Lucca – Is everything okay? What happened tonight? Harls said nothing, but I’m not stupid.
Even after my father upset Harleigh, she still kept quiet and hid her own hurt to protect my family. That’s the type of woman she is. She’s kind and timid, but will do anything to protect the ones she cares about. She might have faced a ton of shit in the past, but I don’t doubt she’ll come back fighting stronger each day. I just wish other people could see the woman I see. I wish she would let people in to see it.
Me – I’ll talk to you when I get home.
I put my phone back in my pocket and hope and pray that my parents have gone to the spare room they use when they visit. I can’t be bothered getting into it with them tonight. I’m angry and upset at the way Harleigh was treated. I won’t let that slide. My bed is going to be empty and cold tonight and I think that’s making me even crankier, because already I’m getting used to Harleigh being with me. When I’m alone, I feel like a piece of me is missing, like my soul is halved.
I walk up my street and look up at my house. It’s lit up like a castle. My castle. My sanctuary. It’s one reason I bought the house and didn’t just stay at the hotel, because I needed to separate home from work. It’s where I can kick back and relax, but the thought of entering this house tonight is killing me. It feels like a warzone and not somewhere I want to be.
I walk into my house and lock the door. I throw down my keys and walk into the living room. It’s a nightly ritual to make sure everything is locked up safe before calling it a night.
I hear my dad raising his voice. I see Lucca making a cup of coffee and my mum sitting on the couch keeping out of it. I roll my eyes and shake my head, because this is just typical when my dad and brother come face to face with one another in private. It’s getting bloody boring. They can’t spend five minutes together and everyone around them suffers from it.
I walk into my kitchen, pat Lucca’s shoulder, and instead of getting a coffee, I pull out a bottle of beer and nearly drain it in one go. I need something stronger for this shit. My patience is wearing thin.
“Dad, can you just give it a rest, please? There’s no wonder Lucca stays here instead of coming home to Italy if this is what he faces all the time. He’s a grown man now. He can live his life anyway he likes.” I sigh, exasperated. “He’s not doing too badly, either.”
Lucca was only home a few minutes before me and this is what I walk into. Family can be a right pain in the arse, especially when you have a father like ours that sits on a pedestal thinking he’s the king of everyone. He forgets that we’re not little boys anymore. We’ve got lives of our own, not exactly what he pictured for us, but we’re happy.
“He’s here, sponging off you, living in your house. He needs to find his own path.”
Lucca scoffs beside me and shakes his head. Our father really knows nothing about our set-up here. Yes, this is my house, but Lucca pays his way.
“Maybe if you’d stop and give him a break, you’d see that he’s doing just as well as I am. We’ve just bought a new bar in Sunny Beachtogether.A joint adventure. I haven’t had to bail Lucca out since he was eighteen. Just stop, because you’re going to push everyone away. What you said to Harleigh tonight was bang out of order. I don’t usually answer you back, but enough is enough. For the first time in…” I throw my head back, steady my breathing, and try to remember the last time I was happy. “… a long fucking time, I’m happy. I’m enjoying life. Why can’t you just be happy for us for once in your life? We’ll never be you, so stop trying to make us that way.”
“Giovani, I thought I raised you better than to back chat me.”
“You did, Dad. But I’m tired. I’m tired of you two tearing strips from one another. Mum and I are stuck in between you two all the damn time. How do you think that makes us feel? I’m angry at you tonight. In fact, I’m fucking livid. So, I’m going to take this bottle to my room like a good little boy and bid you all a goodnight. Hopefully, tomorrow, I can salvage something with Harleigh and apologise for your behaviour.”
My dad sniggers. “She’s a woman. She’ll see your status and come running back.”
I bang my bottle down on the counter and Lucca jumps beside me.
“There you go again, Dad. Judging people, expecting all women to be the same. Harleigh has been through so much heartache in her life, I’m surprised she trusts anyone. I might not have known her long, but she’s a strong, independent woman, who won’t ask anyone for help or support. So, if you want to remain under my roof for this trip, you’ll apologise the next time you see her, and you won’t say another bad word about her, or to her, ever again.”
I walk away from my kitchen and head straight to my bedroom. I bang the door and try to take in a few deep breaths to calm my racing heart. I feel bad that I’ve left Lucca to deal with my parents, but if I know my brother like I think I do, he’ll disappear to his bedroom too. No good will come from me being in that kitchen with them all any longer tonight, because I feel as hot-headed as Lucca usually is. I’ll end up saying something I might later regret.
I take my phone from my pocket and contemplate calling Harleigh. I need to know she’s all right, but at the same time, I don’t want to come across as being pushy.
Fuck it. I dial her number and let it ring a few times. I’m about to hang up when she answers.
“Hello,” she says sweetly.
“Hi.” I clear my throat. “I just needed to check that you’re okay.”
“I nearly missed your call. I just got out of the shower and heard my phone.”
The thought of her naked wet body makes me rock hard. I can visualise her delicious curves and perfect skin. The thought of her sends my body wild, my heart racing, and my mind going to the gutter. I can’t help it when I’m around her.
“Are you still there, Gio?”
It’s then that I realise I’ve turned silent as I’m stuck in my own head.
“Yeah. I’m here. Are you okay?”
“I’m okay. You?”
“No,” I say quickly and honestly. “I had an argument with my dad when I walked in on him and Lucca arguing. And I’m missing you like crazy. The thought of you naked and wet… well, it has me in a spin.”
