I jerked my head back, trying to catch Rosa’s gaze. Instead, I locked eyes with Mr. Moretti’s glare. “I can’t do secrets, Mrs. Moretti, and Luca can’t do without them.”
“But you love him?” Her voice was full of emotion.
“I do.” I stuttered out, my eyes never wavering from Mr. Moretti.
Patting my leg, she sat up. “Then it’ll work itself out. I’m going to check with the doctors.”
Marco and Rosa passed each other, and he handed her a cup of coffee before dropping into her now vacant seat.
“So,you’re back?” He stretched his long legs out and threw his folded arms behind his head. His eyes shut like he was settling in for a nap.
“Obviously.”
Marco grunted. “I guess we’re stuck with you then?” A smile graced his lips, but his eyes stayed closed.
“Guess so.”
Mr. Moretti opened his mouth to say something, but Rosa flew into the waiting room with a doctor. “He’s awake! Come, Dante!”
The worried parents followed the doctor, leaving Marco and me alone. I fidgeted with my baggy shirt, well, Luca’s baggy shirt. Maybe I should’ve put more effort into my appearance if this was going to be the first time I said “I love you” in a year.
“You look fine. Stop fussing.” Marco watched me with one eye.
A blush covered my face. I was acting like a fucking lovesick fool. “I’m just a bit of a mess right now. You know?”
Adriana walked in carrying azonked-outDante. Marco’s gaze immediately fell on the pair. “Yeah, I get that.”
The four of us sat in tense silence for about half an hour before Luca’s parents came back. Rosa’s cheeks were red and tear-stained, but she was smiling. “Sasha, honey, Luca wants to see you.”
I turned to Adriana with wide eyes. Never in a million years did I expect to get in that room so soon. Adriana gave meabig smile and thumbs up. Marco laughed and shooed me away.
Squeezing past Mr. Moretti, he breathed in my ear, “Don’t forget what I said.”
Chills ran through me, but I eased past him. My desire to see Luca alive and well outweighed any fear of the promises lurking in his icy stare. A doctor motioned toward a door, and I took a deep breath.
There Luca was, hooked up to a million machines and looking pale and all wrong. His dark hair was in every direction and his beard that just hours ago rubbed against me made him look even more haggard.
“Sasha.” His voice croaked out in disbelief. Greedy eyes traced my body as if he thought he would never see me again.
“In the flesh.” I shuffled to the chair next to his bed. Gently, I picked up his hand and squeezed it between mine, placing small kisses on his knuckles. Closing my eyes to gather my thoughts, I sighed in relief. “God, Luca. I was so scared.”When he didn’t say anything, I opened my eyes and looked at him. Tears welled in his eyes as his teeth sunk into his bottom lip. “What’s wrong? Do I need to call a doctor?”
I tried to drop his hand to stand up, but his fingers gripped mine,keeping me in place. “No, I just can’t believe you’re here.” He laughed andhiccuped. “Why are you here?”
Nodding, I understood this must confuse him. I shocked myself by how much had changed for me in the last twelve hours. “When I saw you lying there, bleeding, something clicked for me.” I scooted the chair closer to the bed, closing as much distance as I could between us. “I realized I wouldn’t be able to live knowing you were gone, that I hadn’t been living since you’ve been gone. I love you, Luca. I never stopped. I don’t think I ever will.”
Ugly sobs tore through Luca as he covered my hand in kisses. But he didn’t say anything. As the minutes went by without him saying a word, panic settled in my stomach. “Uh, this is where you’d usually say something.”
Luca wiped his eyes with the back of the hand not hooked up to IVs. “I love you too,Sasha, but you know that.”
A cautious smile spread across my face. “I want to be with you, Luca. Secrets, whatever. I know you’ll eventually share it all with me. I’m not happy about it, but hopefully, you’ll see I’m here, no matter what, and will open up.”
Tension filled the small space between us, and Luca set my hand down. “Sasha, I don’t think—”
Folding my hands together on the bed,I sat up straighter. “No. You can’t be—”
“I am. If tonight taught me anything, it’s that you have no business being in my world. What if you were the one that got shot?” Tears continued to fall down Luca’s cheeks.
“But I wasn’t! You saved me, Luca!”