Page 34 of When the Leaves Fall

DREW

T he moment Luca stepped into Mom’s room, the air shifted. It was no longer sad and cold. Instead, his presence filled it with warmth and hope. Even in my tired and dazed state, I noticed the shift immediately.

Mom noticed it too. I could tell. She started to improve when Luca joined her care team. He brought a sense of calm to all of us. Watching the way he cared for her, for all of his patients, I knew he was someone I could fall for.

M y meeting at work didn’t quite go as expected today. It went better. I anticipated a little pushback since I had been MIA for so long. I honestly thought I might even lose my job, but luckily, they were very understanding and happy to work with me .

I arrived home last night around 8:00 pm, and as soon as I plopped down on my bed, I was out. Thank goodness I had already set an alarm and didn’t miss my meeting this morning. I have so much to do now that I’m back. So much to catch up on.

I start making a list of the things I need to do in my head.

-Wash the clothes in my suitcase.

-Re-pack that suitcase.

-Are any of my plants still alive?

I round the corner to my apartment building when I swear I see Luca standing out front. My eyes must be playing tricks on me because there’s absolutely no possible way he’s here.

But the closer I get, the more it looks like Luca. What is he doing here?

“Luca?” I call out. “Ho…how? Why?”

“Hi,” he says.

“Hi?” I question.

“Can we talk?”

I nod and enter the code into the keypad, unlocking the door to the apartment complex. We walk in silence to my apartment. I unlock my door and gesture for him to enter. He looks around the apartment, a small smile on his lips.

“Nice place,” he says.

“What are you doing here, Luca?” I ask bluntly .

“Isn’t it obvious?” he tries to joke.

I scoff. “Luca…”

“I’m here for you. I miss you, Drew. So much.

I haven’t felt like myself since you ended things.

” I open my mouth to say something, but he continues before I have a chance.

“I know what we agreed on. But I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t try.

If I didn’t tell you exactly how I feel about you. About what I want.”

I’m stunned. A million things running through my head, but I can’t seem to process any of them.

Luca reaches out and grabs my hands, slowly pulling me closer to him.

“I love you, Drew. I know we’ve only known each other for just over a month, but that doesn’t matter because I knew the moment I met you, I’d fall for you.

“I can’t make any promises about our future. All I can promise is that for as long as you’ll let me, I’ll show you every damn day how much you mean to me.

“I don’t know if that means I move to Colorado or?—”

I cut him off. “You’d move here?” I ask in complete shock. “That’s ridiculous, Luca. There’s nothing here for you.”

“You’re here, Drew. That’s all I need.”

Tears roll down my cheeks. This is all so much. It’s too much. I wasn’t ready to deal with this. Not yet.

“I’m in love with you, Drew.” Luca’s hands rest on my cheeks. “Tell me you don’t feel the same and I’ll leave.”

I shake my head.

“Luca,” I say with shaky breath. “That’s not it. ”

“Okay.” He lets out the breath he was holding. “Then what is it?”

I can’t help but smirk at this point. If he would just shut up for a second, I could tell him I worked it out with my job to continue working remotely and move my “office” to Wisconsin.

I knew the moment Mom was released from the hospital that I didn’t want to be in Colorado anymore.

It was time to come home. I want to be closer to my parents, especially with them getting older and, even though they seem to be in overall good health, you never know what can happen.

Mom’s multiple cardiac arrests were proof of that.

If something like that happened again, and I wasn’t around, I’d never forgive myself.

The possibility of being able to date Luca, well, that’s the undeniably creamy and delicious icing on the cake.

“Why are you smiling like that?” He asks. Getting a tad impatient now, he rubs the back of his neck.

“Come sit down with me.” I gently grab his hand and lead him into the living room. I sit on the couch and pat the cushion next to me, indicating for him to sit. He hesitates for only a moment before sitting next to me.

“I had a meeting at work this morning to discuss my future with the company. A lot has changed in the last six weeks, and there was a lot to talk about.”

He nods, his knee bouncing in anticipation.

“I told them I loved my job, and I realized I had fallen a bit behind recently with everything going on. They were very understanding, thank goodness. I then explained I didn’t feel I could continue to do this job unless I was able to move my remote office back to Wisconsin to be closer to my family. ”

I watch Luca intently, waiting for him to realize the significance of what I just said.

“Wait,” he says. “Does that mean… are you moving back?”

My lips curl, and I nod. “Yes,” I say. “They approved my request, and I’m moving back.”

His face lights up, and he stands, pulling me up with him. His hands rest on my cheeks, his eyes looking deeply into mine. “Are you serious right now?” He asks again for reassurance.

“I’ve been away long enough. I’ll still get to travel for work, but now I get to be closer to my parents and… closer to you.”

He pulls me into him, squeezing tightly.

“I love you, Luca,” I whisper into his neck.

“Fuck. I love you so much, Drew.” He kisses the top of my head.