Page 22 of Hot for the Lifeguard
One second later, he's pulling off the side of the road. I look out of the windshield and my breath stills in my chest. "Gosh, this view is so beautiful," I murmur.
"I have quite a few favorite places, but this is where I come when I want to think," he tells me.
"Well, I can see why," I say looking out at the dark ocean, listening to the waves crash along the shoreline.
That's when Luca turns toward me, his eyes looking glossy as he starts. "I have something I want to tell you."
"Okay," I whisper.
"This week has been amazing."
"It has," I agree, nodding.
Gripping my hands, he pulls me closer to him as he continues, "I'm not ready to let you go. I was thinking that we should try this. We will figure out all the details and everything else later."
Tears spring to my eyes as I listen to him asking me to try having a relationship with him, but every reason why this won't work springs to my head.
A heavy weight sits on my chest, as I shake my head, I go to open my mouth to tell him why we can't do this, when he stops me by placing his finger over my lips. "Don't tell me no. Just think about it."
"The problem is that I don't really need to think about it. I live in Los Angeles and you live here. Besides I'm too old for you. It won't work out. Basketball is my love, there’s just no room for anything or anyoneelse."
Luca places his hands on my cheeks framing my face as he pleads. "You don't know that. Besides age is nothing. We could figure it out."
I pull away from him, not wanting to be touching him when I tell him how I feel. "Luca. This week was amazing, but it won't work. There are just too many obstacles."
I open the door to the car and get out quickly before Luca can stop me. I notice that we are not far from the resort, and I run as fast as I can without thinking.
Before I know it, I'm back in my room and locking the door. I 'm finally able to breathe once again. I pray that Luca doesn't try to come after me, because it took everything in me to tell him no. If he comes back, I'm not sure I will be able to hold my ground.
The tears keep coming and I can't seem to stop them. Having to make decisions that could affect my life in such a drastic way, is all too much for me. I walk into the bathroom to wash my face, hoping it helps to calm me. When it doesn't do the job, I start packing, wondering if Luca will try again. Even though I just told myself it wasn’t what I wanted, I’m secretly hoping he comes after me. He doesn’t.
Chapter 17
Luca
It's been one week since Diana left me behind after ripping my heart out of my chest. When she ran from me, I had thought about chasing her but couldn't find the strength as I was bleeding out right there in my car. Instead of returning home, I had stayed there staring at the stars, sleep evading me.
Actually, I haven't left my couch much since I came home that next morning. I stared at my ceiling, trying to close my eyes for sleep, but every time I did, all I could see was Diana standing on the beach, the wind in her hair as she smiled at me. The harder I tried to make myself sleep, the further out of reach it became.
Instead, I either stare at the ceiling, like I'm doing now, or I stay up staring at my computer, contemplating if I should justbuy a ticket to Los Angeles and beg her to try again. But I chicken out each time.
"Luca. You need to stop pouting," Gael yells at me, breaking me from my thoughts about Diana as he walks into my apartment.
"I'm not pouting," I snap, sitting up on the couch.
Gael has been coming to my apartment every night since Diana left to comfort me but usually the evening ends up with me ignoring him until he is so pissed that he begins yelling at me. Kinda like what’s happening right now.
"Oh yeah? Then what are you doing?"
"I'm thinking. Trying to sleep," I say, hoping he accepts one of those answers, but it doesn't seem like I'm going to be getting my wish.
"Well, you need to stop thinking. Just hook up with someone else. That's the best way to get over someone," he says, giving me one of his typical comforting pieces of advice, but it just pisses me off instead.
"What the fuck? I'm not sleeping with anyone else." My stomach rolls at the idea of even thinking about being with someone besides my goddess.
"Why not?" he asks.
"Because no one will ever compare," I whisper.
