30 | Flashback, part 4
[Aurelia: Seventeen years old]
I walked home after saying goodbye to Franco.
My eyes burned from the tears I hadn't even realized I'd been shedding.
Franco was leaving. He was going to the training camp, to become a soldier for the Costa Mafia.
The thought of him gone for an entire year, maybe more, ate away at me like a slow poison.
I walked, barely noticing the distance, just trying to keep moving, to get away from the suffocating silence in my head.
The weight of the loss felt heavy, unbearable, but it wasn't just the fact that he was leaving. It was the fact that he was my only friend, the only person who had ever truly cared about me, and now he was going away.
My only friend... I'd never felt so alone.
As I neared the house, I saw Luciano's car parked in the driveway, the engine still running, the headlights casting long shadows across the street.
I took a shaky breath and kept walking. But before I could even reach the driveway, I saw them.
Chase was standing at the edge of the front porch, his face creased in worry.
Luciano, standing beside him, was holding his phone in one hand, his eyes scanning the street like he was expecting someone.
The moment they saw me, their expressions shifted. They rushed toward me, and I felt an overwhelming wave of guilt crash over me.
Chase was the first to speak, his voice laced with concern and frustration. "Aurelia, where the hell have you been? I haven't seen you in two days!"
I just stood there, feeling like I might break apart.
"I... I went for a walk," I murmured, my voice barely audible, my heart pounding in my chest.
Chase's eyes narrowed as he looked at me, but before he could say anything more, Luciano stepped forward. His presence was commanding, as always, but there was something in his gaze that stopped me from flinching.
"Chase," Luciano said in that calm, almost quiet voice of his, the one that carried weight without even raising it. "Go inside. I'll talk to her."
Chase opened his mouth, but one look from Luciano had him swallowing his words. With a frustrated huff, Chase turned and walked back toward the house, muttering under his breath.
The door closed behind him with a soft thud, leaving Luciano and me alone in the quiet of the night.
I felt him looking at me, his gaze softening slightly as he took in my tear-streaked face. He didn't ask anything at first, just watched me as if he was waiting for me to say something. But when I didn't, when I just stood there, trembling slightly, he stepped closer, his voice low.
"Tell me the truth. Where were you?"
"I went for a walk," I lied.
"Aurelia... Don't lie to me, I know when you are lying."
I opened my mouth, but the words didn't come.
I took another deep breath, fighting the lump in my throat. "My only friend is leaving. He's going away, and I won't see him for a year... maybe more."
"I'm scared that today might be the last time I ever see him," My voice cracked as the words slipped out, and before I knew it, the tears were falling again, faster than I could control them.
Luciano didn't speak at first. He just stepped forward, closing the distance between us and pulled me into his arms.
He didn't say anything for a long time. He just held me, letting me cry against him, and I let myself feel the weight of everything that had been building inside me, the fear of losing Franco, the anger, the frustration. Everything.
When my sobs quieted, Luciano spoke again, his voice softer than I'd ever heard it before. "You don't have to be alone tonight. You can sleep at my place. I'll talk to Chase, and we can grab some takeout. We'll watch whatever movies you like. Just... you don't have to be alone with this."
His words were like a balm to my broken heart. I didn't want to be alone. I didn't want to feel this way anymore.
"I don't want to be home," I whispered, feeling small and weak against him.
Luciano hesitated, and for a moment, I thought maybe he'd change his mind. But then he gave a small nod, his hand brushing over my hair as he gently pulled back, his eyes locking with mine.
"I'll make sure you're not alone," he promised before he led me to his car.
We waited for Chase to get in the car before Luciano drove away from the house, away from everything that had been suffocating me.
In that moment, I thought about how I would never get over Luciano, not if he kept acting like this.
I would never get over the way he made me feel, never stop wanting something more from him.