My phone beeped alerting me to an incoming text, looking at it, seeing it was from Luca.
On our way, baby.
I stared at the screen and debated how to reply. That annoyed me too; once not long ago, I would have replied with some sass and sexy comments about what I wanted him to do to me tonight. Instead, I sent him a thumbs-up emoji thought twice about whether I should add two x’s or not before growling at my phone and hit send.
That was what I hated the most about this whole thing. Luca’s whole demeanour had changed, he was distant at times, and his stress was palpable. I found myself tiptoeing around him so as not to stir him up or start an argument. He stayed later at work, went to his mother’s afterwards, and not getting home until after tea, claiming he ate at his mum’s house. Another worry for me, five times the past month, Luca had left me in the middle of the night after receiving a call from his mum, sometimes not coming back until just before the alarm goes off.
His sisters, too, had no respect for our privacy, using their own key to Luca’s house as if it was their god given right. They barged into the house and even our bedroom at all times of the night. Kayla was the worst culprit; one night, she let herself in and sat down on the edge of our bed while we slept. Waking us with a shrill scream, then complaining that her bedroom light globe had blown and demanded that Luca go and swap it over. The night after that, we went back to staying at my house, Luca agreed with me, but I could tell it irked him.
Dinners at my parent’s place got the short shaft; he either left early or didn’t show up at all. I had even started taking my own car, getting tired of the pitying looks from my family when one of them had to drive me home.
This was the first time in a week being back at Luca’s, the get together would not have taken place otherwise. Mrs Donatella declared that she would rather be six foot under than set a foot inside my abode.
Abode! Her hoity-toity attitude pissed me off; her controlling Luca with the memory of his father and his god-awful sisters’ pathetic snivelling angered me to the point the insides of my mouth had teeth marks from biting the insides of my cheeks.
I hated them, they hated me, and Luca was stuck in the middle, trying to appease everyone. His mother was taking advantage of his loyalty and kind heart.
The sound of the glass sliding door opening sent a chill down my spine. I knew what it meant, I knew I had to get up, but I was just so tired, so exhausted both mentally and physically I debated staying up there on the deck and let my parents loose on the enemy.
“They are here, baby girl,” Trish murmured quietly, her hand laying gently on my shoulder.
“I know,” I sighed, sipping at the tea, not moving to get up.
“Meadow, honey, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. Those horrible women aren’t worth—”
“It’s not about them, Mum,” I interrupted her, surprising myself when the title slipped out and not her name.
“I’m not doing this for them; I don’t go home alone or to your place without Luca for them. I do it for Luca because I love him, just him.” Two hands cupped my face from behind and tilted my head back until Trish came into my view.
“I know that, baby girl, but I am worried about you. You have lost weight, and you don’t smile anymore; you are tense, and you constantly look at your phone waiting to hear from him. This stress is making you ill, Meadow, it needs to end,” Trish stressed angrily.
Trish had a point; over the past month, I had lost two dress sizes, and my clothes hung off me because my appetite had disappeared. I was sleeping at work on the antique couch Luca and I used to make love on and it has now become quite a habit.
I knew why, not the weight loss, but I understood why all I could do was sleep lately—knowing and saying it out loud, though? Nope, not the time or the place.
“I’m fine Trish, Luca said they would come around soon,” I lied to my mother. Luca had said that, but I didn’t believe him then, any more than I believed myself now. I could not see an end to this feud, this hatred, and that broke my heart because things were about to change dramatically. And I couldn’t see Luca winning his battle, and if he lost, then we both lost.
Heavy footsteps behind the glass door heralded the arrival of my handsome Spunk, I smelled his cologne, felt his warmth, and if I closed my eyes, I could see his sexy smirk—something he rarely did these days.
Mum smiled sadly down at me, then moved away, and Luca’s face replaced hers.
“Hey, beautiful, everything looks good down there,” he murmured, leaning down to kiss me on the lips.
“Hey there, Spunk. Yeah, it does, not that I had anything to do with it. The caterer didn’t need any help from me,” I answered, injecting as much enthusiasm into my voice as I could manage.
“Meadow—”
“They said they didn’t need the barbeque. What kind of backyard get-together doesn’t include a barbie, Luca?”
“Baby—”
Swivelling in the outdoor seat, I grabbed hold of his shirt and pulled him down closer to me. Worry etched on his face, guilt-tripping me for saying anything at all.
“Kiss me, Luca, kiss me like you can’t live without me,” I pleaded, hating that
