15. Luca
Luca
Tonight is Diana's last night and I'm not ready for her to leave. I knew my time with her was going to be short, but it feels like she just arrived yesterday and I'm not ready to let her go. We've been spending every day together and it's been the best week of my life.
My alarm goes off, reminding me that it's time to leave to grab Diana from the resort.
I'm taking her to my parents' restaurant tonight.
My body shakes with nerves knowing that she's going to meet my whole family.
I just hope they don't run her off. I'm also planning on laying my heart out for her tonight.
I'm going to tell her that I want us to be together longer than this week, whatever that looks like. Fingers crossed she doesn't reject me.
Turning the alarm off on my phone, I do a double check to make sure that I look good for Diana. Feeling satisfied, I reach for my keys and head out to my car.
When I reach the resort, my heart rate picks up when I see her standing there waiting for me dressed in a long summer maxi dress. Every time she wears one I can't help but think that she's trying to kill me with how good she looks. I'm the luckiest man alive .
Getting out of the car, I can't help but let loose a smile on my face as I walk around the other side of the car.
"Ready?" I ask, opening the passenger side door to the car.
"Yes," she breathes out as she climbs in. I close the door once she's settled, rushing back over to the driver side of the car.
Once we're both buckled in, I put the car in drive, placing my hand on her thigh as we make it through the streets toward the restaurant.
Neither of us speak, we just sit in silence, basking in the moment as we listen to the music playing through the speakers.
The song Hold On by Chord Overstreet plays and I smile when I hear Diana quietly singing to herself.
It doesn't take long before I pull into the parking lot of the restaurant. I squeeze her thigh and ask, "Are you ready for this?"
"I'm sure it will be fine," she says, unbuckling her seatbelt.
"I'm just warning you that they can be a lot. Just let me know if it becomes too much," I tell her.
"I will. But don't worry, I can handle it," she says, pushing the door open. I can't help but watch her as she walks toward the entrance. She suddenly stops and stares at me. "Well, are you coming?" she sasses me.
That's when I realize I'm still sitting here and she's almost in the restaurant.
Quickly, I jump out of the car and catch up with her.
Placing my hand on her back, I guide her into the building.
The moment we cross the threshold my eyes go wide as I see that every single one of my family members have shown up.
I quietly curse my parents under my breath.
They obviously told everyone I was coming and not alone.
We wade through the crowd, making our way to my favorite table as question after question is thrown at us.
"Hi."
"Hello."
"You must be Diana."
"I am."
"Oh my gosh, Luca, you didn't say she was so beautiful."
"Thank you." I reply but I can feel my face heating with embarrassment. I’ve never been great at taking compliments just criticism.
"Are you really a professional basketball player?"
"Yes. I've played basketball my whole life."
She does great answering each one with ease and doesn't seem upset with anyone. By the time we get to the table I'm already exhausted, so I can't imagine what she's thinking.
We finally sit down when my mom comes over and brings a menu for Diana. "Here you go, dear. I thought you might want to look at the menu."
"Thank you. But I'll just have whatever you think I should try," she says to my mom, which is the best thing she could've ever said.
I'm proven right when my mom's eyes light up with Diana's response. My mom looks over at me with tears in her eyes mouthing, "She’s perfect." Returning her focus back to Diana, my mom tells her, "I'll bring you guys Luca's favorite dish from when he was a boy."
Diana turns toward my mother, grinning. "Will you tell me more about when he was a little boy?"
My mom's grin gets even wider. "Let me tell the cook what you want, and I'll come back."
"Great," Diana says smiling, her gaze returning to me with a twinkle of mischief in her eyes.
Once my mom leaves, I lean over the table. "Sorry about my family. I didn't know that she would invite everyone."
"It's okay. This is kind of great," she says, shrugging her shoulders as she looks around the room taking everyone in. Right at that moment, my mom and cousin sit down in the booth, pushing me closer to the wall. They don't even give me any thought as they begin talking with Diana.
"So, tell me what Luca was like as a little boy," Diana says.
"When he was a little boy, Luca was always so kind taking care of his mama and sisters," my mom says, pinching my cheek and I roll my eyes.
"One time, his older brother and his friends were throwing mud at his baby sister. Luca came out and tackled them to the ground, yelling, ‘My sister doesn't like that.’”
They giggle as my cousin opens her mouth to tell her own story but, thankfully, my dad brings our food. As he places it down, he points to my mom and cousin. "Let them have some peace. At least while they are eating."
Both of them nod and get up to leave. I look over at my dad. "Thanks."
He looks over at Diana and asks, "Can I get an autograph before you leave?"
"Dad," I groan.
"What? I just want an autograph."
"You couldn't ask after we were done eating?"
"I didn't want to forget."
Diana places her hand on my forearm. "It's okay." She looks up at my dad smiling. "Of course. I would love to give you an autograph. Do you want to go get whatever you want me to sign?"
"Sure. I'll bring it over," he tells her, leaving us behind.
She looks down at her plate which is filled with a tamale and a taco. Picking up her fork, she takes a big bite. "Mmm...this is good. I can see why you wanted to bring me here."
After seeing her take a bite and seeming to enjoy it, I'm finally able to relax. I try not to look too hard at why I want her to like this place so badly. Picking up my own fork, I take a big bite of the food. "Dad did do a great job."
She nods but continues to eat her food, and I can't help but smile. There’s a sense of pride knowing that I was able to provide her with a plate of food that she enjoys.