Page 118 of Can't Always Get What You Want

Me: Thanks. I take my vitamins every morning like a good girl but I’ll take extra so I can see your precious little angel baby <3 Don’t want to get my niece sick.

I love saying ‘my niece.’

Gio isn’t wrong when he said I need to visit them more; I can’t expect Austin to schlepp the baby all over the place for my benefit—I vow to do better now that I know it’s bothering my brother. It’s the least I can do considering how much he has done for me.

I suck—but only alittle.And maybe it wouldn’t be this bad if Luca and I had some kind of plan. A timeline. A clue what we’re doing.

Are we keeping this a secret forever?

Is this some kind of romantic hostage situation where we keep sneaking around until someone—aka: Gio—inevitably blows a gasket? Or are we just delaying the inevitable because it’s easier to roll around in the sheets and pretend the rest of the world doesn’t exist?

I haven’t texted Luca all day—on purpose. I knew he had practice. I didn’t want to be annoying. Didn’t want to hover. I figured I’d wait for him to reach out first…

Screw that!

I’m done waiting.

Me: You okay???

I stare at my cell until the three little dots appear next to his name, screen burning into my eyeballs.

Three dots appear and I exhale. He’s typing—thank God.

He’s okay.

He’s alive!

Hello, dramatic much?!

Luca: Yeah. Rough day. Nothing to worry about.

That is literally the most Luca thing he could’ve said.

Always trying to carry the weight by himself. Always trying to makemefeel better, even when he’s the one bleeding out.

Nope, not today.

I press my lips together and type fast.

Me: You threw up at practice and never told me about it. We’ve slept together. Your wiener has been INSIDE Mavis—pretty sure that gives me the right to worry.

Ha ha. I said wiener.

This time, the dots don’t come right away. They come. They go.

They appear again.

I can picture him now—sitting there with his head in his hands, maybe slouched on his couch with Nugget next to him, ideally watching TV.

Luca: I’m just tired, Nova.

Luca: And maybe…

Maybe…

Maybe WHAT?!

Is this him waving a tiny white flag?! Is this his cry for help? DOES HE NEED ME but is too proud to beg?!

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