Page 36 of When the Leaves Fall

DREW

I knew I was a goner the first moment I watched Luca interact with my mom. I was instantly attracted to his gentle demeanor. Even before she woke, he treated her like family.

I knew I could fall for Luca the moment he surprised me with coffee and a bagel.

His genuine concern and care for someone he had just met had my stomach in knots.

I hadn’t felt that cared for in a long time.

I always seemed to be the one playing caretaker, but having someone else step into that role for me was a game-changer.

I knew I loved Luca the moment he threw pumpkin guts at me.

I knew I didn’t want to live without Luca the moment we saw he had flowers waiting for Mom in her room at the care facility.

T his is it. We’re fully packed and ready to hit the road.

I said all my goodbyes to my coworkers and friends over the last few days, so nothing is holding me back anymore.

I glance around the place I’ve called home for the last six years.

I never even painted the walls. They’re still the same plain white they were when I moved in.

I didn’t have to patch any holes in the walls from hanging photos or art, because I never hung any. Talk about boring, I know.

I lived here for six years, but it never truly felt like home. My heart has always been back in Wisconsin.

Still, it’s bittersweet leaving this part of my life behind.

I give the apartment one more lookover before putting the keys on the counter and shutting the door behind me.

It’s time for the next chapter of my life.

And I’m freaking excited for it.

Luca and I swing by my favorite local coffee shop one more time.

I order my usual fall drink, a blended pumpkin spice latte.

Yes, I’m a basic bitch in the fall. I don’t care.

It’s freaking delicious. The scent of pumpkin and nutmeg hits my nose as I pull the drink up to take my first sip.

Closing my eyes, I inhale the smell deep into my lungs.

There’s just something about this simple drink that always feels like home, or at least the closest I’ve been able to get to it from this distance .

With coffee in hand and a full tank of gas, there’s nothing left to do but drive.

“Okay, here’s the most real test we can take to see if we’re compatible.” I stare at Luca intensely. He side-eyes me, keeping his main focus on the road as he drives northeast.

“Oh, yeah?” He asks. “And what’s this test?”

I plug a cord into my phone, and Bon Iver starts playing over the speakers.

“The music test,” I reply. “If we don’t like each other’s taste in music, we might as well call it quits now.”

“Don’t you think we should have tested this theory before we hopped into a car together for over a thousand miles?” He laughs.

“This is no laughing matter, Luca,” I state, trying to hold back a smirk of my own. “This is serious business.”

“Okay, so if I don’t like Bon Iver?” He asks.

“Well, you get points for at least knowing who they are,” I reply.

“They’re from Wisconsin, it would be a crime not to,” Luca remarks.

A smile crosses my face as I snuggle into my seat, placing my head on the headrest and closing my eyes. My lips part as I sing along to the song.

The playlist continues with a mix of Poison, Chappell Roan, Alice Cooper, Benson Boone, The Lumineers, Sabrina Carpenter, and Post Malone. Luca and I sing along to almost every song together. I smile to myself, knowing he doesn’t like everything I play, but sings along with me anyway.

A few hours into our seventeen-hour drive, I start to feel a bit nauseous.

“Luca, can we pull over at a gas station or something?” I ask, rubbing my stomach.

“You okay?” He looks at me with concerned eyes.

“Yeah, I think maybe I just need to eat.”

I don’t usually get car sick, but all I’ve put in my stomach this morning was coffee and a piece of toast, so I shouldn’t be surprised.

“Sure, we could use gas anyway.” Luca pulls into the next gas station. He gives me a quick peck on the lips, then hops out of the car to fill up the tank. I’m about to step out of the car when my phone rings.

“Hey, Drew.” Sarah’s shrill voice echoes through the phone. “Wanted to check in and see how far out you are.”

“Oh, we’re only a few hours into the trip,” I reply. “We aren’t in a real rush. We just stopped for food and gas.”

“Tell her I’m living vicariously through her,” I hear Lexi shout in the background.

I laugh. “How so?”

Sarah huffs. “Oh, ignore her. She’s being dramatic because she’s on her period.”

I laugh in response.

Sarah continues, “Which is lucky for me because that means mine should be showing up any day now since we’re basically in sync.”

“Well, it makes it easier to track then.” I highlight that little perk. “I’ve been so stressed with everything going on, I honestly don’t know when my last one was.”

“Oh, girl. You should probably look into that,” Sarah suggests.

“Oh, I’m sure it’s fine,” I reply quickly. “There was so much going on this last month. Lots of stress.”

“Yeah. Stress and passionate sex with a CCU nurse,” Sarah says.

She’s not wrong. My heart sinks.

Wait. Is that why I’m feeling queasy?

Just then, Luca knocks on my window, startling me. “Oh, Jiminy Crickets!” I shout before rolling down my window.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare ya. Just letting you know I’m heading into the store quickly to use the bathroom. How are you feeling?”

“Uh, okay. I’ll be in soon, just wrapping up with Sarah.”

He nods and scampers into the store. I can’t help but check out his cute, little, round ass as he does.

“You know, I should use the bathroom, too. I’ll text you when we get closer, Sarah.”

“Sure thing,” Sarah replies.

I hang up and slowly make my way to the store. As I enter the door, the teenage girl standing behind the counter shoots me a polite smile. I nod in return, then glance around for Luca. He must still be in the bathroom.

I stroll up and down the snack aisles, waiting for Luca to come back out. I don’t want him to catch me buying a test .

“Hey!” I hear behind me. “Find anything good?”

“Ahh, still looking,” I reply. “Go ahead and grab what you want. I still need to use the bathroom, then I’ll meet you out there.”

“Sounds good. But don’t just grab junk food, especially if you’re already not feeling great.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I smile at him.

He gently kisses the top of my head. “See you out there.” He grabs a few packs of meat and cheese sticks, pays, and then heads out the door.

Looking around one more time, I sneak over an aisle to grab a pregnancy test and quickly head to the counter to pay. The cashier gives me a look of understanding. She hands me a key. “Here, use the employee one. You know, for privacy.”

“Thank you,” I whisper. She points the way, and I head to the employee breakroom to use their bathroom to pee on a damn pregnancy test.

Because my period was due again two weeks ago.