22. Harper

22 /

harper

The interaction with Caleb had been so awkward I was relieved when Luca took him back upstairs. Caleb was undoubtedly upset, and if it was really about his husband, I hoped they worked things out. But I couldn't help thinking that maybe I was the one who was troubling him. The way he looked at Luca made me uneasy, and he had obviously not wanted to be around me.

I was a third party to their history, but as Luca's boyfriend—Caleb's best friend's boyfriend—I deserved more courtesy than he'd shown me. We didn't have to be close, but since we both cared about Luca, we needed to get along. At least, that was how I understood the friends-and-boyfriends code. I'd done my part by telling them to go talk, trusting that during their conversation, Luca would tell Caleb about our relationship. Caleb might resent me, but since Luca and I were together, he'd have to accept it.

He'd acted like an asshole, saying Luca had gotten carried away with me. That's what happens when you're boyfriends, and from what I'd heard, Caleb had certainly been carried away with Daniel. What a shithead.

It was petty of me to resort to name-calling, but Caleb had been a pinhead to let Luca slip through his fingers. Granted, you can't help who you fall in love with, but you can control how you treat someone you care about. Putting it politely, Caleb had been inconsiderate of Luca's feelings in the past. It would be horrible for him to continue that behavior by trying to manipulate Luca into breaking up with me now.

Obsessing about the situation was pointless, so I found a beer and settled down to read. I was immediately caught up in an epic battle. Hopefully, the flying mutations of dragons and warships would keep the government forces at bay and swing the tide in favor of the rebels.

Six chapters later, I checked my phone, surprised to see two hours had passed while the battle raged on. I considered texting Luca, but thought better of it. He'd surely be back soon, and if I disturbed him, it would only delay his return. Figuring I may as well go to bed and relax while I waited, I grabbed a bottle of water and took my e-reader upstairs.

Before settling down, I reconsidered my decision not to text. Fuck it, Luca was my boyfriend, and I had a right to message him.

HARPER: You guys must be having a good visit. I've been reading, and I'm going to bed to wait for you. This straight guy's sleeping commando, so maybe you should find out what he's been up to.

I gave an evil chuckle while I pressed Send. There was nothing wrong with giving Luca an incentive to come see me sooner rather than later.

A groan escaped me as I stretched, blinking against the light in the room. I must have fallen asleep since the bedside lamp was on. The momentary disorientation turned to confusion when I realized I was alone. Where the hell was Luca? Still with Caleb? It had to be the middle of the night by now, so what could they possibly be doing? Caleb must have an endless supply of tears if he was keeping Luca up this long.

I reached for my phone on the nightstand, expecting to see a message, but the screen was blank. Fuck! I sat up, my heart pounding as I squinted to make sure I wasn't seeing things. Could it really be nine fifteen in the morning? Maybe Luca was downstairs making breakfast. But one look at the untouched sheets on his side of the bed smashed that hope. He hadn't been there at all.

I jumped up, found sweatpants and a T-shirt, and headed for the bathroom. By the time I started downstairs, I was getting worried. Where had Luca been all night? At the bottom of the steps, I thumbed in a text and walked toward the kitchen for some juice. Halfway there, Luca's message tone beeped. I turned my head toward the sound, and there it was—Luca's phone sitting on the table by the door.

The screen was blank except for two messages: the one I'd sent last night, and the one from seconds ago. Fuck this. I stuffed my phone into my pocket and headed upstairs, keys in one hand and Luca's phone in the other. We had keys to each other's apartments and had agreed knocking was unnecessary, so I let myself in. I was getting ready to call out when movement at the top of the steps caught my eye. "Luca?"

The figure started down the stairs, and I recognized Caleb, dressed in briefs and a T-shirt. His hair was sticking out at odd angles, and he yawned noisily halfway down the steps. When he reached the bottom, he blinked as if I were the last person he expected to see. "Harper?"

Barely managing not to scoff, I asked, "Have you seen Luca?"

"Mm." He yawned again. "Still upstairs."

Caleb went to the kitchen, and dread coiled inside me while I made my way up the steps. At the top of the landing, I stopped to listen. Since there was only silence, I wondered if Caleb had been wrong, but no such luck. When I walked in, someone was in bed facing away from me. There was no mistaking the shock of brown hair. Luca was shirtless, lying with a sheet pulled up to his hip. The covers were pushed back next to him, and the sheets were wrinkled. My stomach dropped as I touched the spot. Still warm.

"Luca?" I fucking hated the small, desperate sound of my voice. My pulse raced as emotions overtook me, and when he didn't move, I tried again. "Wake up, Luca."

"What?" He wiggled around before rolling over to face me. "Why are you up?" All at once, his eyes widened so much I could see white all around. "Shit!"

"I'm up because it's about nine thirty. I was worried about you because you didn't come home last night, and I found your phone on a table in the living room. I came up here to see if you were okay."

He jumped out of bed. His boxers were bunched up with his hard dick poking through the fly, and my breath caught when he reached down to tuck it back inside. My thoughts barreled in every direction, trying to find another explanation besides the obvious one. No luck. Only one set of facts existed, and they required little interpretation.

Luca hurried around the bed and reached for me, but I stepped back and held up my hands. "No!"

"This is not what you think, Harp."

"You don't know what I think."

"Yes, I do. It's written all over your face, and?—"

"I'm thinking exactly what you would be under the same circumstances."

"No, I wouldn't. Please sit down so I can explain."

"No explanation necessary. Everything is perfectly clear." I tossed his phone on the bed. "Goodbye, Luca."

I turned and ran downstairs. Luca caught up and dodged around me, trying to block my way, but I gripped his arms and moved him aside.

"Coffee, Harper?" Caleb called out.

"Don't leave." Luca was frantic. "Please listen to me."

My heart ached, but because of the enormous lump that had materialized in my throat, I couldn't have said a word if I'd wanted to. I shook my head and left.