Finally, I face Luca. “You can say that.”
“Who? Where?”
“It’s okay. I thought I saw someone from my past.”
Luca places his fingers under my chin, forcing me to give him my attention. “And who might that be?” He questions.
Luca knows about my past and relationship with Harley. He knows because he knew what I was doing in Mexico when he saw me. I was there trying to get over Harley and move on. I had told him everything, all about my heartbreak and how Harley had ghosted me completely, not returning my calls. So when I say I think I saw someone from my past, I’m sure he knows who I meant.
“Are you having second thoughts, Serena?”
I stare up into his beautiful eyes, shaking my head. Then I say, “No, never. My past is in the past, and you are my future.”
He smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach all the way. He gazes deep into my eyes. “I love you, Serena, so much it hurts. I don’t know what I would do if I ever lost you.”
Holding his face in my hands, I declare, “You’ll never lose me. I’m not going anywhere.” Then, standing on my tiptoes, I kiss him deeply.
The song ends, and we pull apart when someone says, “May I cut in?”
It’s my father.
“Sure, but don’t be too long with her,” Luca replies, shaking my dad’s hand. The song begins to play, and Luca walks away with my father taking his place.
We dance with one hand in mine and the other around the small of my waist. I can’t remember the last time we danced together.
“Serena, I know I’ve said this to you before, but I want you to know how proud I am of you.”
Smiling, I say, “Thanks, Dad.”
“You did a good thing here. Luca will make a great husband. He works hard, has a good job, and he loves you.”
We continue dancing until the end of the song when a loud commotion suddenly occurs.
“Get an ambulance,” someone yells, and my dad and I immediately take a few steps to the table where everyone is gathered.
Slipping past the crowd of people, I find Luca kneeling next to his dad, who seems unconscious. “Luca, what’s going on?” I ask, kneeling beside him.
He turns to me, distraught written on his face as tears appear in his eyes.
“It’s my dad. It’s my dad…” Luca cries.
My eyes move to the floor where Javier is lying on his back, looking pale and not breathing.
“I’m on the phone to the ambulance,” someone I’ve never seen before says, and I can hear him giving the hotel’s address.
“They’re on their way,” the stranger states.
“Move aside… I’m a doctor.” Another stranger I don’t know, kneels to the side of Javier and places his head on his chest.
“Jerry, tell me there’s a heartbeat?” Luca asks, and then it occurs to me who the stranger is.
We all watch on as Jerry clears his airways and checks to see if he’s breathing. Then he begins CPR.
“He’s not breathing,” he yells. He continues to pump his chest and breathe into his mouth, trying to resuscitate him.
“Move aside,” someone says behind us, and we find two paramedics pushing a stretcher. When they reach Javier, one of them leans down and takes over from Jerry. Jerry explains something to them using medical terminology that’s going way above my head, and I turn to Luca, who appears broken. Tears stream down his face as we both watch the paramedics fight to keep him alive.
What seems like hours pass, which I’m sure is only minutes, when they finally stop and look at us. “I’m sorry,” they say. “He’s dead.”