Luca

“Freddie! Oh my God what are you doing here? It’s so good to see you.” I genuinely meant it too.

He came walking into the bedroom grinning like the Cheshire cat and sat down on the edge of my bed. I didn’t care that I was in a black lacy nightie that showed a little too much cleavage and my hair probably resembled a bird’s nest at that moment. It didn’t matter because Freddie was like my big brother and I didn’t care what he saw me looking like. I launched myself across the bed giving him a massive hug.

“I missed you, you big oaf!” It was nice to wake up to something positive for a change.

“Not that I’m complaining, but how come you’re here?” I asked, wondering if Freddie’s return would mean I was free to leave. I honestly didn’t know how I felt about that prospect.

“Luca called me yesterday. He said he thought it would be better for both of us if I came here.” He glanced around my room nodding in approval.

“Nice prison cell you’ve got here.”

I chuckled, he was kinda close with that assumption.

“Try dungeon of hell.” I replied coldly staring down at my lap and twisting my hands together.

“Is everything okay Chloe?”

“Yeah, well apart from being locked up here. Why do you ask?”

He shrugged then looked back up at me.

“Luca seemed…different on the phone. I don’t know…he was…more human I guess? More chatty and less snappy.” He gave a small chuckle, “He asked me how I was and he never asks me that.”

“Maybe he’s trying to be a better brother?” I reasoned back.

“Or more likely you’ve had an effect on him. Some kind of weird Chloe voodoo that you’re so good at conjuring up, like when we were kids.”

I rolled my eyes and pushed off the bed to head into the bathroom.

“I doubt anyone could change your brother, least of all me.”

I started to brush my teeth as Freddie came to the doorway and lent up against it to watch me.

“You underestimate yourself just lately, you never used to. I hope he hasn’t been knocking that confidence of yours.”

I spat the toothpaste into the sink, “Why would you kick his ass for me?”

“Too damn right I would.”

From the look on his face he was serious but I knew Freddie couldn’t kick a cat’s ass let alone Luca’s.

“You being here…does that mean I’m free to go?”

“Not exactly. It’s more a case of keeping our valuables stashed close together; all eggs in one basket so to speak.”

“Great, so more days spent killing time here when I could be working or getting my life back on track.”

“It could be worse Chloe.”

“How?” I started to wash and moisturise my face before I started on my hair routine.

“You could still be without me! At least now you get to enjoy my sparkling wit every day!”

“Oh how I have missed your witty charms.” I sang back to him. I made out I was teasing him, but it was true I had missed him. At least Freddie didn’t avoid me or treat me like a leper. Things would certainly get interesting now Freddie was back. I wondered how Luca would change. Would he even acknowledge what had happened between us or would he use Freddie as a distraction?

Freddie and I spent the day catching up, being childish and watching T.V. It was whilst I was sitting on Freddie’s lap watching The Simpsons and laughing at Homer that Luca showed his face for the first time that day. If I wasn’t so pissed off with him I’d have been drooling even more than I was. He was practically oozing sex in his dark blue suit and white shirt. The way it fitted over his shoulders and hugged his muscular frame made me want to run my hands over his body then rip the damn thing off. Damn my stupid female hormones and crazy insatiable lust. He scowled over in our direction as he asked Freddie what his plans were for the evening.

“So he gets to go out but I’ve gotta stay here.” I snapped back daring him to look me in the eyes but he never did.