(A.N
This is the longest chapter in the entire book. It sits at 5400 words
Please enjoy)
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Luca woke up the same way he did every morning. He got out of bed, brushed his teeth, took a quick shower, put on a fresh pair of clothes, and walked downstairs for breakfast. But this time was a whole lot different.
For starters, it was 5:30 in the morning. Luca couldn't remember a time he ever woke up that early. The ticket to Genova said the train would be leaving at 6:30 A.M sharp, no exceptions. Having an hour to get ready and go to the train stazione would give Luca, Alberto, and Giulia plenty of time.
Luca walked downstairs and sat down in the kitchen, instantly recognizing that the mood felt different. His mom didn't say good morning to him, his dad wasn't going and on and on about random things, and his grandma... actually, she wasn't doing anything different at all. Luca noticed her sitting by the window, reading the newspaper like she always did. In fact, his grandma was really the only person that was acting normal. Everyone else seemed tense, which even included Luca himself.
"Morning mom, what are we having today?" Luca asked as he sat down at the counter.
Daniela didn't turn around around, nor did she say anything for a while. "Eggs."
Luca nodded, "Sounds good."
You could hear a pin drop. It was as if there was an overbearing feeling of doom filling the room.
Daniela continued to cook the eggs, and Luca continued to wait at the counter, resting his chin in his hands. Lorenzo walked over to the kitchen to help her, but he didn't say anything either.
"Alright, so I guess nobody else is gonna say anything about... this."
Luca turned around to where the voice was coming from. Unsurprisingly, his grandma was smiling and looked like she was about to laugh. She beckoned him over with her hand. Luca took a seat next to her, and as soon as he did, his grandma leaned in closer and whispered in his ear.
"Honestly, I think your parents are trying to hold it together.."
Luca looked at his grandma, perplexed. "What?"
"I don't think they got much sleep last night, Luca. I could hear them talking through the whole night."
"Oh.." Luca said.
"Look, bubble. I think it's easy for you to forget, heck— it's easy for me to forget— that you're getting older. And that means.. you want to go off and explore new places."
She paused for a moment. Luca payed attention closely.
"What I'm trying to say is.. your parents are so used to having you around. Sure, you left last year, but even then, they got lonely at times. I just want you to understand that they're not ignoring you or anything. It's just hard for them to adjust to this, that's all."
Luca's jaw opened, and suddenly he felt sad for his parents. He had never really thought about it like that before. His grandma was right; it was easy to forget that he was leaving the people he had spent almost every minute of his life with. And for an entire school year? That made it seem even worse.
"Is that a bad thing?.." Luca asked cautiously.
"No, not at all, not at all," his grandma responded. She looked over at Daniela and laughed. "Before, your mom thought that she had to control everything you did. She's a lot better about it now, but those overprotective mom instincts never leave a person. Remember what I said last year? Alberto had to talk them into it, and it was definitely not easy."
"I just want to make sure that me leaving isn't.. hurting them more than it should be," Luca said, his mind starting to recall the day he left last summer.
"I think I can speak for everyone when I say that we'll miss you, bubble," she continued. "But, that's just what happens when people leave. It's just life. You're out there learning, having a lot of fun with the people you care about most. I know that, and your parents know that too. It might not seem like that sometimes, but trust me— your parents know how much school means to you. And we're not going to hold you back anymore.. especially your mom."
A small laugh left Luca's mouth, "I guess she can be a bit controlling sometimes.."
"Oh, no need to be polite. She can be very controlling!" Luca's grandma said jokingly.
She wrapped an arm around Luca's shoulder, and patted him on the back. "So.. when does your train arrive?"
Luca looked at the clock on the wall, which read 5:45
"In 45 minutes."
"Well.. you better go eat something before you go. Can't leave on an empty stomach," Luca's grandma insisted.
Luca nodded and walked over to the kitchen again, where a plate of eggs and a glass of water were waiting for him. Although he wanted to gobble them down quickly, he kept himself from doing that. At least, not yet.
"Mom? Dad?"
This time, Lorenzo turned around to face Luca. Daniela didn't, but she seemed to acknowledge that he was asking a question.
"Do you.." Luca stopped. He didn't know exactly how to word his question.
"Do you not want me to leave?.."
Lorenzo seemed surprised at the question, but he shook his head quickly. "Of course not, son. I would be lying if I said we wouldn't miss you, though."
"But will you be too lonely when I leave?"
Lorenzo paused for a moment. "No.. we won't. Right, Daniela?"
Luca looked over at his mom, who had just set down the plate she was drying off. She turned her head around for the first time, and Luca noticed that her eyes were very red. She looked like she had been crying, but she had most likely been doing it quietly, otherwise Luca would have heard it.
Daniela wiped her eyes with a paper towel, "Don't worry Luca, we'll be fine."
Luca frowned and looked at his mom sympathetically. "You don't look fine, though."
Daniela smiled at Luca, "I want you to know something, Luca."
She walked over and hugged him softly. Luca could almost hear her voice quivering.
"No matter where you go, you'll always be our little bubble. No matter what.."
Luca felt himself tearing up, "I know, mom."
Daniela smiled warmly, "Good. Now finish your eggs and then make sure you have everything packed, okay?"
Luca watched his mom sniffle and reach for another towel to blow her nose. He nodded solemnly and ate his eggs quickly. He took a big gulp of water before running upstairs to check his suitcases one last time.
All my clothes are in here, good.
Luca dug his hands through the pile of stuff. He found the wooden carving Alberto had given him on the first day back. He smiled and remembered that first day and how amazing it was. Alberto had outdone himself that day. Luca remembered how Alberto had baked a homemade Tiramisu cake just for him. He remembered having a very unusual dinner, which which was composed of gelato and nothing else. Lastly, he remembered the sleepover over at Giulia'a house and how they had watched the ridiculous attack of the sea monster movie. It was one of those movies that was so bad that it was somehow good.
Luca reminisced about what they had done together earlier in the summer. It was nostalgic. He closed his suitcase, making sure everything was tight and secure. Before leaving his room, he opened his closet and pulled out a much smaller suitcase that was made out of green leather. He unlocked it to make sure all of the contents were inside. This was the suitcase where Luca kept every single one of Alberto's letters, even the ones that had a billion spelling mistakes. Luca read through a few of them, making a mental note to help Alberto with his spelling once they arrived in Genova. He locked the suitcase back up and headed towards the door. Shutting the light to his room off, Luca took one final look at his bedroom.
"Goodbye, room. I'll miss you," he said.
Luca made fun of himself on the inside. Saying goodbye to something that wasn't an actual human being felt weird, but his room had become a place that he cherished. If the island hadn't ever existed, his room definitely would have been at the top of the list.
Luca walked down the stairs, not running this time due to the luggage he held in each hand. Daniela watched him walk down and smiled.
"Look at you.. you look so handsome!"
Luca chuckled, "Thanks mom.."
Before he could set anything down, she came rushing over and started to inspect everything he was wearing and/or carrying. Luca could hear his grandma laugh to herself in the background.
"Do you have everything you need? Did you make sure to pack enough clothes? What about food? Are you still hungry? I can always—"
"Mom, calm down!" Luca laughed. "I promise, I'm fine!"
She let go of Luca's arm. "Sorry, sorry. I'm just so excited for you! Oh, and a little bit terrified. Excited and terrified!"
Lorenzo laughed, "Yeah, we'll go with that. Excited and terrified."
Luca smiled and hugged his parents. Even though they would still be coming with to watch Luca board the train, that didn't mean they couldn't say their goodbyes at home. Besides, Luca would have a lot more people to say goodbye to at the train stazione, so having extra time to say bye to his parents didn't hurt.
Lorenzo looked at the clock. "Well, it's six now. I guess we should probably get a move on."
They all agreed, and Luca's grandma opened the front door.
"Anything else you need before we leave, bubble?"
Luca shook his head, "Nope. I'm good."
His grandma nodded and lead the group outside. Luca looked at his house one last time, and then followed his parents outside. He would definitely miss the old house. It wasn't the most sturdy or beautiful house, but it was definitely a charming one.
It was still fairly dark out, so Luca had a bit of a hard time finding his way around. He grabbed his grandma's hand so he wouldn't end up tripping over something.
"Don't worry, I got you. These eyes still work, luckily."
They walked for a few minutes, heading up the street until they reached an area that wasn't as dimly lit. Luca stopped and placed his suitcases down for a second.
"We'll wait for you at the train station," Luca's grandma said. "How about you go get those two late-sleepers?"
"Sure, grandma. I'll see you guys soon!" Luca shouted to his family as he started to make his way toward Alberto's house. He felt relieved knowing they still had a half hour left before the train arrived. Missing the train was probably one of Luca's worst nightmares.
Luca reached the house and knocked on the front door. The door opened and Massimo stood there, smiling down at him.
"Luca, how nice to see you. Please come in!" Massimo exclaimed.
Luca thanked him and set his suitcases by the front door. He saw Machiavelli walking slowly towards him, quietly growling at him. They still didn't get along perfectly (especially because of the few incidents that happened last summer) but at least Machiavelli wouldn't try to attack or scratch Luca anymore.
"Alberto and Giulia will be down in a second," Massimo said. "Would you like any espresso?"
"No thanks, I'm good," Luca responded. He anxiously tapped his foot on the floor, expecting Alberto to come out any second. He wondered what Alberto was thinking about all of this.
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"I can't find it!!" Alberto yelled. He was running around his room frantically, digging through messy piles of clothes and other things.
"What do you mean you can't find it!" Giulia yelled back. "Where did you put it last?"
"I have no clue! I just placed it in here last night, and now it's gone!"
Alberto and Giulia were both looking for a single rose, a rose that Alberto had gotten for Luca. It wasn't really a symbol for anything; Alberto just felt like getting something for Luca on the last day in Portorosso.
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Massimo and Luca both stared at the ceiling in shock, listening to muffled screaming that was coming from upstairs.
"This usually happens every day, you just never know when it's gonna happen," Massimo joked.
"Oh.. are they— actually fighting for real?" Luca asked curiously.
"No, at least I don't think so.." Massimo replied. "They're the closest you could get. They just get into the classic sibling bickering sometimes."
Luca laughed, and wondered what crazy thing they could be arguing about.
"Oh, and Luca," Massimo spoke again as he reached for something on the counter beside him. "I have some things for you."
Luca sat up in his chair, eager to find out what Massimo was talking about.
"Alberto was talking about this rose he got you. Last night I noticed he threw it into his laundry basket, hopefully on accident. I didn't want it to get ruined so I just brought it down here."
Luca smiled and graciously accepted the beautiful flower. "Oh, Thank you!"
Massimo nodded, "You can thank Alberto when he comes down. Whatever they're doing up there though.. who knows when that will be."
Luca looked over at the clock, noting that it was 6:05. Massimo noticed him starting at the clock and tried to reassure him.
"Don't worry about the time. I would prefer them to solve it on their own, but if they take too long I'll go up there and intervene," Massimo chucked. "Oh, and one more thing. Before I forget.."
He reached over again and picked up a small white envelope, the same one he had found on the island the morning prior.
"I found this on your island yesterday when I went to go grab some of Alberto's things. It had your name on the front, it said it was from Alberto. I thought maybe it was one he lost at one point. I'm not sure.."
Luca looked at the letter. He didn't remember ever losing a letter, or Alberto talking about losing one.
Wait, I did lose that one when we first got here, when the wind blew it away..
Luca had a sudden realization. When he had first gotten here, he remembered Giulia handing him one last letter from Alberto. He was about to read it, but then the strong gusts of wind took it from his hands and sent it plummeting into the sea.
~
"Oh, I almost forgot!" Giulia said as she pulled out a wrinkled up piece of paper from her pocket. "This was a last minute letter Alberto sent you back in Genova, but you weren't there when it arrived, so I grabbed it for you. Then I may have forgot to give it to you.."
~
If the letter had been moved out to sea by the wind, perhaps it made its way to the island and ended up on the shore. It was a bit of a stretch, but what other letter could this have possibly been? Luca was confident that he had never lost any of Alberto's letters, because he always kept them locked away in his green leather suitcase. This had to be the mysterious letter that he had lost on the first day back.
"Mio dio, they're still up there.." Massimo pointed out. He walked to the stairs and yelled towards the top, "Alberto, Giulia! Luca is here waiting for you, fretta!"
Soon enough, the door to their room opened, and Alberto and Giulia came downstairs. Alberto smiled at the sight of Luca sitting there.
"Luca, I had something to give you.." Alberto said sadly. "But I couldn't—"
He stopped talking after seeing the rose sitting on the table right next to where Luca was sitting.
"Wait! How did you.."
"You threw it into your laundry last night, Alberto," Massimo said. "It would've been crumpled if I hadn't taken it. You should be more careful next time."
Alberto grinned, his teeth showing. "Heheh.. oops."
"It's okay, Al. I love it, thank you," Luca said. His soft spoken voice made Alberto blush.
"Alright alright lovebirds, we only have 20 minutes left, we should get going!" Giulia said as she walked past the two, grinning mischievously.
Luca and Alberto blushed, but quickly grabbed their luggage and walked over to the door with Giulia. She stopped and set her stuff down, almost forgetting to pet Machiavelli goodbye.
"Oh.. I'm gonna miss you so much!" Giulia said, giving Machiavelli a kiss on his nose. Machiavelli purred and licked Giulia's hand, making her laugh.
Alberto rushed forward to pet Machiavelli too. While it sounded weird, Alberto owed a lot to that cat. They had formed a bond unlike any other, and while he was away from Giulia and Luca, they were practically best friends.
Massimo put on his signature brown cap, leading everyone out of the house. He closed and locked the front door, and with that, the group was off to the train stazione.
As they were walking to their destination, everyone seemed a bit on edge. Even though Luca and Giulia had done this before, they were still very nervous.
"You doing okay, Al?" Luca asked as he held Alberto's hand.
"Yeah, yeah. Totally!"
Luca nodded, but didn't feel satisfied with that answer.
"Anytime you need any help, with anything. Anything at all! Just let me know, ok?" Luca said.
Alberto smiled and nodded, "Thanks Lu."
"Hey, I've been doing this for longer, so you should probably ask me instead," Giulia jumped in.
Alberto rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I'll be sure to do that."
Giulia laughed, "I'm just kidding, big guy! But seriously, don't be afraid to ask. I'll always be willing to help."
Alberto thanked them both, feeling a lot safer now that he knew he would have two of the best support systems he could possibly have. He felt happy.
Very happy.
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The clock in the train stazione marked 6:25, which meant there were 5 minutes left before the train arrived. Luca arrived with the letter in his pocket that Massimo had given him, carrying the suitcases in his hands. He saw his family standing off in the corner and waved to them. They smiled and waved back.
As they entered the stazione, the trio was surprised to see more people waiting for them. Or at least, they assumed those people were there to say goodbye. Giulia walked over to talk to Luca's family, leaving Luca and Alberto alone.
Alberto spotted Officer Benedetti standing against a bench, walking over to them once she noticed they had arrived.
"Hey you two! Glad you made it in time," Benedetti greeted them with a smile.
"How did you know to come here?" Alberto asked.
"Well, let's just say a little someone told me you guys were leaving, and I just had to stop by."
Alberto was confused, but brushed it off.
"Anyway, I just wanted to say goodbye, and to thank you," Benedetti said. "It isn't everyday that we get such nice young people in this town. Trust me, I know how annoying kids can be, no offense to you guys though. We all appreciate the help you provided in the missing Vespa case, and for that you'll always have my gratitude."
"It was really no problem, we're kind of experts on that stuff.." Alberto bragged.
Benedetti chuckled, "I'm sure you are. I hope you two take care, wherever you decide to go. I look forward to seeing you next summer, if you plan on coming back."
"Definitely, you'll see us again!" Luca added.
Benedetti smiled, "Grande! Take care, Luca and Alberto."
They waved as Benedetti walked away. Both Luca and Alberto were grateful that they had someone that was always looking out for them; someone who was always willing to protect them at all costs. They didn't even meet Benedetti until until a large chunk of the summer had passed, but it didn't matter. She was such a supportive person.
The clock ticked 6:27. 3 minutes left. 3 minutes until they would leave Portorosso.
As if it were on cue, someone emerged from the shadows like a villain you'd see in a movie. From the corner of his eye, Luca could see this person walk towards them. He couldn't make out who it was until he fully turned around to check and see.
To his surprise, the person was Ercole.
He nodded to them, and Alberto had an instinct to get the heck out of there. But he remembered what Giulia had told him after she went to visit Ercole at the clinic.
"I don't know, Alberto. I'm not saying you have to become best friends or anything. Just maybe.. give him another chance."
Alberto took a deep breath and followed Giulia's advice.
"Hello, you two," Ercole said nicer than usual.
"Hello Ercole," Alberto said passive-aggressively.
"Ah, I love the warm welcome!" Ercole joked. "I guess you're wondering why I'm here."
"That's exactly what we were wondering, actually."
"Look, I get it. Trust me," Ercole responded. "I know we haven't always gotten along, and that's fine. I don't expect an apology. I messed up, and I'll admit that. Or whatever.."
He cleared his throat, "Anyway.. uh— yeah. I just wanted to stop by and wish you the best. Torna presto a Portorosso."
Alberto stood there dumbfounded. "You came to apologize?"
Ercole nodded, "Mhm. Giulia told me you were leaving today when she visited me."
Alberto stared at him, obviously confused. "Okay.. well— thanks."
"And about your Vespa, I suppose since you're not allowed to take it on board, I'll have to keep it while you're gone. I'll make sure it's safe and everything. If that's alright, hm?"
Luca glanced at Alberto, who didn't look all too convinced, and then looked back at Ercole.
"That would be great, thank you," Luca said.
Ercole nodded, "Certo, and I have something to say just to you, Piccoletto."
Ercole kneeled down next to Luca. "Remember that time you punched me in the face?"
Luca laughed nervously, "Oh yeah.. that."
Ercole looked at Luca seriously. "If anyone gives you merda in Genova, you do that same thing to them. Don't let anyone mess with you."
Luca laughed in response, "Not sure if I'll be able to do that again, but thanks Ercole."
Ercole nodded and then turned to Alberto. "And you."
Ercole kneeled down again, this time to face Alberto. "You seem like you don't trust everyone easily. I respect that. It's good to be careful sometimes. Don't let people just waltz into your life expecting something in return. I see you still don't like me all too much, but that's fine."
Alberto stood there, thinking about what he had just been told. He never would have thought Ercole would have said something like that.
"Thanks.." Alberto responded slowly.
Ercole stood up and looked at the clock. "Ah, I'm sure you'll be leaving soon. Divertiti, you two."
And with that, Alberto and Luca watched another person walk away. They could understand Officer Benedetti coming to say goodbye, but Ercole coming was still a bit of a shock. It wasn't a bad shock, though. It was actually quite a good one.
"Well, the train should be here any minute now.." Luca said.
"You ready to do this?" Alberto asked.
Luca looked at the sea, then back at Alberto. "I sure hope so."
Alberto smiled, "Good enough for me."
Luca and Alberto both looked back at their families, who were looking at them with teary eyes. Alberto felt his lip quiver, and instinct took over. He ran over to Massimo and wrapped his arms around the man's broad shoulders. He felt tears forming in his eyes, but he didn't care.
As Alberto looked up at Massimo, he noticed a few tears dripping from the old man's eyes. This was the first time he ever saw Massimo cry.
Giulia walked to them and hugged Massimo too. He looked down at both of them and smiled warmly.
"Are you two all ready? Have everything you need?" Massimo asked.
"Si papà, don't worry. We're all ready," Giulia replied, hugging Massimo once more.
"Promise me that you'll both write me letters. I know Alberto will, but Giulia— you haven't been very consistent with that in the past years."
"I know papà, I always get so busy!" Giulia complained.
"So, will you be sure to write me letters?" Massimo asked more seriously this time.
"Yes!" Giulia responded. "Probably.."
Massimo laughed, wiping his eyes with his finger. "I guess that's the best answer I'll get."
Suddenly, Alberto and Giulia could hear the loud noise of a train approaching in the distance, which meant that it was time. It was time to go.
Alberto hugged Massimo one last time. Massimo took off his brown cap and placed it on Alberto's head.
"It's yours now. A little something to remember me by," Massimo said.
Alberto smiled, "I'll never take it off."
Massimo laughed, "I don't think that's true, but I appreciate it, Alberto. Have fun, okay?"
"I will. I promise."
They let go of each other, and Alberto and Giulia walked up to the train and smiled at each other. They couldn't board until Luca was there as well.
During this, Luca was behind them, saying his final goodbyes to his family.
"You're gonna kick so much human butt at school, Luca," Daniela said as she kissed him goodbye on the cheek. "Just maybe don't do it too much."
Luca's cheek became green where his tears were falling. "Okay, mom."
He let go of his mom, and moved over to hug his dad and grandma.
"We're gonna miss you, son," Lorenzo said as he choked up. "But we aren't worried. You're gonna do great like you always do."
"Oh we're definitely worried!" Daniela added. "But yes.. we know you'll do great."
Luca's grandma laughed, "Have fun, don't overwork yourself, and stay safe, bubble."
"Thanks grandma."
Luca could hear the noise of the train in the background, so he let go of his family's embrace and picked up his luggage again.
"I have to go.." he said sadly.
"You go on out there, Luca. Promise to write to us, especially your mom. She'll go crazy if you don't!" Luca's grandma yelled.
Luca laughed, his cheeks still wet from crying. "I promise!"
He waved goodbye, his heart still hurting. He reached Alberto and Giulia, who were standing there waiting for him. Alberto noticed part of Luca's face was in his sea monster form, which meant that Luca had been crying.
"It's gonna be okay, Lu. Let's do this together."
Luca wiped away his tears and smiled, and the trio walked onto the train together. Luca and Alberto sat next to each other, while Giulia sat in the seat directly in front of them. As the train started to move, they all stared through the window. Everyone was waving to them as the train started to pick up speed. The trio watched their families wave goodbye until the very last possible second, until they were no longer visible. Alberto let out a sigh, and held Luca's hand. After the train exited the tunnel, they could see the island where everything had started. The tower actually looked really nice from a distance.
Luca remembered the letter that Massimo had given him. He pulled it out of his pocket and decided to ask Alberto about it.
"Hey Alberto?"
Alberto looked over. "Yeah?"
"Did you ever lose any letters? Or.. did you ever forget to give me any?"
Alberto thought about it for a moment, before he shook his head. "I don't.. think so."
Luca nodded, realizing that this must've been the letter he lost on the first day back. He tapped Giulia on the shoulder, causing her to turn around.
"Giulia? Remember that letter from Alberto that you gave me when we first arrived? And how the wind took it?"
"Oh yeah!" Giulia said. "I remember that."
"Well.." Luca continued. "Massimo said he found a letter washed up on the shore of our island yesterday. I think that.. this letter is the one I lost!"
Giulia looked at the letter. "That would make sense. It looks pretty damaged. Why don't you read it?"
As she said that last part, she looked over at Alberto and winked. Alberto blushed in embarrassment and realized what that letter probably was.
"I was going to write a letter to you.. confessing my feelings. But it didn't feel right— I wanted to tell you in person. So I changed it. I forgot I even sent it out in the first place.."
Luca blushed and laughed nervously, "Yeah.. that would've probably been a bad way to do it."
"But.. you can still read it if you want! No harm in that," Alberto told Luca.
Luca decided to do exactly that, and he opened the envelope carefully, afraid that he would further damage the letter inside. He unfolded it and read it in his head:
Dear Luca
Hi it's me Alberto again. You asked me in your last leter how I was doing. And honestlyy, things have been hard. Working with Masimo is really hard and i dont no if Im very good at it. But every time I feel like giving up, I think of you again. And i think of how you would always encorage me to do my best. So I'm never gonna give up because I no you would always help me succeed. Also did you notice how much better my spelling is? Masimo has been helping me. I wanted to tell you something else that was realy important but I dont think now is a good time. Maybe I will tell you in person. I miss you.
Ciao,
Alberto ❤️
Luca grinned at the letter. He looked over at Alberto, who seemed to be a bit embarrassed. Luca leaned down and picked up his suitcase filled with Alberto's letters.
"Wait, you kept all my letters?" Alberto asked.
"Of course, Al. I would never get rid of them!" Luca said.
Alberto's cheeks turned a slight pink and admitted the same thing. "I kept yours too, I thought I was weird. But I guess we're.. both weird!"
Luca laughed, "Yeah. We are both weird!"
Giulia suddenly jumped into the conversation, popping her head above the seat. "More like both adorable!"
Both boys blushed and told Giulia to "shut up!" in unison. Giulia laughed and went back to reading her book.
Luca folded the letter neatly and tucked it away with the other letters. He let out a sigh of relief, suddenly feeling tired for some reason. He noticed Alberto looked tired too, his eyes struggling to stay open.
"Maybe I'll just fall asleep, wake me when we get there.." Alberto said with a loud yawn.
"Sure, Al."
Luca watched as Alberto lowered in his seat, his hand still clutching Luca. Luca smiled and leaned down to kiss Alberto on the forehead.
It still felt surreal that they were leaving again. The summer was officially over, thus staring a new school year. In his mind, Luca went over all the events that occurred throughout the summer. Although not everything was a win, such as the Bruno incident, the summer was definitely unforgettable. It was the summer where Luca got the best thing in the world. He got Alberto's heart.
Luca noticed that Alberto had fallen asleep (at least, it looked like he had) while Giulia was reading one of her books. Luca took in the quiet atmosphere, until eventually a song started to play over the speaker. He didn't recognize the melody, but still decided to listen.
On this very special day
We're suddenly breaking apart
But please don't cry or worry
You'll always be in my heart
There have been bumps in the road
But we would always get along
So before we leave each other
I must sing you this song
As every day passes
I long to see you again
But please know in your heart
This journey is far from its end
Fine.