Page 28 of Between the Lines

“But you’d like it to be.”

“No. I told you before, I don’t have a home. I don’twantone.”

Which sounded like bullshit, not least because Luca was so obviously attached to the hotel. “Everyone wants a home.”

“My van’s enough for me.”

They were into the trees now, a thin stand of pines with their backs twisted against the prevailing onshore wind. Today, the air was breezeless but Theo could imagine the trees huddling together against the winter storms. Underfoot, layer upon layer of pine needles made the ground soft and slippery and he slowed down, treading carefully. “Why wouldn’t you want a home?” He kept his eyes on where he was putting his feet.

Luca’s answer came from up ahead. “I like to travel light. If you have a home, you end up collecting all thisstuffyou don’t need.”

He thought of his own apartment, pristine and clutter free, but doubted belongings were what Luca meant. “Stuff like people?” he guessed. “Responsibilities?” No answer. He looked up and saw Luca standing at the edge of the tree line, gazing out at the ocean. “I can see the appeal,” Theo admitted. “People—family—are a pain in the arse sometimes.”

A shrug, one-shouldered, indifferent. “It is what it is.”

Theo wanted to ask more, but Luca’s tense jaw looked forbidding. Unwilling to probe where he wasn’t wanted, Theo looked away, through the trees, and his breath caught. Below them sat a small cove, sheltered by low cliffs through which a stream had cut a narrow path, opening out onto a beach where it ran through a small strip of sand onto the stony foreshore. It looked like something out of a novel about pirates or smugglers.

“Pretty, huh?” Luca sounded warmer again. “Best place in the world on a summer’s day.”

Theo thought two things at once:I want to get down there, andI’ll never get down there. “Are there stairs?”

“No. Don’t worry, it’s an easy scramble.”

Theo peered down at the tumble of rocks. “Easy for you, maybe.”

“Hey, I’ll help you.” A pause. “You have some coordination issues, right?”

Theo looked up with a jolt. “What?”

“That’s why you don’t drive and—”

“Did you Google dyspraxia?” Theo demanded. “Damn it, I knew I shouldn’t have told you.”

Luca’s eyebrows rose. “What if I did? I’d never heard of it before.”

“But all of a sudden you felt a burning need to understand it?” Theo shoved his hands in his pockets, feeling stupidly betrayed. Maybe his dad had been right after all. “Looking for a weakness to exploit?”

“Are you serious? I’m not a Bond villain.”

“Then why—?”

“Because I was interested.”

“In dyspraxia?”

“In you!” He bit off the last word like it was a mistake and looked away, out over the water.

Theo stared at him, bemused. “Dyspraxia is something I have, Luca. It’s not who I am.”

“I know that. I only wanted—” He scratched a hand through his disheveled hair. “Never mind. I’m sorry.” When he looked back around, he gave a rueful smile, appealingly boyish. “Still want to go down to the beach, or have I killed the mood?”

Theodidstill want to go down to the beach and his flash of irritation was already melting away, disarmed by Luca’s apology. “I’m sorry, too. I get frustrated sometimes, explaining stuff to people...”

“You don’t have to explain anything to me,” Luca said, and inclined his head toward the edge of the cliff where a faint track led out and across the tumbled boulders. “But let me know if you need a hand, okay?”

“Sure. I will, thanks.” And that was that. Heart thumping—and not only with fear of the drop—Theo followed Luca to where the cliff edge gave way to large rocks. He set his jaw and gingerly lowered himself onto his arse. If he was getting down with all his bones intact, he was doing it on his backside.

Ahead of him Luca jumped from boulder to boulder like a bloody mountain goat, then turned around and, after a hesitation, held out his hand. “This bit’s a little tricky.” He wasn’t smiling. That is, he was, but it didn’t look like he was laughing at Theo or getting impatient. He just stood there offering his hand and Theo grabbed it, Luca’s grip as strong and reassuring as he’d imagined, his biceps bunching as he braced while Theo inched down the boulder until his feet hit the rock below. He felt stupid, like a child, and his frustration began to well up again, but then Luca reached for his other hand, too, steadying him and pulling him forward to press a very adult kiss to his lips.

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