Page 34 of Somewhere in the Sunset

“Of course you can stay,” I say with a breath of relief.

He wants to move back in. He knows he’s made the biggest mistake of his life, and maybe it took too many vodka sodas for him to realize that, but I don’t carehowhe figured it out. All I care about is that he did. I may have told him that if he walked away, I would never let him come back, but I can’t stand by that threat. He broke my heart and stomped all over the pieces, but he’s the only one who can heal me again.

Luca sits down on the couch next to me. He runs his fingers through his ruffled hair and sips his water, blinking hazily. “God, the room is spinning,” he mumbles, then casts me a sideways glance. His eyes are bloodshot, glazed. “Where were you when I called? You taste like wine.”

“With the girls,” I answer. Zero hesitation. There is nowayI can admit now that another man was cooking me a steak dinner. It may be perfectly innocent, but Luca won’t see it that way. My friendship with Weston has to end now. “C’mon. Let me get you to bed.”

I take a swig of the water Luca gave me, then stand from the couch and pull him to his feet. He wraps an arm around my shoulders and plants kisses on my cheek as we head into our bedroom, and I’m overcome with relief that I won’t have to sleep on my own again. No more crying myself to sleep. No more reaching out for Luca in the middle of the night and feeling my heart drop when the space next to me is empty. He’s right back where he belongs.

“I’ve missed our bed,” Luca says, then face-plants onto the mattress with a happy sigh.

I pull off his jeans, wrangle his shirt over his head, and then tuck him under the comforter. His eyes are closed already. I head into our en-suite bathroom to clean up, and by the time I return, he’s snoring softly. A smile spreads across my face as I crawl into the bed next to him. His skin radiates heat and I snuggle into his back, finally feeling okay again for the first time in three weeks.

I only wake because I sense movement. A sliver of sunlight creeps into the room through a gap in the blinds and I squint as my sensitive eyes adjust. Luca stands at the foot of the bed, buttoning up his shirt from last night. It wasn’t a dream. He really did come home.

Stretching out my arms, I yawn and pat the empty, warm space next to me. “Come back to bed.”

“No. I should get going,” Luca says, clearing his throat. His voice is hoarse, dehydrated from the alcohol. He tucks his shirt into his jeans and smooths out his hair.

“What?”

“I should get going,” he says again, never meeting my eyes.

And maybe I’m naïve, maybe I’m straight-up blinded, but I reply, “To get your stuff?” Because, in my head, Luca is moving back in. He’s only leaving to get all his clothes from his cousin’s place. He’ll be back in an hour or two, and we’ll cook up some brunch together.

Luca scratches the palm of his hand. “No, Gracie.”

My stomach drops and I bolt upright. “But last night .?.?. You said you missed me .?.?.”

“I do miss you,” he says, forcing himself to meet my eyes. The guilt twisting his features tells me everything I need to know. “But last night doesn’t change anything. We’re still done.”

I stare at him, my mouth agape. My heart shatters all over again. I didn’t know it was possible for it to break even more. I drop my head into my hands and suck in a deep breath, shaking my head in disbelief. He still doesn’t want to be with me. Through my fingers, I mumble, “Then why did you even bother to come here last night?”

“I’m sorry,” says Luca. “You know how horny I get when I drink.”

I lift my head to look at him.Rage. That’s all I feel now. Burning, all-consuming rage. “You’re a fucking pig, Luca,” I spit, throwing back the comforter and jumping out of bed. I jab a finger toward him, seething so intensely I’m trembling. “Get out ofmyapartment.”

“Gracie—”

I grab a pillow from the bed and fling it at him. Then a second one. “Getout!”

“Okay, okay!” Luca holds up his hands in surrender and heaves a sigh of defeat. As he walks backward out of the room, I stalk him, my finger still pointed. How dare he? I can’t evenlookat him. “I’m sorry,” he says again once he reaches the door.

“No. You’re not. Leave,” I order, and I step around him to open the door. Anything to make it easier for him to get the hell out of my face. “I saidleave.”

Luca lowers his head in shame and steps out into the hall. I promptly slam the door shut behind him, then pace the apartment with my hands on my waist as I breathe deeply to fight off the sudden nausea.

I am the biggest idiot. Luca used me last night, and I love him so much I didn’t even see it. It meant everything to me, yet nothing to him. How could he hurt meagain?

My focus lands on the withering, dying lilies in the vase in the kitchen. My mom had them delivered the day after Luca ended things, with a sweet note attached, promising me that things would be okay. I haven’t seen her in a while. And my sister clearly misses me, because she’s forever tagging me in hilarious TikTok videos. I should visit. I could use a hug from my mother right about now, but I also can’t drive. Luca always drove me whenever I went home to Santa Cruz.

God, I need my license more than ever.

I text my mom and ask if it’s okay that I drop by today, and of course, it’s more than okay. It would nevernotbe. I’m always welcome, no invite necessary. She promises to have burritos ready for lunch. My favorite.

Then I scroll to Weston’s number that he added to my contacts yesterday at Starbucks, and I dial it before I can wimp out. It rings only twice before he answers.

“Thanks for letting me know you got home safe last night,” he says, his tone laced with sarcasm.

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