794 Luca?
Kissing Amy's forehead was an instinctual gesture, an expression of comfort he had offered to friends and family countless times.
That was the way he comforted the females in his life generally. Kissing the top of the head was something he did with his mother when comforting her. He did it with Lucy, he had done it too with Rachel.
So, it wasn't like there was any romantic meaning attached to it. There was none whatsoever. Yet, the atmosphere in the kitchen shifted instantly.
Amy pulled away, her eyes widening with surprise. Lucas felt a twinge of awkwardness settle between them, understanding the unintended gravity of his action.
Lucas knew that he had acted more out of habit than desire or anything of the kind. His action had been borne out of habit.
But was he supposed to explain that to Amy without sounding like a pervert who was trying to take advantage of her vulnerable state? Lucas mused as he stepped away from Amy.
"I—I'm sorry," he stammered, as he awkwardly took several steps back and raised both hands.
"I didn't mean to do that. It's just something I do to comfort people, and I didn't think..."
Amy's expression was a mix of confusion and vulnerability. She wiped away a tear, her gaze fixed on Lucas. "No, it's okay," she murmured, her voice soft. "It's just...unexpected, I guess."
Lucas fumbled for words, attempting to explain the innocent intention behind the impulsive gesture. "I didn't mean it in any other way. It's just, when people, by people I mean ladies, including my mom and sister. When they are hurting, I've always done that. It's a gesture of comfort, like telling someone, 'Hey, you're not alone in this.' I've done it with friends, family, and it's never meant to be anything more than that. I assure you," Lucas rambled.
He paused, searching for the right words to alleviate the awkwardness that lingered in the air since Amy was still just staring without saying anything.
"I am here as a friend. Your friend. I don't want to add any more pain or confusion during an already difficult time," Lucas added, wishing he could kick himself and just shut up.
Amy nodded slowly, a mix of emotions playing across her face. "I know you mean well. It just caught me off guard, that's all." She managed a small smile, a fragile attempt to reassure him.
Lucas sighed, relieved that Amy seemed to understand, yet an underlying tension lingered.
"There was nothing sexual about the gesture…."
20:00
"I didn't think there was. I will go pack up my stuff," Amy said, and quickly walked past him to avoid any further awkwardness.
"It really didn't mean anything," Lucas called after her defensively, not sure she believed him since she had accepted his explanation too easily.
Not knowing what to do with himself, Lucas decided to make the coffee himself as he waited for her, so he went about making the coffee.
Inside her bedroom, Amy looked back in the direction of the kitchen and touched the top of her head where he had kissed her before placing a hand over her heart which had been racing earlier.
She might be inexperienced when it came to men, but she knew enough to know that it wasn't a sexual gesture, although that wasn't something you did with people with whom you didn't have a close relationship.
What was the deal with Lucas? Why was he here? Why was he helping her? They weren't even friends so why did he keep going out of his way to help her? Amy mused and then paused when she remembered he had just said he was there as her friend.
When did they become friends? She mused and then sighed. That wasn't what was important at the moment. She had just lost Miley, she reminded herself as she looked around her bedroom which she had shared with Miley all through her stay in Ludus.
She wasn't going to cry again. She had cried enough in front of Lucas. She was just going to hold it all in and wait for Lucas to drop her off at Lucy's and leave. Then once she was alone, she could cry and mourn to her heart's content.
Who knew what would happen if Lucas heard her crying in here? The last thing she wanted was for him to come into her bedroom to console her. Especially not after what just happened a moment ago.
Choosing to focus, Amy started to take off her clothes, and then she paused when she remembered that just that morning when she picked the outfit she had been thinking of Miley, and now Miley was no more.
Tears gathered in her eyes, but she quickly brushed them off and took off her clothes. She changed into a sweatshirt and pant and when she turned to look at her reflection in the mirror, she was horrified to see how terrible she looked.
Her hair and makeup was a mess.
She knew she had thought she didn't care about how she looked in front of Lucas, but this was terrible for crying out loud!
She quickly washed off what was left of her makeup and dried her hair before going on to pack her bags.
It took her a while to decide on what to take with her and when she was done packing, she returned to the living room with her bags to meet Lucas.
She perceived the aroma of freshly brewed coffee even before she walked into the living room and saw him standing by the window with his back to her and a cup of coffee in one hand and his phone in the other hand raised to his ear.
"I'm not sure yet. I will let you know. Sure. Be good," Lucas said before hanging up.
"I'm ready," Amy said and he turned to see Amy standing awkwardly by the doorway.
He was relieved to see that she looked better now than she had been earlier, and she no longer looked like she would fall apart if he looked away for a moment.
"That was Lucy on the phone. I took the liberty to make coffee. Do you want a cup?" He offered as though she had imagined the awkward situation between them earlier.
"It's raining again," Amy noticed as she looked past him to the window.
"Yeah," Lucas said and Amy excused herself as she walked into the kitchen to pour herself a cup of coffee.
She returned to see that Lucas was seated now, so she sat on the couch opposite him, feeling like she was the visitor in her own home.
Amy clutched the mug tightly as she raised it to her lips, and Lucas watched as her hands trembled as she drank from it.
Amy looked up to meet his gaze, her eyes puffy and red from crying. The sight tugged at Lucas's heart, awakening a protective instinct.
"She loved this coffee," Amy finally whispered, her voice trembling. She gestured towards the mug.
"We used to sit here, laugh, and share stories over a cup. Now she's gone, and all I'm left with are memories of her in an empty apartment."
Lucas listened attentively, and although his heart ached for her pain, Lucas didn't move or say a word.
They sat in silence for a while, the only sounds the soft hum of the refrigerator and the occasional sniffle from Amy.
Lucas contemplated the complexities of loss, the way it lingered in the air like an unwelcome guest.
As they sat there, the rain outside intensified, its rhythmic patter echoing the subdued atmosphere within.
"What can I do?" Lucas asked after a moment and Amy looked at him in confusion.
"What?"
"What can I do to help? Would you prefer I listen silently, or do you want me to say something? Should I try to cheer you up or leave you to mourn?" He asked, since he needed to know what she wanted in order to know what to do.
"I don't know," Amy said with a shake of her head.
"I've never lost anyone very close to me. I've lost patients and mourned some who were dear to me, but they were only patients, not friends. So, I'm not exactly sure what to do in this situation especially as I understand to an extent the depth of your friendship," Lucas explained.
"You've done more than enough already by being here. Thanks for being here with me right now when we both know you don't have to," Amy said softly.
"You're welcome. Will it help to talk about her? Perhaps I could tell you about how I met her and all I thought about her, and you can talk about her too and dwell on happy memories," Lucas offered, and Amy nodded.
Lucas tried to steer their interaction back to a sense of normalcy, and they shared stories about Miley that brought both laughter and tears especially when they talked about the dinner date. Amy's laughter, though tinged with sorrow, made Lucas smile as he watched her.
Eventually, the awkwardness between them began to dissipate, replaced by a shared understanding of grief and the unpredictable ways people navigate it.
Lucas provided her comfort without any gestures that might be misconstrued and listened as Amy spoke of Miley, remembering her quirks, her infectious laughter, and the moments that had bound them together.
As the evening wore on, the rain outside started to relent, leaving behind a cleansed, glistening city.
Lucas and Amy found solace in each other's company, the shared pain gradually transforming into a poignant connection that deepened their new friendship.
"Can we leave now?" Lucas asked as he glanced at his wristwatch.
He had to leave soon for Sonia's party since that was the major reason he had travelled down, and Tyler was waiting for them to leave together.
"Yes. Sure," she said as she quickly rose and Lucas did the same.
Lucas drank what was now left of his cold coffee and reached for her mug since she it didn't seem like she wanted to drink it, and she quickly drank it and held out her hand for his mug instead.
"I will rinse…."
"Hand it over," Lucas ordered calmly and she reluctantly handed him the mug and she followed him as he took it to the kitchen.
She watched him as he rinsed the mug and hung it to dry on her mug rack.
"Thank you, Luca," Amy said as she watched him dry his hands.
"Luca?" He asked with a raised brow, ignoring her gratitude since it seemed like she was either always apologizing for something or thanking him.
"You said you don't want me calling you Lucas," she reminded him and his lips twitched a bit.
"Luca. Not bad," he murmured in amusement as he walked past her to go pick up her bags so they could leave.
As he picked up the bag and headed for the door, he paused and returned to the table. He placed the television controller on the center of the table and organized somethings making her look at him with questioning eyes.
"Can I have your phone?" He asked, and she unlocked it and handed it to him.
Lucas took a picture of everything the way he had set them, "When you come here, confirm that nothing is out of place before you settle in. But it will be best if you change your locks," Lucas said and Amy nodded.
"I will have them changed," she said and he nodded in approval.
"Let's leave then," he said and they headed for the car.
Once they were seated in the car, Amy turned to Lucas as she fastened her seatbelt, "Luca?" She called, and he turned to look at her.
"Yeah?" He asked as he started the engine.
"Are we friends?" She asked and he raised a brow.
"I will leave you to decide that. Are we?" He asked and she paused for a moment before giving him a nod.
"Yes."
"Then we are," he said and she smiled before looking ahead of her again as he drove off.
On their way, Lucas stopped by a pharmacist, and she frowned in concern when he asked her to wait in the car while he dashed in to get some medicine.
Was he ill? Did she make him stand in the rain when he was ill? She mused.
A short moment later Lucas returned and got into the car, "Here. I'm not sure if Lucy has any medicine at home. You were in the rain for a while, you might catch a cold, so take this if you feel ill, and take that for a headache since you might have one after crying the way you did and the way you might do later," Lucas said, and Amy blinked as she looked at him without taking them from him.
"What?" Lucas asked when she just sat there staring
Amy shook her head, "Thank you," she said in a thick voice, laced with emotion as she took the medicine from him.
She really wasn't sure what to think about Lucas, or how to feel about his kindness which was beginning to make her heart flutter in an unexpected way.
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