“Yep.”
Heading towards the van with the longest line – the one selling booze – we joined the queue. While Jax played on his phone, I listened to the conversations around me. Everyone was excited for the game, but more were eager to see Luca for the last time. It was truly hard to hear. It sounded like he was dying. Like this was the end for him. I guess in a way it was, but I had no doubt that whatever he did next, he’d be nothing short of amazing.
The other night when we’d been snuggled in bed, I’d asked Luca what he thought he’d do next. We’d already talked about it a couple of times, if you counted dancing around the issue talking, but he’d never really had an answer. Even now, I don’t think he was sure.
When I’d given voice to one of the fears that’d been festering in my head for the last couple of weeks, Luca had been quick to dispel my worries.
“Do you think you’ll stay in Sydney?” I’d asked, my voice shaky.
“You trying to get rid of me?” I could feel his smile against my shoulder.
“N-no.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
I’d heaved a sigh of relief. I’d only just found him. I wasn’t ready to let him go. I didn’t know if I ever would be.
Luca had rolled over so he was lying on his back and I was splayed out across his chest. “I’ve travelled all around the world. I’ve been away a long time and I’ve missed so much. The last thing I want to do is move away from my family.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” I’d said, trying to hide the disappointment from my voice. I mean, I got it. Luca was very much family first and he was unapologetic for it, as he should be. I’d just gotten my hopes up that he’d want to stay for me too.
Luca had flipped me under him before hovering over me, using his elbows to keep his weight off me. With his hands cradling my face, he’d bent down and dropped a feather-light kiss on my lips. “And if you think I’m going anywhere without you, then you don’t understand just how much you mean to me, Elise.”
In the dark, I couldn’t see the colour of his eyes or the look on his face, but just hearing the strength of his conviction in his words had my heart soaring.
“I love you,” I’d told him again, the words coming out easier the second time around.
“I love you too. And anywhere you go, I go. We’re a team now. You can’t get rid of me.”
Propping myself up on my elbows, the moment my lips touched his, a light had exploded behind my eyes. This was home. Luca was my home. My future. My person. I couldn’t imagine not having him in my life.
When I got shoved forward, I snapped back to focus on the here and now. Turning around, I spied a guy standing behind me with his greasy hair slicked back and the opposition jersey stretched across his bulging beer belly. As much as I wanted to say something, now wasn’t the time to start an argument.
Shuffling forward, I folded my arms over my chest and bit my lip. Beside me Jax snorted. He knew how hard it was for me to keep my mouth shut when people were being arseholes.
Eventually we made it to the front of the line in the same moment I was nudged from the side. I’d had enough of being bumped and shoved like I wasn’t even there. Spinning around, I was ready to give whoever it was that thought they were the most important person in the world a mouthful, only to find Sienna standing there with a cheeky smile on her face.
“Whatcha doing?” she asked, tucking Phoebe in front of her protectively.
“Getting a drink. Want one?” I asked as we were called forward to the counter.
“That’d be great,” Sienna replied, fishing through her bag and pulling out some cash which I waved away. I might not be married to an AFL superstar, but I could shout a round of drinks.
Once we had drinks and snacks, including a delicious red slushy for Phoebe, we made our way towards the stands. Weaving our way through the crush of the crowd, I spotted Luca’s family filling up a whole section. Every time I’d come to a game, Luca’s family always had representatives here, but it’d never been the whole contingent. Today though, today was different.
His mum and dad were sitting in the stands surrounded by grandkids. The boys were loud and boisterous and having the time of their life. Ari and Josh were sitting back relaxing, chatting with the couple behind them while Izzy and Nathan watched the kids.
As Jax led us to our seats, tickets courtesy of my very sexy boyfriend, Gabriella flashed me a beaming smile before standing up to wrap me in one of those mum hugs I’d come to love.
“You made it!” she exclaimed, bending down to drop a kiss on Jax’s cheek.
“We had to stop and get refreshments,” I explained, holding up my beer.
“Good call,” Luca’s dad said, raising his own plastic cup.
Settling into my seat, I looked around at the sea of purple filling the stadium. But it wasn’t the purple that was unsettling. It was the sheer number of cardboard Luca faces staring back at me that I was finding more than a little odd.
“This is wrong,” Sienna grumbled beside me.
