Chapter Text
"So c'mon, what's he like?" You pushed Marcus with your shoulder as you walked, grinning at him when he protested and rubbed his arm.
"I dunno... friendly?" Marcus shrugged. He pulled his beanie down at the back and laughed when you rolled your eyes at him. "Just, trust me, I know you'll like him," he assured you.
Huffing as you shoved your hands in your pockets, you pointed out, "That's all you've ever said about him. He's an amazing chef, and I'll like him. What does that mean?"
As the two of you turned onto the street of the restaurant, Marcus shrugged again. "I don't know what you want me to say."
"Anything, Marcus," you replied dramatically, leaning against his arm and earning a laugh. "Literally anything."
"You'll just have to wait and see," Marcus grinned as he led you around the back of The Bear.
You shook your head with a melodramatic sigh. "You're useless, Brooks."
"Hey, I convinced him to fly over!" he protested, pushing the back door and holding it open for you.
"Oh, did you?" you snickered as you ducked under his arm and into the restaurant. "I thought Carmy did that."
Marcus huffed as he followed you into the locker room. "No, Carm asked him. I convinced him. Big difference."
"You're an idiot," you chuckled, pulling open your locker to shove in your bag and scarf.
"Morning, chefs," Carmy muttered, distracted, as he brushed straight past the lockers.
"Morning, chef," you both called after him.
You shot Marcus a look. "Something tells me he didn't actually want him to accept the offer," you told him quietly.
Raising an eyebrow, Marcus agreed, "Think you might be right."
"Morning, chefs," Sydney greeted as she entered, accepting your responses with a tired smile. "How we doing this morning?" she checked.
"Prep-wise or as humans?" you asked with a chuckle.
Sydney snorted and began to pull on her chef's coat. "We'll start with humans."
"Well, Marcus has been doing a piss-poor job of hyping up our guest," you said, giving him a pointed look. When he laughed, you asked, "What's the point of being your neighbour if I can't get the goss on the way to work?"
"Look, I dunno what to tell you, Mini." Shaking his head as he headed into the kitchen with you at his heels, he smirked, "I don't know what to say about white people."
"Literally anything," you begged, Sydney's laughter echoing from the locker room. "And I'm not mini."
"C'mon, chefs, lots to do today," Carmy reminded you both on his way past, not even sparing either if you a glance. "Focus up."
You silently raised your eyebrows at Marcus, the two of you kicking into gear and beginning your day in earnest.
"Alright, chefs!" Sydney called out. Your eyes flicked to the clock and noticed your were half an hour out from service, carefully stowing your prep before ducking around with Marcus to listen. "We've got a nice, straightforward day in front of us," Sydney began, glancing to Carmy chewing his thumbnail by her side. "No surprises on the menu today, but we do have-"
Before she could finish, Sydney was cut off by the door to the kitchen swinging open as Richie led in a tall, blond man. "Sorry, Syd," Richie nodded.
Your heart thumped hard against your chest and your mouth went dry. The man beside Richie stood with one hand clasping his wrist in front of him, showcasing the tattoos scrawled up and down his sculpted arms. His dark t-shirt highlighted his broad shoulders and chest, his cool blue eyes glancing quickly around the kitchen.
"Chefs, this's Luca," Richie introduced, jerking his head in the blond's direction. "He's visiting from Copenhagen." His eyes darted to Carmy, who now stood with his arms across his chest, staring at the floor. "Cousin?" he prompted.
Carmy lifted his head, gaze meeting Luca's. They stared at each other for a moment, then Carmy gave him a nod of acknowledgement. "Luca."
"Carmen." Nodding in return, Luca turned his attention to the rest of you.
"Ice cold," Marcus mumbled beside you, so quietly you barely heard.
Sydney sent Luca a polite smile. "Nice to meet you Luca. Right."
You knew Sydney was rattling off information you definitely should have been listening to, but Luca's presence had completely derailed your concentration. The way he kept his eyes down and nodded along to Sydney's words, how he stood so as to not command attention, all the while standing out as by far the tallest and most attractive person in the room. You only noticed you were staring when Marcus nudged your arm.
Once Sydney dismissed you all back to your stations, you darted around the corner with Marcus again and hissed, "What the fuck, Brooks?"
"What?" Marcus asked, eyes wide in innocence.
"You could have fucking told me he's the hottest guy you've even seen!" You did everything you could to keep your voice low.
Marcus' face scrunched up in a laugh. "Is he?"
"Oh, fuck off, Brooks, you know he is."
"Marcus."
You froze up as Luca appeared beside your station, a wide grin on his face as he gave Marcus a firm, friendly hug.
"Hey, Luca, how you been, man?" Marcus beamed.
"Not too bad," Luca nodded, tucking his hands into his jeans pockets. "Feels good to have some time off."
Your heart hit your stomach. 'Oh, god, that voice.'
"Well, you earned it," Marcus chuckled, giving Luca a friendly punch on the arm.
"I couldn't pass up the opportunity," Luca shrugged. "Not when you practically begged me to fly out."
Pulling a face, but grinning all the same, Marcus huffed, "Hey, man, who was begging?"
Those beautiful blue eyes turned to you, and you swore your heart stopped completely when your name left Luca's mouth. "Uh... yeah." You cleared your throat, desperately trying to unscramble your brain. "That's me."
Luca flashed his teeth at you in a smile that took your breath away. "It's nice to finally see you in the flesh."
Your eyes flicked to Marcus, who just shrugged at you. "You're the one who insists on only talking through Snapchat."
"Right." Your stomach knotting up, you moved your gaze back to Luca. "Well... it's nice to meet you. Marcus has told me..." After a short pause, you laughed a little and shook your head. "Marcus has actually told me nothing about you."
A small frown appeared between Luca's brows and he turned to Marcus. "Really?"
"Hey, don't say it like that!" Marcus said indignantly. "She makes it sound worse than it is."
Luca huffed a laugh through his nose. "Okay. Well, I'll leave you to it, Pippin." He patted Marcus on the shoulder and sent you a lopsided smile. "Chefs." Giving both of you a nod, Luca headed out of the kitchen.
You leaned your hands against the bench and dropped your head. "Marcus Brooks, you motherfucker," you muttered.
"What?" Marcus began setting up the station. "Yo, don't make it sound like I didn't like being over there."
Glancing up at him, you hissed, "You showed him my stupid Snapchats? He looks like that, and he's seen the shit I send you? Man, you really know how to make a girl feel self-conscious."
Marcus snorted and started handing you tubs of sweet sauces. "He loved them." He laughed when you smacked him in the shoulder.
"You motherfucker-"
"Chefs."
You immediately straightened up at Carmy's stern voice. "Yes, chef."
Eyes narrowing as they darted back and forth between you and Marcus, Carmy muttered, "No fuckin' around tonight, alright?"
"Sorry, chef," you nodded, eyes down.
When Carmy shot him a look, Marcus echoed, "Sorry, chef."
Casting his eyes over your prep, Carmy blew out a sigh. "You know desserts are his thing." He made eye contact with each of you, then tapped the benchtop twice. "Show him how it's done."
"Yes, chef," you both smirked, earning a small quirk of the lips from Carmy before he continued on his round of the kitchen.
"Right." Marcus stood up straight and rolled his shoulders. "Let's blow his mind."
Eyes on your work, you sighed, "Oh, to be given the chance."
Marcus just laughed at you.
Halfway through service, Richie appeared at your elbow, careful to stay out of your way as you focussed on delicately plating. "This guy has a fuckin' sweet tooth," he muttered. "Yo, Chef Marcus, what would make his night?"
Marcus didn't move his eyes from his work. "What d'you mean?"
"I mean what would he appreciate? Something that caters specifically to him."
Mouth twitching at the corner, Marcus mumbled, "In the freezer. Should be a note attached."
Richie nodded once and darted off towards the freezer.
"Something from Copenhagen?" you asked, only half paying attention, wiping the side of your plate quickly.
"Something like that," Marcus smirked.
Richie returned a moment later with a chocolate bar and a dubious expression. "Hope you know what your doing, chef."
"Trust me, chef." Marcus threw you a quick glance. "You got these while I do this, chef?"
"Yes, chef." As you transferred plates and began another, you snuck a few glances at Marcus, shaking your head before focussing back in your own job.
"How we doing, chefs?" Carmy checked in, an anxious bounce in his step.
Head down and tweezers in your hand, you nodded, "Good, chef."
"Chef Marcus?"
"Almost done, chef." Marcus carefully topped his creation with three mint leaves. There."
Your eyes landed on the plate. A ring of thin slices of the frozen chocolate bar had been placed on top of a circle of sponge, a piped dollop of a mint mousse in the centre that you had seen Marcus working on the day before. The three mint leaves sat perfectly evenly in the mousse.
"Cousin, hands!" Carmy called out. He assessed the plate for a moment, his brow furrowed. "I don't get it."
"He will," Marcus assured him, a proud smile on his face as he watched Richie take the plate.
When Carmy raised his eyebrow in question at you, you just shrugged and went back to work.
Once the final order for the night had been sent out, you gave yourself a moment to close your eyes and relax your shoulders. You slowly stretched your spine and released a sigh before beginning the clean-down for the evening.
"So, you gonna explain to me why the fancy pastry chef looked like a kid on Christmas when I gave him a Snickers bar?" Richie asked, leaning his hands on the bench and tilting his head to Marcus.
A grin on his face, Marcus chuckled, "He liked it, then?"
"Was fuckin' thrilled."
Shaking your head, you muttered, "If that's all it takes to make a man happy, why am I still single?"
"S'not just the Snickers," Marcus pointed out, turning to pack away the last of his ingredients.
Carmy came to stand beside Richie, glancing between him and Marcus. "Success?"
"Sure was. Your boy loves a Snickers, cousin."
Hands on his hips, Carmy nodded twice. "Didn't know that." He looked to Marcus. "Good work, chef."
"Thank you, chef," Marcus beamed.
Once Richie and Carmy had left you to your cleaning, you turned your head to Marcus. "Why the mint?" you asked curiously.
That dopey smile was still plastered across Marcus' face. "Was inspired by something he showed me how to make."
When he didn't give you any more than that, you sighed and started scrubbing.
It wasn't long before your station was clean and everything was packed away in its proper place. You glanced through the window into the dining room, spotting Richie and Luca deep in conversation as they leaned against one of the tables.
"What d'you think they're talking about?" Marcus wondered.
Carmy braced his hands against a bench and blew out a long breath. "Don't even wanna think about it." You couldn't help but smile to yourself when Sydney silently covered one of his hands with her own. "Right... Good work today, chefs. Tina, we gotta pick up the pace on those stoves, but you know that."
"On it, Jeff," Tina confirmed.
"And everyone please remember to take the labels off containers before they go in the sinks. Let's help Angel and Manny out as much as we can, thank you, chefs."
The kitchen filled with a chorus of, "Yes, chef."
"Okay, thank you everybody, same again tomorrow," Carmy dismissed, watching the team disperse.
"Guess we'll see if it went well?" you supposed as you headed to the lockers with Marcus.
"Guess so." Switching out his apron for his jacket, Marcus said, "I'm gonna hang back and talk to Luca. You wanna stay?" The mischievous smirk on his face told you he already knew your answer.
"Fuck off, Brooks," you mumbled, a fond smile on your face. "I won't be much conversation," you warned.
"Why not?"
Swinging your locker door closed, you stage-whispered, "He's really hot, Marcus, it's distracting."
Marcus shook his head at you and led you back out into the kitchen. "Don't be weird. I might have to send you home."
You snorted. "C'mon, Brooks, as if you could live with yourself if you sent me home alone," you snickered. "You'd be panicking the whole time that I wouldn't get there safe."
"You're too small, Mini," Marcus pointed out, patting the top of your head and smirking when you shoved his shoulder. Slinging a arm around your shoulders, he laughed, "Just worried you'll get lost in the train seats."
"Fuck off, Brooks."
"Chefs," Sydney interrupted, drawing your attention as she waved you through the kitchen door she was holding open for you. Marcus dragged you through, forcing you to take a deep breath before being met by Luca's breathtaking gaze again.
"We're that different from Denmark?" Richie asked, arms folded as he considered something that you and Marcus has clearly missed while you were bickering.
"Totally different, Rich," Marcus snorted.
"But still incredible," Luca assured Richie, then turned his eyes to Carmy, folding his arms easily over his chest. "I'm impressed." When Carmy raised an eyebrow, he clarified, "Not surprised. This is what you were born for, Carm. But still impressed."
Carmy dropped his gaze to the floor and nodded. "Thanks, man," he mumbled, rubbing his cheek.
You glanced up at Marcus, then over to Sydney with a questioning look, but she shrugged and shook her head.
"Well, m'glad Marcus' trip wasn't wasted," Richie said eventually to break the slightly awkward silence.
"Definitely not," Luca agreed, sending Marcus a grin. "Come a long way."
You could feel the pride radiating off him when he replied, "Thanks, chef." His expression changed to one that told you he knew something the rest of you didn't; something softer and more focussed, with a hint of a smirk. "Guess it is worth it."
The laugh Luca let out sent a warmth through you, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "Yeah, guess it is. If you've got the right people to share it with." His eyes briefly met yours, making your heart stutter.
"So, how long y'here for?" Richie asked.
"Six days," Luca nodded, shuffling his feet to lean more comfortably against the table. "Then it's back to Copenhagen and 3am alarms."
Marcus snorted and shook his head. "Yeah, don't miss that."
"Can't imagine you functional at 3am, Brooks," you snickered, jabbing him in the ribs with your elbow and making him yelp.
"Yeah, fuck you, Mini," he retorted fondly, knocking you with his hip.
Sydney cleared her throat. "We gotta go..." She made eye contact with Carmy and pointed back towards the kitchen. "Y'know, that guy's coming in early tomorrow..."
Eyes going wide, Carmy grabbed his jacket from the table behind him. "Shit, yeah, we gotta be back early." He mumbled a farewell to Luca, grabbing Sydney's hand as the pair of them disappeared back into the kitchen and out the back door.
"Jesus Christ, the excuses are gettin' worse," Richie snorted, shaking his head.
"Hey, let them have this, Rich," you defended light-heartedly.
"Yeah," Richie supposed, digging in his pocket for his lighter and cigarettes. "Took 'em fuckin' long enough." He patted his pockets, then nodded once. "Right, I'm out. Got the day with Eva tomorrow."
"Tell her I said hi," Marcus called after him as he headed out the front door, earning a thumbs up before he was gone.
Luca raised an eyebrow at Marcus. "Eva his girlfriend?"
"Daughter," Marcus corrected, to an understanding nod in response. "She's his world."
"Must be nice," Luca hummed, staring out the front windows thoughtfully.
"So... You wanna find a bar?" Marcus offered, his arm around you tensing a little. "Unless you're jet-lagged?"
Luca huffed a laugh through his nose and turned his attention to Marcus. "Man, I am jet-lagged. That's why I'm awake." He pushed himself off the table and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Got anywhere in mind?"
"Yeah, there's a place just down the road." Marcus looked down at you. "You coming, Mini?"
You rolled your eyes. "Well, I'd better, hadn't I? Don't want me getting lost in the train seats."
Squeezing your shoulder with a laugh, Marcus waved a hand towards the exit and the three of you headed out onto the street. "It's a wonder you don't end up down the back of the couch with all the loose change," he teased, grunting when you elbowed him again. "I'm gonna have a bruise if you keep doing that."
"Then stop picking on me," you huffed, folding your arms.
The sound of Luca laughing made your heart pull and breath come short. "How do you guys work together?"
"Man, working under Carmy, you don't fuck around in the kitchen," Marcus told him, and you nodded along earnestly.
"Fair enough," Luca chuckled. After a short silence, he commented, "This isn't the dynamic I imagined you guys having."
"What were you expecting?" Marcus asked, genuine curiousity in his voice as he guided the group around a corner.
"I dunno," Luca shrugged, following Marcus' directions across the road and into a quiet bar. "You weren't like this back in Copenhagen."
Marcus huffed a laugh, sitting the three of you down in a booth. "Man, I was halfway across the world from everything I knew. It was great, no regrets," he clarified quickly. "But shit. It was terrifying."
"S'pose so," Luca hummed.
Tapping two fingers on the table, Marcus asked, "What do you drink? And we don't have any of your fancy Danish shit," he chuckled before Luca could open his mouth.
"Heard," Luca laughed. "Just a beer is fine."
Marcus drummed his hands on the table before pushing to his feet. "You got it." He shot you a sideways glance. "Usual?"
"Please," you smiled sweetly, fluttering your eyelashes at him.
Shaking his head at you, Marcus poked the end of your nose and headed for the bar.
You suddenly found yourself sitting alone with Luca, clasping your hands together on the table and clearing your throat.
"So," Luca began, leaning an elbow on the table and his chin in his hand, "are you and Marcus dating?"
"Wha-?" Your eyes popped open and jaw dropped. "No," you blurted out, slapping a hand over your mouth when you realised how the word had come out. "I mean... No, we're definitely just friends. I'm..." Shaking your head, you admitted, "I'm chronically single."
Luca smirked at you, and you suddenly felt incredibly seen, blushing in the dim lighting. "Just checking," he chuckled, shifting to settle more comfortably in the booth. "Didn't want to be stepping on anyone's toes." Before you could open your mouth for clarification, he asked, "How long've you known Marcus?"
"Uh..." You blinked a few times at the change in topic. "Uh, about eighteen months? Moved here for a change, wound up neighbours with him and Chester. Walked out into the hallway one day and could just smell the best fresh bread..." The memory pulled your lips up into a smile. "Bumped into him a few days later. We got talking about food, he got me the job at The Beef..."
"Back when Carmen's brother ran it?" Luca asked knowingly. "What was he like?"
"Carmy never told you?" Tilting your head curiously, you carefully asked, "Do you guys get on? Kinda looked like there was something... off."
Shrugging one shoulder, Luca cast his gaze down to the table. "Lotta history there. Not all of it good."
Appearing beside you, Marcus handed Luca a bottle. "A beer for him, and a sweet cider for her." He snorted as he handed you your drink and sat down. "So..." he looked between you and Luca.
"We were just talking about Carmy," you informed him.
"Oh." Raising an eyebrow, Marcus commented, "Yeah, that seemed... intense."
Luca shrugged again and took a swig of his beer. "Let's just say I wouldn't've come out here if you hadn't asked me to."
Although he tried to downplay it, you noticed how proud Marcus looked of himself. "Well, s'good to have you here."
"Good to be here," Luca chuckled, leaning back against the padded seat of the booth. "It's been a while."
Marcus threw his eyebrows up. "You've been here before?"
"Worked here for a while." Luca laughed at the stunned expression on Marcus' face. "I've been around a bit, man."
"Why didn't you say?"
You took a slow sip of your cider and watched Luca's face as it twisted thoughtfully. His eyebrows furrowed and bottom lip pushed out in a pout that you desperately wanted to kiss away.
"Guess I didn't want to put you off," Luca sighed eventually, taking another mouthful of his drink. "Thought it might be intimidating."
Setting his drink down on the table, Marcus sat forward and asked, "How? Where was it?"
A rueful smile turned the corner of Luca's mouth up. "Ever."
"That's the crazy posh place Richie staged at," you realised slowly, then your eyes widened. "Oh! You're the one from the photo Richie was talking about. The one of you and Carmy."
Luca tilted his head with a distant smile. "Yeah. Chef Terry loves her souvenirs." He tapped his fingers against the bottle in his hand. "Feels like a lifetime ago."
"So you and Carm have known each other a while?" Marcus prodded.
"Mm..."
Marcus was halfway through a sip, when he suddenly jolted forward, eyes wide as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Wait, Carmy was your Jordan?"
Smirking, Luca asked, "Who else?"
"Shit... That's why you took me on in Denmark," Marcus muttered, shaking his head. "Because of Carmy... I mean, I knew he said he had a connection, but..."
"Made me the chef I am now," Luca nodded, watching his hands as he picked at the bottle label with his thumb.
Contemplating your question for a moment, you took a sip of your cider and watched the two men with you. It surprised you how easy they were in each other's company, how different they were, yet the same. You briefly wondered if Luca was keeping his answers vague because you were present. "If he made you the chef you are, why so reluctant to come out to see him?" you finally asked, holding your breath when Luca pursed his lips.
"It's difficult to explain," Luca sighed, eyes on his bottle. "'Specially without it sounding weird." He shrugged and took a swig. "And m'sure you guys've noticed how competitive he is."
You snorted and Marcus dropped his head forward in a laugh. "Yeah, no shit," he chuckled.
"That's just Carmen," Luca supposed.
Shaking his head, Marcus snickered, "Can't believe you call him Carmen."
"Only person I've ever heard do that is Sugar, and only when she's mad at him," you agreed, Marcus laughing and knocking his arm against yours.
Luca bobbed his head, looking thoughtful. "Just a respect thing. Figured if I called him Carmy he might bite my head off."
"Yeah... Even though I don't know why, that definitely sounds like something he would do," Marcus smirked, knocking back another mouthful of his beer. He jumped slightly when his phone started ringing in his pocket, fishing it out and frowning at the screen before answering. "Hey, man, you good?"
Although you couldn't make out the words, you recognised the tinny voice on the other end. "Hi, Chester," you called towards the phone.
You heard a distant, "Hi, neighbour," in response.
Listening intently for a beat, Marcus held up a hand and silently excused himself, ducking away from the table.
Sitting forward with a small, concerned frown, Luca asked, "Should we be worried?"
"Nah," you shrugged. "Chester's like that sometimes. Gets all worked up and it turns out to be nothing."
"Right." Luca relaxed his posture, leaning against the table again. "So, it's been a few years; what is there to do in Chicago?"
Shaking your head, you admitted, "You're asking the wrong person. I've spent most of my time here working, and I didn't grow up here."
"So you haven't done all the touristy shit?" Luca guessed, humming thoughtfully when you nodded. "You at least seen The Bean?"
You couldn't help the laugh that burst from you, your chest growing lighter at the satisfied grin Luca gave you. "Yeah, I've seen The Bean. Genuinely, it was the first thing I did after I finished moving in."
"I practically had to beg Carmen to take me to see it," Luca chuckled, that distant look in his eyes again. "He didn't see the point. Said something about it not being 'real Chicago'."
"God, Richie used to crap on about that sort of stuff all the time," you groaned, dropping your head forward in faux exhaustion. "That the people are what make it Chicago. Which, I mean, I get, but..." You sent Luca a sideways look and half-smile, "The Bean."
"Exactly," Luca laughed.
You took another mouthful of your cider as a comfortable silence settled over the table. Luca quietly drummed his fingers against the side of his bottle, your eyes focussed on the way the pepper tattoo on his hand shifted with the motion. Slowly following the ink trail up his arm, your gaze fell on the merman stretching up his bicep. Just as you were about to ask about him, Marcus returned to the table.
"Your mate alright?" Luca asked.
"Yeah, he's fine," Marcus dismissed, shaking his head as he took his seat. "So, where you staying, man?"
As the two men fell into easy conversation about accommodation and the best places to stay, your eyes went back to Luca's arms. The overwhelming urge to touch washed over you, but you shook your head to shut the idea down. Instead, you moved your attention to his face, watched how the left corner of his mouth led his smiles, and wondered how on earth Marcus hadn't been able to think of anything to tell you about this man.
Just as you were parting ways at the end of the night, Luca took the opportunity of Marcus checking a message from Chester to quickly stuff a napkin into your hand, flashing you another of his breathtaking smiles before heading off down the street with a wave. You shoved the napkin in your pocket, heart racing, and tried to focus on Marcus talking about his next ideas for dishes.
As soon as you were safely behind your apartment door, you retrieved the napkin and smoothed it out. Your heart leapt as you read the words, 'Since you only communicate though Snap,' neatly scrawled across it, followed by his handle. You kicked your shoes off and wandered over to your sofa, eyes still on Luca's handwriting as you pulled your phone from your pocket and flopped down onto your sofa. You stared at the letters, your thumb poised to begin typing.
"Fuck," you breathed out, dropping your head back against the sofa cushion. "Fuck, okay... Just do it," you muttered at the ceiling. "He made the first move." Your eyes darted back down to you phone.
With a frustrated groan, you dropped your phone on the sofa and stood, abandoning the napkin on the coffee table and pacing over to the kitchenette. You leaned against the bench, arms folded as you stared ahead at the fridge. A prickling sensation crawled across your skin and you chewed your lip, glancing back over to the napkin.
'He snuck it to me. He didn't want Marcus to know...'
You rubbed you hands down your face, then whirled around to reef open the overhead cupboard and grab a glass. Focussing on your hands, you snagged a water bottle from the fridge and slowly filled your glass, taking your time to bring it to your lips and drain it. You replaced the bottle and went through the motions of washing your glass, going so far as to dry it and put it back in the cupboard before finally looking back to the napkin.
"Just do it." You strode across the room and snatched it from the coffee table, then stretched out on your stomach on the sofa and grabbed your phone, typing Luca's handle into the search bar and adding him before you could psych yourself out. You dropped your phone in front of you, a cold fear gripping your gut. "He gave it to you," you reasoned, taking a deep breath. "It's fine. He wouldn't've given it to you if he didn't want you to use it."
That cold fear crept up your body, forcing a shiver through you. You buried your face in the sofa cushion, gripping your hair with your hands. Goosebumps raced across your arms as your mind spun. Taking slow, deliberate breaths, you lifted your head again.
"He made the first move. It's fine." You stared at the blank screen of your phone. "Go to bed," you told yourself. Just as you moved to push yourself up, your phone screen lit up.
Snapchat - Luca added you as a friend
Snapchat - Luca sent a chat
Heart in your throat, you opened the message.
Luca: Hi Minnie
Luca: You just get home?
You stared at the messages for a long moment, mind racing. "Fucking answer him, you idiot," you muttered, hands shaking as you tapped out a response.
You: Yea
Liar.
You: He doesn't call me Minnie btw
You: It's Mini. Like small
The laughing emoji you received in response made your cheeks warm.
You: Yea funny
Luca: I thought you must be a big Disney fan. Like Minnie Mouse
You: Nope
You: My friend's just a loser
Luca: Nah it's cute
Something warm squirmed in your stomach and made you curl your toes.
Luca: Might sound weird but I feel like I've known you for ages
Luca: Seeing you in all the Snaps you sent Marcus
You snorted and shook your head.
You: Sounds like a parasocial relationship if I've ever heard one
Luca: Maybe but I feel like I've been right so far
Luca: Except for you and Marcus being so hands-on
You: Jealous?
The confidence that had let you send the message immediately shrivelled up and you shrank a little. As you waited longer and longer for a response, you felt yourself go cold, then pushed yourself up to sit as you received a video. Tentatively, you tapped to watch it.
Luca was sitting on his hotel bed, the room clearly lit by a flickering television opposite him. "Maybe I am jealous," he shrugged into the camera. "I've known what you look like for ages, and now I've met you, someone's got his hands on you." Running a hand through his hair, he sighed, "And maybe that's stupid. Feeling possessive over someone I've just met. But here we are."
The video closed and your heart fluttered. Taking a deep breath, you tried to formulate a response.
You: I'm flattered. Guess Marcus is good for something after all
Not your best work, but you had been awake for nearly nineteen hours. It would have to do.
Luca sent back a casual selfie with the caption, "He's a good egg. Wish I could touch you like that."
Your skin prickled and a warmth spread through your stomach, heart racing.
You: You gotta be my friend first
Another selfie. "Okay wyd tomorrow?"
You were sure your face was bright red now, pressing your cool fingers to your cheek in an attempt to counteract.
You: Day off. Nothing planned
Selfie. "Guess we'll have to go do some touristy shit then"
Even though you bit your lip to stop it, a smile spread across your face and giddy nerves swirled in your stomach. You found yourself kicking your feet, and tucked one underneath you to stop it.
You: Anywhere in mind?
The day was beginning to catch up with you and your eyelids suddenly felt like lead. You rubbed your eyes and heaved yourself off the sofa, shuffling towards your bedroom as you awaited Luca's response. Dropping your phone onto your bed, you peeled off the day's clothes and tugged on your sleep shirt, then switched from the overhead light to your lamp and climbed under the covers.
Another video appeared.
"I'll google some stuff, see what comes up," Luca said, one hand behind his head as he leaned back against the headboard, eyes on the television. "Since neither of us seem to know Chicago that well. Or maybe ask Richie? He seems to know his stuff. Also," he sat up a bit and looked into he camera, "do I get to see your face at all? Thought that was the point of this app," he smirked, then disappeared.
"Course you waited 'til I'd gone to bed," you muttered, smiling all the same. You pulled the blanket up over your nose and framed up your selfie, just your eyes peeking out at the camera. Taking the picture, you quickly captioned it and sent if off.
"Sorry. Better?"
Luca took a Screenshot
Your eyes widened.
You: Fucker
Luca: For when I can't have the real thing
Your blush returned, making you burrow further into your bed.
Luca: Also I forgot you've been awake way longer than me. I slept on the plane
Luca: Guess I should probably let you sleep
Rolling onto your side, you reached for your lamp and flicked it off.
You: Appreciate it
Luca: Night Minnie Mouse ;)
You let a giddy feeling wash over you, grinning stupidly at your phone, then tapped out a quick, 'Night Luca,' before putting your phone face-down on the bedside table and settling down to sleep.