is quiet. Shaking.

“Yeah, Luca?” I look up to meet his gaze.

“I’m in love with you.”

Tears instantly well in my eyes. Fuck. This wasn’t how this whole thing was supposed to go. I knew for the last week or so that both of us were deep in this, but I was really hoping we would get to our goodbyes without ever saying it out loud.

This makes everything so much harder.

“Luca…” I whisper. “I?—

His fingers touch my lips. “You don’t have to say anything. I just couldn’t hold it in anymore.”

I gently bite his finger, and he pulls it away quickly.

“First of all, don’t shush me. Second… Luca.” I inhale deeply.

I know how I feel. I felt it soon after we first met, and the time we’ve spent together the last couple of weeks just solidified everything. But saying it out loud makes it more real. More scary. More heartbreaking.

“Luca. I knew you were someone I could fall in love with the first time I saw you take care of my mom. I knew I caught feelings when you brought me coffee and a bagel. I knew I was falling in love with that first kiss in the elevator.” I rub my fingers along the scruff lining his chin.

With a sly smirk, I add. “I fell in love with you the moment you won me, Perry. ”

Wrapping my hands around the back of his neck, I pull him into me.

“Now, kiss me already and stop with the mushy gushy talk.”

He smiles, showing off the little dimples on his cheesy grin. “Deal,” he says, and right as he’s about to kiss me, we hear a noise down the hall.

“Dude, you home?” A man’s voice comes from the kitchen area. “Luca, I saw your car.”

Luca looks at me with the most serious and apologetic look on his face. “I am so, so sorry.” He quickly uses the blankets and sheets to make sure I’m fully covered.

The voice is closer now, right outside the bedroom door. “Wakey, wakey!”

Everything happens so fast. The light in Luca’s room turns on, and there’s a tall, dark, and absolutely handsome man standing in the doorway.

“Oh, shit. Sorry, man.” He quickly shuts off the light and jogs back down the hallway. “I’ll be out here whenever you’re done. Take your time.” He calls back to us.

Luca pinches the bridge of his nose, then shakes his head. “I am so, so sorry.”

“Who is that?” I ask.

“That’s Sean. We’ve been best friends since elementary school. He has no boundaries.” He sighs. “I didn’t even know he was in town.”

“He’s kinda hot.” I shoot Luca a mischievous wink.

“And he knows it, too.” Luca laughs. “You okay? ”

“Yeah, I’m good. Thanks for thinking fast enough to get me covered up.”

He leans down and kisses my forehead. “No one sees the goods except me.” I giggle.

Luca jumps out of bed and throws on a pair of athletic shorts. My clothes are still on the kitchen floor, so Sean must not be the most observant person.

“Uh, my clothes are…” I trail off.

“Shit,” he chuckles. “I’ll go grab them.”

He jogs down the hall, and I hear a little chatting between the two men before he jogs back to me, carrying my clothes.

“He’s gonna take off,” Luca says, handing me my clothes.

“Oh? Why?” I ask.

“Why?” He repeats, surprised. “Cuz we…” he gestures between the two of us, “were kinda in the middle of something.”

“Well, we..” I mock his gesture. “We’re actually done. He doesn’t have to go.” I hop out of bed and start getting dressed.

“I don’t want you to leave, Drew.”

“Who says I’m going anywhere?” I chuckle. “He interrupted our time, so now he’s stuck hanging out with me, too.”

Luca pulls me into him. “I freaking love you,” he whispers in my ear, then pulls me in for a kiss.

“Are you two gonna do it again?” Sean calls down the hall. “Want a third? ”

“Ooh, tempting,” I say to Luca. He laughs, grabs my hand, and leads me down the hall. Sean is sitting on the couch, feet propped up on the coffee table. Sean stands to shake my hand when Luca introduces us.

“Pleasure to meet you, Drew.” He pulls my hand to his mouth and kisses the back. “I hope you’re being nice to my boy, here.” He nods toward Luca. “He’s one of the few good ones left.”

“Shut up, man,” Luca punches Sean in the shoulder. Sean rubs the spot and laughs.

“Well, I’d better be off then. Let’s meet up tomorrow, Luca?”

“Sean,” I say. “Why don’t you stay. There’s no reason we can’t all hang out.”

“You sure?” He asks. “I don’t want to intrude.”

“Any more than you already have, you mean?” Luca mocks. Sean flips him off.

“Let’s order pizza and watch a movie or something,” I suggest.

“Right on,” Sean agrees.

“Luca, can you order the food. I want to call Dad to check in.”

“Of course,” he replies. I give him a peck on the lips and then head back down the hall to his room for some privacy.

“Pepperoni and all the veggies for me,” I call down the hall before shutting his bedroom door.

“ H ey, honey,” Dad’s voice is calm through the phone. “How was Fall Fest?”

“It was fun, actually. A nice night out.” I reply.

“And Luca?” Dad prods.

“What about him?”

“How is he?” Dad replies innocently.

“How’s Mom?” I change the subject.

“Great,” Dad replies. “The care team was actually in here this afternoon to discuss discharge.”

“Wait, really?” I ask. “Already?”

“Yeah, they’ve done all they can do for her here. So now we’re planning the next step. They’ve made referrals to a few local care facilities.”

“I see.” My mind is whirling. I’m thrilled Mom is doing well enough to leave the hospital. This has been the longest month of my life. I look at Luca’s bedroom door.

“If there’s one with an open bed, she could be leaving here as early as Monday.”

“Monday?”

“Monday!” Dad cheers.

“That’s, uh. That’s amazing!” I stutter.

“We can fill you in a bit more tomorrow. The social services guy is coming back at ten in the morning. Can you be here?”

“Oh, absolutely, Dad,” I reply. “Of course, I’ll be there.”

“Great. Get some sleep and see you in the morning.”

“Night, Dad.”