21. Luca

21 /

luca

Harper unlocked the door to his apartment, then stepped aside to let me go in first. "Those were hands-down the best enchiladas I've ever had," he said.

"Who'd have thought it, right? In Buffalo, of all places. I was shocked the first time I went there."

He hung his keys on a hook by the door. "How'd you find it?"

"One of my teammates is dating a woman who used to work there."

"Goes to show there's great Mexican food anywhere. It was really spicy, too." He rummaged through the fridge, emerging with two bottles of water and handing one to me.

I downed mine and watched him sip his, captivated by how his Adam's apple bobbed while he drank. After tossing our bottles into the recycling bin, we went to the living room and collapsed onto the couch.

He picked up the TV remote. "Eclipse Squadron? Then we can finish packing for Maine."

"You bet." We'd been watching the show an episode or two at a time. Harp had pulled it up but not yet pressed play when my phone buzzed.

CALEB: Where are you?

It was unusual to hear from him on a Friday night, and why did he care where I was?

LUCA: At Harper's? What's up?

CALEB: I'm in front of your building. How long will it take you to get back here?

It was like stubbing a toe. You bump into something, then there's a delay before your brain tells you it hurts. After a second, my brain screamed, "Panic."

Harp wrinkled his forehead. "Is something wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

My heart pounded like a timpani. I had no idea what to say to Harper or Caleb, and— fuck oh fuck oh fuck —Daniel would be there to watch the meltdown. He was nicer than I was giving him credit for, right? He wouldn't enjoy witnessing my massive screwup, since he was no stranger to fucking up.

Harper sat straighter. "Luca? You're scaring me a little. What's wrong?"

Caleb hadn't been in touch for weeks, and even if I'd remembered about their visit, I'd have thought their plans had changed. I glanced at Harp. "Give me a sec, babe."

As they say, a good offense is the best defense, so I typed accordingly.

LUCA: You're here? I thought your plans had changed.

CALEB: Why think that? I'd have let you know.

LUCA: I guess I expected you to confirm.

Typing bubbles started, and I fought the impulse to throw my phone out the window. No phone, no texts. No texts, no Caleb.

CALEB: I know we weren't due until Monday, and I was planning to get in touch this weekend. But Daniel and I had a huge fight, so I'm here alone. I'm sorry if I'm interfering, and I know I should've called, but it's like a steam room out here. Is there somewhere I could wait while you drive home? How long will it be? I'll explain everything when I see you.

LUCA: Harper lives in the building too. Give me a minute, and I'll come down to get you.

Acid flooded my stomach, and while I thought about what to tell Harper, my heart pounded, desperate to break free from my chest. Hell, I wanted to escape, too. If I ran out of the apartment, down the stairs, and out the back door, it would take Harper a while to catch me.

If he still wanted to catch me.

Shit.

"Harp, I uh… I need to tell you. I forgot…"

He placed a hand on my leg. "Just say it."

I took a deep breath and talked fast. "I've been so excited about what we were doing that… Well, a long time ago, Caleb and Daniel planned to come here for the last week of August. Then you and I got serious. Things have been going so well, and… I forgot, and now they're here. Or at least Caleb's here. They had a fight, and he's alone. Please… I'm so sorry. I can't?—"

"It's okay, sweetheart."

I couldn't remember him calling me that before, and the word put the brakes on my heart's frantic pounding.

He squeezed my knee. "To be sure I understand, Caleb is in town and expecting to stay for a week?"

"Yes, but we'll figure something out. He can stay here by himself, or he could go to New York City. Our friend Adam lives there. Can we?—"

"Luca!" Harper raised his voice but didn't sound angry. "Where is Caleb?"

"Downstairs."

"In this weather? Go get him, and we'll work something out. If he's your best friend, he'll understand what happened, and we'll still go to Maine. The important thing is for everyone to stay calm."

I hurried downstairs and rescued Caleb from the sidewalk. It was too hot to hug, so I picked up his suitcase and carried it to the elevator.

"Thanks for coming so quickly," he said.

I couldn't tell if his voice had an edge or he was just tired, so I said simply, "You're welcome."

His blond hair was matted to his head, and his face was slick with perspiration. Even though he was a sweaty mess, he was as handsome as ever, but he was no Harper. We went to my apartment, and as soon as I set his suitcase down, I noticed his red-rimmed, puffy eyes. Had he cried all the way to Buffalo? I wondered what could have happened between him and Daniel that was so serious, considering the cloying romance they'd had for years.

Caleb remained silent, and I realized I was being an asshole. He looked so small and frail, obviously heartbroken. It didn't seem possible that Caleb could be so unhappy he'd leave Daniel behind. When I held out my arms, he collapsed into them.

"It's okay, Cale," I said, using an old nickname. "Whatever's wrong, we'll fix it. Don't worry."

That was all it took to make him burst into tears. He held on to me as he cried—hard, wrenching sobs that shook his entire body. Afraid of losing my grip, I eased him into a chair and knelt in front of him. He clutched my hands, gasping for breath. Although Caleb's sudden appearance had upset my plans, I instinctively wanted to protect him. When he and Daniel started dating, I told Daniel I'd support them as long as he treated Caleb well. I'd stood by those words for years, but if he'd cheated on Caleb, I'd kick Daniel's ass into hell.

Caleb eventually calmed down and dried his eyes before leaning back in the chair.

"Tell me one thing," I said. "Did he cheat on you?"

Caleb shook his head. "I'll tell you what happened, but he didn't cheat. He'd never do that."

Good for Daniel, then. He got to keep breathing, at least for the moment. After getting Caleb a bottle of water, I asked, "Do you need to use the bathroom before we go downstairs?"

He drew his head back like I'd slapped him. "Where are we going?"

"To Harp's. He's down there waiting for us."

"Harp?" He squinted his eyes. "Oh, Harper . You're still seeing him, I guess. Do we have to go, Luki?"

"Yes. We were together when you got here, and he's waiting for us. We have something to tell you."

Caleb sighed, looking like he might cry more. "I'm tired, and I need to talk to you. Can't we spend some time alone? Surely, he'd understand."

"I know you're upset, but we need to go. You'll see what a great guy Harp is, and you might want to talk to both of us."

"No, I couldn't. He may be nice, but this is personal, and I don't know him at all. I don't want to spend the evening acting like everything's okay."

I took a long breath, realizing things were about to get tricky. "After we see Harp, you and I can come back here and talk."

His set jaw made me wonder if he would refuse to go, but he finally gave a single nod. "All right. Let's get it over with."

Harper gave me a questioning look when we arrived, and when I answered with an eye-shrug, he shifted his gaze to Caleb. After I made the introductions, Harper held out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Caleb. I've heard a lot about you."

Caleb shook his hand. "I've heard about you, too."

Harper directed Caleb to an armchair before joining me on the sofa. The room was chilly, and not because of the air conditioning. After an awkward silence gave way to labored small talk, I took Harp's hand and looked at Caleb. "I don't know how to say this, but since we've been friends a long time, I'll just put it out there. I'd forgotten you were coming. Harp and I have plans to go to Maine in the morning."

Caleb huffed as another round of tears sprang to his eyes. Harp squeezed my hand and said, "We'll put it off for a day, of course. I know you're tired, and I can't believe Luca forgot." His sidelong look at me may have been quick, but I couldn't miss the glint of something unsettling in his eyes.

"Right," I said. "We can all do something tomorrow while we figure things out."

"I understand." Caleb's drooping shoulders and long face belied his words. "You guys should go ahead. Luki?"

Harp glanced at me again, and I wished I'd given him a nickname to use for me. "What?" I asked Caleb.

"I'm going back upstairs so you guys can do your thing. Can I stay at your place for a few days? I'd rather not go back to Chicago right now."

"What's going on, Caleb?"

Harp scooted forward and looked at him. "We'll all hang out tomorrow. It will give you two some time together, and Luca and I can drive to Maine on Sunday."

Harp's voice carried a sense of calm I didn't feel, and though Caleb insisted we go ahead as planned, Harp wouldn't take no for an answer. Caleb finally agreed.

"Let me get us a drink," Harp said. "What would you like?"

Instead of answering Harp, Caleb looked at me. "Could we go upstairs now? If you want to, you can come back to see Harper after we talk."

I let Harp's hand go and patted his thigh. "Is that okay, babe? Caleb wants to talk about what happened, and we wouldn't want to bore you with?—"

"Go ahead." Harper sounded sincere, but his eyes were unreadable. "I don't know Caleb yet, so you guys go discuss things. I'll read until you get back."

"You sure?"

He nodded. "Go get Caleb settled in." Shifting his eyes to Caleb, he added, "I'm sorry things got confused about your visit."

"Doesn't sound like you had anything to do with that." Caleb cut me a look. "Luki always was forgetful. I guess he got carried away with you."

Had he meant that the catty way it sounded? My mind raced with potential responses, but I kept quiet. We all got up, and Caleb waited by the door while I kissed Harper.

"I won't be too long, babe. Thanks for understanding."

He ghosted a hand across my cheek. "I'll be here."