Chapter 3
Tilly
“That wasn’t that scary, was it?” I laugh.
Lie.
I was screaming the entire way down, but Luca was probably too busy internally dying to notice.
At least I hope so, because that was embarrassing.
“Nah, it was barely anything,” he says, voice shaking.
I try not to laugh.
All these years, and I never knew he was so scared of heights.
“Yeah? Then why are you trembling like a leaf?” I tease.
“The adrenaline,” he says, too quickly. “Duh.”
I roll my eyes, but don’t say anything—mostly because my knees are shaking just as bad.
“Yo, that was epic! Let’s go again!” Matt yells, coming from the end of the slide. He shakes Luca’s shoulders like a maniac.
Matt is crazy. While Luca and I went down together, that guy just went with a random stranger, and I admire him for it.
“In your dreams, mate.” He looks haunted.
I would be worried, but Italians are so dramatic.
“Please?” he begs.
When Luca doesn’t budge, Matt turns to me. “Okay. Tilly. If you give him puppy eyes, he’ll cave.” He grabs my shoulders and whispers like we’re discussing a robbery.
“Works every time.”
“What makes you think I even want to go again?” I argue, though honestly… I kind of do. The thrill is still buzzing in my veins.
I love dangerous things because when you don’t die, you feel like you just defeated something massive, and that feeling is addictive.
Sure, there is the option of death, but if we’re being honest, the chances of dying are not that high.
“I’m right here,” Luca deadpans. Matt ignores him completely, still resting his hands on my shoulders. “The sparks in your eyes. That’s the look of someone who loves chaos.”
He isn’t wrong.
I smile, and when he straightens, I turn to Luca.
He’s already turning to leave, but I grab his wrist. “Please?” I stand in front of him so he can’t avoid me.
“It was so fun. Imagine going down that slide again—with me, obviously—and then you can brag for the rest of your life that you survived twice .” I tilt my head and hit him with my most used look when it comes to Luca.
He looks like he’s about to refuse, but I know better.
“No. Absolutely not.”
“Please.”
He groans, rolling his eyes, and mutters, “Yeah, whatever.”
I jump up and down, then look at Matt.
“Succsess!”
Matt looks at me like I just performed black magic. “You’re scary. Your eyes literally hypnotized him. It’s freaky.”
I laugh while he’s shivering. Luca is standing beside me, probably wanting to die, but I don’t care.
“Maybe it’s ‘cause you’ve got one green eye and one blue, but still.”
I laugh. “Nah. It’s just because I’m me, and Luca’s Luca, and he’s weak when it comes to me.”
We climb back up toward the slide, and sure enough, Luca is trembling again.
“Why are you shaking this time?”
“Could ask you the same, T.”
The staff member gestures for us to get on the yellow tube. The slide is a two-seater, which means I get to sit close enough to feel every ounce of Luca’s nerves radiating off him.
“You got this,” he says, looking at me, but his voice sounds more like he’s trying to convince himself.
“Luca,” I turn to him, keeping my face as straight as possible right now. “I promise I won’t kill you. Unless you want me to, of course.”
He looks down at me, smirking. “You are such a bad liar, Tills.”
The staff pushes the cart down the tunnel, and everything goes dark. I feel Luca’s breath on my back, and I laugh.
***
“How was it?” Yana screams as soon as we get back, waving like a maniac.
“Would’ve been better with you!” Matt yells back.
“Everything’s better with me.”
We collapse onto the blanket, and Yana and Zara are lying on it and playing UNO. I look at my surroundings, still dripping water everywhere, and feel that warm ache in my chest. They have no idea how much they mean to me.
They didn’t know everything about me, not the bad parts , but they knew enough to be scared, and still sit here with me.
“Anyone hungry?” Zara asks after she wins three times in a row.
I swear she has a secret lucky charm with her at all times because she never loses.
She turns to the bag she packed before we left and takes out a container of brownies that somehow managed to stay dry.
“For those?” I say already reaching for one. “Always.”
“Oh, I need this.” Yana takes a piece. She hugs Zara, and I laugh at her face. “What would I do without you, Z?”
Matt takes two pieces and dodges when Zara tries to take one back.
“So, how did Luca take the big scary slide?” she teases.
“Better than her,” Luca says, pointing at me.
“Excuse me? You mean I was the one having a panic attack, re-evaluating all my life choices, and holding your hand—”
His hand covers my mouth. “I think that’s enough lying . ”
He leans in and whispers, “Say you’re lying, or I’ll tell them about how you were shivering and screaming so the whole park heard you.”
“You wouldn’t.” I narrow my eyes, though I know he totally would.
I remember around two years ago, he threatened me that he would tell our whole team the horrible practice I had with him when he was my volleyball ‘tutor’, and he did.
Seventeen-year-old me was absolutely horrified. Today, I probably would not care because the amount of embarrassment I endured when I was perfecting volleyball toughened my embarrassment glands or whatever is responsible for being embarrassed.
He smirks. “Try me.”
Yana snorts. “She’s definitely lying.”
I clear my throat, glaring at Luca. “Fine, I was the one shaking. Happy now?”
“Very,” he says smugly.
“Wait, so he wasn’t scared?” Matt asks suspiciously. “He was totally shaking over there.”
I realise it’s not that deep, but at this point in the argument, why not have some fun?
“Nope,” Luca defends himself. “Adrenaline.”
“Actually,” I cut in, smiling, “he was terrified. So terrified he almost didn’t—ah!”
I shriek when he suddenly scoops me up.
“Remember when you told me you wanted to drown me?” he says.
“Oh no. No, no, no! Don’t you dare!” I kick and try to get out of his arms, but he’s stronger than me.
The only warning he gives me is, “Take a deep breath, Tilly.”
“Luca—don’t you—” I lock eyes with him.
He throws me straight into the pool.
Cold water swallows me whole, and I hear the lifeguard whistle somewhere above.
When I resurfaced, hair plastered to my face, I glare daggers at him. He’s doubled over, laughing.
“You’re so dead , Rossi!”