My Italian BFF

Chapter Seven

While I was getting ready for our big night out, a pang of nervousness hit me. It was the first time we had been out together since things changed between us, a little over three weeks ago. We were going to the Beach Bar; it was a themed pub and that night they had a foam party advertised. Meaning I could dress more casually than I would for a normal night out.

I slid a well-worn pair of grey denim shorts up my legs. I could avoid feeling uncomfortable all night because they were long enough to cover some of my thighs. Adding a turquoise bikini top to make sure I fit the theme of the night. I finished it with a white crochet-type kimono. Which had more holes than fabric, but just enough to give me some modesty. I tied it lower than usual, allowing it to gape open a little to show off my bikini.

Luca would be there any moment to pick me up. I shoved my feet into my pale blue converse trainers, before taking in my appearance in the mirror. I was happy to spend the entire night in my trainers. My hair was still damp from the shower as I weaved it into a French braid and laid the end over my shoulder. The foam parties were epic, but they meant I would get soaked and so, I decided against makeup. I found a small cross-body bag that looked like someone had woven it from straw. I was still stuffing my house keys, phone, and money into it when the doorbell sounded.

Rushing to finish and double-checking, I hadn't forgotten anything before heading out the door. I couldn't wait to get there; I was so excited to be heading out with Luca. I ran down the stairs until I saw him there outside the main door. The door was a full pane of glass and gave me a superb view of him. He looked hot in his beige chinos and cornflour blue shirt, but as always, he had undone his shirt a little too much, showing off his chest. He looked too smart in his black shoes and was a stark contrast to my outfit.

His brown hair, which was darker than chestnuts, flopped over to one side. His blue eyes, connected with my own as I approached. He really was a timeless kind of handsome. His chiselled features and olive skin showed his exotic heritage.

I sighed and felt my shoulders relax, just from the sight of him. As I unlocked the door, he pushed it open for me, ever the gentleman. I tiptoed, wrapping my arms around his neck. As his muscular forearms circled my waist, he lifted me clear off my feet and spun me around. I couldn’t imagine life getting any better than it was at that moment. As he returned me back to firm ground, I gave him a sweet kiss, just lingering a second.

“Are you ready to go?”

“I’ve never been more ready for anything.” It was the truth. The idea of spending the night in his arms dancing and kissing made me feel like I was dreaming. Luca reached out for my hand and interlaced his fingers with mine, holding onto me all the way to the pub. It was only a short walk from my apartment because it wasn’t in the town centre like most of the other pubs.

When we walked through the door, the party was well underway and there was bubbly foam all over the place. As we waded our way through, the foam came up to the top of my calves. The bar was busy, and we were standing for ages waiting to get the attention of the barman. I felt bad for him. People were getting impatient, and the job wasn’t as easy as it looked, especially when it was busy. When we finally got served, we both had a bottle of apple cider each. Bottles were much easier for a night like that.

They painted the whole pub bright yellow from halfway up the wall, all the way over the ceiling to the other side. The lower half of the walls were coloured a pale blue leading to the navy carpet. The DJ booth was contained in half of a fishing boat. I could see only the tip of his head over the top.

I loved the pub for its infectious atmosphere. Once on the dance floor, we were surrounded by people dancing like no one was watching. It was intoxicating and made everyone want to join in on the fun. The bubble machines were overhead and sprayed foam all over us both. We danced for ages, not really noticing our surroundings, transfixed on each other. After we had finished our drinks, I headed to the bar and ordered four bottles to try to avoid standing waiting again for a while. The music was mainly 90s and 00s dance music, and I was eager to return to the dance floor and my man.

As my arms and both my bottles of cider were bopping around above my head to the beat of the music, he suddenly crushed his lips against mine. It didn’t take much encouragement for me to lose myself in the kiss. Swaying my hips to the music and wrapping my arms around his neck, being careful not to lose grip on the bottles.

I couldn’t help but think of the difference between me and Luca and me and my ex-boyfriend’s. Not feeling the need to seduce him; I wasn’t worried about what I looked like or how I behaved. My only concern was having fun. It was just like it was before when the two of us had nights out, well, minus the kissing. I couldn’t help but be hopeful that the thing between us could work, not just for the short-term, but turn into something more long-term.

By the early hours, we were heading out of the pub, more than a little tipsy. As soon as the fresh air hit me, so did the aching desire. We were barely a few meters from the pub, but I couldn’t wait any longer. I pushed him against the wall of a closed corner shop, and kissed him hard, trying to communicate my need for him. I was too drunk to be making wise decisions. We were behaving like a couple of teenagers. My hands were up the back of his shirt as he turned me, so I was pinned beneath his bulk. His hands groped my behind and my senses finally returned.

“We can’t do this here.” I glanced back at the pub, seeing quite a crowd as the pub started to close. Without a word, he gripped my arm and started pulling me down the street, trailing in his wake. The pace back to mine was too much for me, leaving me breathless when we reached the door. As I fumbled with my keys, he plucked them from my fingers and let us in. Before the door had even closed behind us, he scooped me into his arms and carried me up the flights of stairs leading to the safety of my apartment.

Before I regained my balance on departure from his hold, he was kissing me again, hungrily. One arm looped around my back, preventing me from landing in a pool on the floor. The door gave way behind me as he unlocked it and threw the keys to an unknown resting place on the floor. I thought I was going to fall, but he had hold of me again before I could realise my fears. He barely moved me three paces inside the door before kicking it shut and taking me right there on the floor.

I pulled his shirt apart, pinging buttons through the air, needing to touch his bare flesh. We rolled around on the floor, trying to shed our clothes as fast as possible. Kicking my shoes off and pulling my shorts off simultaneously as he removed his trousers. The relief as he entered me was earth-shattering. The prolonged wait to have him had left me extremely turned on. I had never climaxed so fast, but within minutes I was crying out with release and Luca was only moments behind me.

As I lay there on the rough carpet, clothes abandoned all around us, a strange tranquillity was in the air. What more could a woman want? To spend the entire night with her best friend, being free to be herself and then ravished with such need that even the sofa was too far away.

I was so exhausted from our encounter; I couldn’t bring myself to move. I managed to shift myself far enough that I was laid on his chest and his arm came around me. For all I cared, we could stay there on the floor all night. I knew I was in love with Luca, but I had no idea how to tell him. I had never told anyone I loved them before, not Spencer, not even my mother. The word felt alien to me. My imagination was running away with me, dreaming of us together around the dinner table with his family, laughing and joking, like real families did. For the first time, I could imagine myself being with someone forever.

“Tonight, was a good night.” He laughed a bit too much, finding himself hilarious.

“It wasn’t a bad night. I’ve had better.” He lifted his head from the floor and looked at me outraged. “Alright, I was only joking. It was pretty damn amazing.” He nodded, satisfied with my response, and let his head fall back to the floor with a thud. I heard my phone beep and realised not only was I still wearing all my clothes from the waist up, but I was still wearing my bag too. Fishing around in the straw depths for my phone. As I unlocked it, there was a message from Emily. She was a waitress from work. I opened it expecting it to be her, letting me know about a change of my hours tomorrow, but it wasn’t.

Saw you tonight. It was quite the show.

I shot up from my position on the floor. Luca barely moved, just looked at me, waiting for an explanation. The message brought me back down to earth, the short-lived dreams of a future with Luca crashing back to reality. I couldn’t lose my job. Imagine what my mother would say when she found out I couldn’t even hold down a job at a bar. I wouldn’t hear the end of it.

“Emily saw us tonight. She knows we’re together.” He still didn’t seem concerned. I couldn’t understand why he was so calm. If Mr Carlson found out, it would only be a waiting game until I lost my job. It had happened so many times in the past, staff started dating and sure enough, one or both were let go soon afterwards, normally for minor infractions.

“What if she tells people at work?”

“Ask her not to.” As if it was that simple, Emily knew as well as me that it would mean I would be in trouble. I highly doubted she would be able to keep a lid on that sort of gossip. All the waitresses gossiped about Luca because he was good-looking and didn’t mingle much with the rest of the staff, giving him an air of mystery.

It’s a new thing. Keep it to yourself, please.

There, I had asked but wasn’t at all hopeful.

So, are you two dating?

God, she was so nosey, but I needed to keep her on side.

Not exactly, it’s more casual than that. Like I said, it’s recent.

“What did Emily say?” Luca’s words took me by surprise. I stood and made my way to my bedroom, removing the remaining clothing and chucking it into the washing basket.

“I asked her not to say anything, but she didn’t exactly say she wouldn’t.” Pulling my favourite PJs from their drawer and putting them on, instantly feeling like I was being hugged by the fabric. Luca followed my lead and joined me in bed, but I couldn’t sleep. I lay there listening to his slow gentle snores, worrying about what the next day would bring.