His breath shuddered in my ear. “You said AC repair. But the invoice doesn’t say they repaired it. Theyreplacedit. The whole damn thing.”
Grinning, I tried to keep the smile out of my voice. “I’m not seeing the problem.”
He groaned. “Axel, they did more than you asked them to.” He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “I think they took advantage of you.”
“Really?” I feigned being shocked. “What do you mean?”
The paper rattled. “They did all this stuff. They serviced the engine and changed all the fluids. Oh, fuck.” His voice hit an octave I was sure only canines could hear. “They put new tires on it and not only painted my green quarter panel, but the whole goddamn car. Why would they do that? Who just does…”
“Calm down,” I soothed. “It’s perfectly fine.”
He paused to breathe. “Why are you not losing your shit? Are you insane? They did a lot of unauthorized work, unless…” When I told them to fix everything, I didn’t realize how much I would love this. “Axel, why aren’t you upset? This is ridiculous.”
“Because it’s not a problem.” I was not used to explaining my actions to anyone. But if it eased his anxiety, I’d explain it all. Unwillingly, but I’d do it for him.
“This was way too much money. Have you lost your mind?”
I snorted. “Yes. I should have used some common sense and bought you a new car. But I knew you’d miss your relic.”
I could almost feel his gasp against my ear. “You have to stop. We have a contract.”
“You’re right, but not about that. I respected your boundaries and didn’t purchase a new car. We’ve already been over this.” I would definitely stop listening to him and do what the fuck I wanted. I didn’t need his approval on how I spent my money. By his tone, he seemed surprised that I had agreed.
“Okay.” He paused. “I appreciate what you’ve done. But I’ll be paying this back. Somehow.”
Rolling my eyes, I breathed deeply so he could hear my frustration with his nonsense. “Whatever makes you happy.” Ifit made him feel better, I’d take his money only so I could give it back to him. Maybe I’d open a brokerage account for him with my financial advisor. “We’ll work out a payment plan to my liking.”
He paused. “Of course, you have to be in charge of everything.”
“You act as if you don’t know me at all.”
Luca’s soft laughter warmed my cold, dead heart. But his words did something different. “I see behind that stoic exterior you show everyone. There’s a soft side buried deep inside you begging to come out.”
I huffed. “Take that shit back.” His laughter made my chest tighten. “I have to go. Enjoy your car. I’ll see you later.” Ending the call, I had to stop before I did something stupid. But my phone buzzed with an incoming text.
Luca: I didn’t get to say thank you. So thank you.
Me: No thanks necessary. I’m making you my chauffeur until I buy a car.
That was a white lie, but I knew he needed it.
Luca: I still see you.
That was exactly what I was afraid of. If he knew the real me, would he still feel that way?
As one day bled into another, I got lost in the routine and normalcy of our friendship. Most days when he arrived at my apartment, he worked a while before we searched the real estate listings over dinner. I discovered that I enjoyed having someone to take care of. That’s what friends did for each other. But no matter what I did, he stayed planted in the front of my mind.
On the nights he had to meet with his advisor or needed the library, I waited outside to walk him home. I had to know he was safe, or so I told myself. Luca appeared in my dreams every time I closed my eyes. Some nights it was a fantasy, leaving me desperate for release. Other times, I relived the horrors he’d shared while living in foster care. It always left me in a murderous rage. The boxing bag in the gym was a temporary fix. The system was supposed to protect him, yet they left him there anyway. It ate away at me until I had no choice but to exorcise the demons.
“Can you dig into social service files from a long time ago?”
My brother-in-law hummed. “What’s going on now, Axel?”
Pacing back and forth across my terrace, I recounted the story. “I need to know the asshole is dead. Because if he isn’t...”
“Wait. Maybe you should talk to Luca about it before going off the deep end.”
Scoffing, I imagined his reaction. “This is not about him. It’s about my peace of mind.”
