We enter the bar and Lucca spots us straight away. He walks over to us and throws his arms around me, lifting me off the ground and spinning me around in circles. “I’m going to miss you, Harls.”
“Me too.” Tears sting my eyes.
I’m only saying goodbye to Lucca. What the hell am I going to be like saying goodbye to Gio at the airport?
“You’ll be back soon though, right?”
“Yeah, as soon as possible. You’d better stay out of trouble for me coming back.”
“I can’t make any promises.” Lucca winks at me.
“This is Harleigh’s luggage that needs to go over to our house. Just put it in my room and I’ll take care of it when I come home.” Gio hands over my luggage and just leaves himself with my hand luggage. I could get used to traveling light. I hate baggage areas at the airport.
“Got it. Have a safe trip, Harls. Call, text, Skype, whatever. Just keep in touch.”
“I will.”
Lucca leans in and places a kiss on my cheek. And in the blink of an eye, he’s walking away with my luggage in each hand. I’m glad he used his initiative and realised I was struggling with the goodbyes.
Giovani wraps his arm around my shoulders and I lean my head onto his shoulder. We walk out of the hotel and Gio’s car is waiting for me. This is it. This is the last time I’m going to see this place for a while.
“You’ll be back before you know it, beautiful.”
“Yeah,” I say sombrely.
I’ll be back.
Chapter 25
Harleigh
I’ve just landed in Glasgow, and since I’ve just got hand luggage, I can exit straight through arrivals. But, before I meet my family, I turn on my phone and type out a text to Giovani.
Me – I’ve landed safely. I’ll give you a call later when I get home. Missing you already.
I’ve no sooner hit send and I’m getting a reply. It instantly puts a smile on my face, but I feel the effects of being so far away from Gio and Lucca. Lucca has become a good friend to me too. He’s the first person outside of my family and Giovani that I’ve confided in, opened up to, and enjoyed his friendship.
Giovani – I’m missing you like crazy too. Today has been very dull without you. I hope your night with your family goes well. I look forward to speaking with you later. Love Gio.
It’s five p.m. here, and already I feel exhausted from the jet lag. Or, it’s from all the crying I’ve done. I spent the first two hours away from Giovani in tears, sobbing my heart out and feeling sorry for myself. I kept my sunglasses on for most of my flight. I probably looked ridiculous, but it would have been better than seeing me with tears and snot dripping down my face. If anyone noticed me crying, they turned a blind eye and allowed me to wallow on my own.
The moment I exit through the arrivals door, my parents and Gavin are standing with big smiles on their face. The smiles don’t last long when they see me close up. They’ve seen enough of me upset and in tears, they’ll know the signs.
Gavin walks towards me slowly and envelopes me in his arms. The moment I feel that he’s got my weight, I break into tears. I can’t hide my emotions any longer.
“I’ve got you, sissy. I’ve got you.”
I don’t know how long we stand in the middle of the arrivals lounge for, but the next thing I feel is my mum and dad hugging Gavin and me tightly.
“Is this all your luggage?” asks my mum.
I manage a nod of my head through my gut-wrenching sobs.
“Let’s get out of here, guys,” says my dad.
Gavin puts me down on the ground and holds his arm around my shoulder. We leave Glasgow airport and everything is in a blur.
“We’ve got a table booked at The Bruce. Seb’s going to meet us there after his work,” my mum tells me.
