I liked the way he responded to me. When he was angry or frustrated, I was usually the one who calmed him. When he was sad, I was the one who reassured him everything would be okay. I’d thought our age difference had something to do with our complementary natures, but I realized now that it worked both ways.

He calmed, reassured me, made me stop and think too. And he was always rooting for me. Always. In a relatively short time, he’d become my closest friend, my confidante, my lover. He might be impetuous and occasionally reckless, but he was wise beyond his years.

Not gonna lie, as the weeks slipped by, I was beginning to seriously worry about what I’d do when he graduated and moved on.

And no, he hadn’t said he was going anywhere, but he’d been excited enough about an assistant coach opportunity in Northern California to insist on a celebratory dinner. Then again, Luca could find a reason to celebrate practically anything—an A on a test deserved ice cream; hitting all green lights on the drive home deserved an extra ten minutes of Call of Duty. I supposed it only made sense that a possible job offer warranted a steak dinner at a bougie restaurant on 2nd Street. His treat.

I had a million questions for him, ranging from interview details to how a college student could afford a forty-dollar fillet, but he kept steering the conversation to me. He claimed my aura was off, and he couldn’t relax until he knew what was on my mind. I probably should have been pissed that he thought I overreacted to Hannah’s surprise visit today, but honestly…he was right.

And did I mention he was hot? Fuck me. If he flicked his tongue over his bottom lip one more time, I might have to undo my zipper.

My gaze traveled from his mouth to his eyes, lingering for a moment as we shared a smile about nothing at all.

I cleared my throat and sat up a little taller in the leather booth. “Did I say I was ordering fries?”

“No, but you didn’t have to. You always order fries.”

“I do?”

“Yup.” Luca flashed a radiant grin my way before greeting the waiter in his customary friendly fashion. When we’d placed our orders, he leaned forward, propping his elbows on the table. “So…Hannah. I have to admit, I’ve been low-key jealous about her for months.”

“Really?” I frowned and quickly assured him. “Don’t be. Seriously, Luca. We broke up a long time ago. There’s no reason to think twice about it.”

“Hmm. Tell me about her,” he prodded.

I pulled a piece of bread from the basket between us, then proceeded to make a production of buttering it before setting it on my plate without taking a bite.

“We just didn’t want the same things anymore. It sucked, though. I’ve had other girlfriends and been through a few breakups—they’re never fun. It was harder with Hannah than anyone else.”

“Why?”

“I think I wanted it too much.” I shrugged and finally bit into my overly-buttered bread. “We both did.”

“You loved her,” Luca said softly.

“I did. But not enough. I mean…I loved my friend. Maybe I still do to a degree. She’s someone who’s always been part of my life. It’s complicated.”

“You mentioned that you grew up together.”

“Yeah. I’m two years older, so we weren’t in the same classes, but we went to the same schools and because our families were friends, our worlds always blended. Hannah was like a little sister to me. Until…she went to college. She came home from a winter break after her junior year and I swear it was like I was meeting her for the first time. Everything she said and did seemed kinda magical. I was…smitten.” I smiled at the memory.

Luca scowled playfully. “Okay, now I am jealous.”

I slid my calf over his under the table. “Don’t be. Infatuation doesn’t last. Or it didn’t in our case. I think we were too…convenient in a way.”

“How so?”

“Well…in my head, I made us into something we weren’t. I decided we were good together ’cause on paper, we should have been. My family loves her, my friends assumed we’d get married. And it was just too perfect to fall for the girl whose family business sponsored my surfing career. She talked about building her own apparel business and I’d design boards, we’d take over the family biz, expand it nationwide and…boom!” I brushed my hands together. “Happily ever after.”

“Oh.”

“Turns out ‘happily ever afters’ are hard work. If they exist at all. I did everything I thought I was supposed to do. Fuck, I even moved to San Diego to live with her.” I huffed, then stared out the window, unseeing for a moment. “That was a mistake. Or maybe it was the push we needed to address a few glaring issues. I love San Diego, but I hated living there. I made up excuses to come home all the damn time until one day she finally suggested it might be better if I stayed here.”

Tags: Lane Hayes Out in College Romance
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