“You’re really not going to tell me where we’re going?” I begged for the fifteenth time.
“I will if I have to, but I’d rather not.” Again with the honesty.
“Fine.” I pretended to pout as I stared out the window. We were driving past some really nice homes, and I was imagining what they’d look like inside. While I wasn’t materialistic, at least I liked to think I wasn’t, houses this big weren’t a reality on my modest teacher’s salary.
“Let me ask you this, Elise. Do you trust me?” His voice wavered as he asked.
“I don’t know why, but yeah. I do.”
“Then relax. We’re here.”
He turned into the driveway of one of the huge homes on the high side of the street. With all the outdoor lighting, the trees were lit up and the patio at the top of the stairs was illuminated. “Where’s here exactly?” I queried as I unbuckled my belt and leaned forward in my seat to get a better look.
“My place. Come on. I need to finish dinner.”
While I sat there frozen in the front seat, Luca jumped out and came around my side to open my door. I couldn’t remember the last time someone opened a car door for me, if they ever had.
His hand snaked through the gap and he helped me out. I didn’t know where to look first. At Luca, who somehow looked even more delicious in the soft light, or his magnificent house. I shivered in the breeze, regretting the amount of boob poking out of my shirt.
“Let me get you inside before you catch a cold.”
I lost track of everything other than Luca as he led me up the stairs. I could smell his cologne and felt the warmth from his fingers intertwined with mine as it travelled up my arm and settled somewhere deep inside me. When the door opened and I stepped inside onto the huge white tiles and looked around, I realised just how easily I could fall if I wasn’t careful.
“Wow! Luca this place is…it’s incredible.”
The lounge room had ceilings that were double height and there was the world’s biggest sofa covered in throw pillows and blankets, and suddenly I was picturing curling up in Luca’s arms, with a bowl of popcorn, watching a movie.
“It’s just home. Wanna give me a hand getting dinner in the oven and then I’ll give you the grand tour?”
“Sounds good. Although I probably should warn you, I’m the world’s worst cook,” I admitted, letting him lead me through his home.
“I don’t believe that for a second.”
“It’s true!” I confirmed. “I burn eggs.”
“No you don’t. No one burns eggs.”
“Seriously. I do. Ask Jax. He gives me shit all the time because all the delivery drivers in my neighbourhood know me by name.”
Stepping into his kitchen was intimidating as hell. It was all white marble, stainless appliances, and along the windowsill was a pot overflowing with herbs. It was a proper adult kitchen. Part of me wanted to jump up and rummage through his cupboards until I found his stash of ramen noodles and tinned baked beans just to prove he was normal. All this perfection was going to be hard to keep up with.
“What can I help with?” I asked, depositing myself on one of the white barstools pulled up to the bench.
“Well, for starters, you can tell me if you’d prefer white or red?”
“White or red what?”
“Wine, Elise. What would you like to drink?”
“Oh. White please.”
A moment later Luca had a bottle of wine in his hand, and I watched with fascination as his muscles flexed as he popped the cork. I didn’t even know wine came with actual corks these days. Or maybe it was just the cheap bottles I bought had screw tops. After he poured me a glass, he slid it across the bench and waited until I took a sip.
“This is delicious.”
“Enjoy it.”
After a few more sips, I asked again how I could help.
