Twenty-Six
MADDOX
Luca swallows hardwhen we pull up to the hotel, his hands wringing in his lap. “I… you want to eat at a hotel bar?”
Chuckling, I get out of the car and hand the valet my keys. Then I hurry around the hood and open the door for Luca.
We’ve driven about an hour and a half away from Evergreen to ensure no one will spot us out together. I could have used the “working dinner” excuse since Luca is my TA, but I want to touch him and kiss him and make him smile while we’re out. No one would be confused about what we were if they saw us.
What are Luca and I? We’d talked when this whole thing started and I told him we could only do physical. Which was… fine at the time. Now? My heart is invested. I’m not sure how far I’ve fallen for Luca, but it’s no longer just a physical thing.
My heart aches for him. And isn’t that fucking pitiful.
Threading my fingers through his, I pull him into the lobby of the hotel. Luca looks around, his mouth ajar as he checks out the marble walls and floors. The hotel is really nice, but that’s not what we’re here for.
I approach an elevator where a concierge is waiting, a wood podium in front of him with an open book atop it.
“Good evening,” he says, all smiles as he looks at me and Luca. “Welcome to Eye in the Sky. Do you have a reservation?”
I can feel Luca’s eyes on me as I say, “Yes. Two for Maddox Levine.”
The man nods, finds our reservation, and smiles at us again. “Perfect. You will be dining on the roof, twenty-five stories high. Every thirty minutes, the restaurant will rotate to give you a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view of the skyline. When you enter the elevator, you’ll see the button corresponding to the restaurant. Enjoy your meal, gentlemen.”
With my hand on the small of his back, I lead Luca to the elevator and whisper, “I hope you’re not afraid of heights.”
He’s giddy as we step inside, practically bouncing on his toes. “I don’t think so. I’ve never been up that high before.”
When we step off the elevator, a server waits for us, menus in hand. “Right this way, Mr. and Mr. Levine.”
My heart thumps at the title, and Luca looks up at me, eyes wide, but shining with an emotion that scares me. Still, I don’t correct the server as he leads us to our table and sets the menus in front of us.
Before he leaves, he checks his watch. “If you pay attention,” he says, and points to the window. “You’ll see the skyline shift as the restaurant spins.”
As he steps away, the restaurantmovesand we’re treated to a brand new view.
“Wow,” Luca breathes, smiling so hard his cheeks are bright red. “This is gorgeous.”
While he’s enjoying the view, I only have eyes for him. He’s… lovely. From his brown hair mussed on his head from his nervous fingers, his dancing eyes, red cheeks, to his mouth tipped up in a wide, bright smile.
God, how did I ever think this would only be physical? I can’t let him go. No matter what bullshit I told myself, Luca was meant to be mine.
When the restaurant comes to a stop, Luca looks back at me, still grinning. “Amazing, right?”
“Yeah, it is,” I say. I couldn’t tell him shit about the view. It’s not why I’m here. I’m here to see Luca with his guard down, open in a way he can’t be with me anywhere near Evergreen.
He bites his lower lip, ducking his eyes as he blushes. “This is great. I… it’s perfect.”
“Let’s hope the food lives up to the hype of the view.”
Luca flicks his eyes up to me, looking more serious than I’ve ever seen him. “Even if it doesn’t, this is more than I could ever have dreamed of. It’s the best, because I’m with you.”
He couldn’t be more fucking perfect if he tried.
I reach across the table and take one of his hands into mine. “I take it you like your first date?”
“I do. It’s exactly what I’d wanted my first to be like.”
I hope he means that about every first we’ve shared. I’ve tried to make sure he wouldn’t live to regret giving me any of his firsts.
