‘Oh,’ she said. She couldn’t think of anything else to say.
‘When I saw you dancing with him, I felt so jealous. I had to walk away before I chased after him and punched him in the face.’
Libby looked at him and smiled sheepishly. ‘I had no idea. I’m sorry. It was harmless flirting. It didn’t really mean anything.’
‘It’s not your fault. You don’t like me in the same way, I know that.’ He sighed, looking extremely sorry for himself.
‘That’s not strictly speaking true, Luca.’ She took a deep breath as he looked up at her, a glimmer of curiosity on his face. ‘I thought you weren’t interested in me. Part of the reason I was flirting with Bret was to stop myself from thinking about you. I do like you. Really, I do. My feelings have been getting stronger each day since I arrived. But… I know we would be an absolute disaster. You don’t want a relationship. I don’t think I could move from a friend to a friend with benefits and just be OK with that. I know you don’t believe in monogamy. I’m leaving in a couple of months – it could never end well.’
Luca smiled at her, a dazzling smile that wrenched her heart. He took her hand in his. ‘Libby, I know we haven’t known each other that long, but the truth is I am absolutely crazy about you. I have been thinking about you nonstop every second of every day. First thing in the morning when I wake up I see you, last thing before I go to sleep I see you. I am not interested in any other women.’
‘But you said it yourself; you fall in love and then out of love again just as easily. You are besotted until you are not. I can’t handle that, Luca. I’m either in or I’m out. I can’t set myself up to get hurt.’
‘Look, Libby, what if I changed?’ Luca said. ‘My sisters are always telling me sooner or later I’ll meet someone special and that’ll be it. That I’ll change and she will be the one for me, just like that.’
‘No one ever changes that much,’ Libby sighed. She suddenly felt seriously emotional. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes.
‘I think I can. I will.’ Luca took a step closer to her. ‘Give me a chance?’
‘I don’t know…’
‘Please?’
‘I’m sorry, Luca, I just don’t think it’s a good idea. I don’t want to get hurt.’ He ignored her and took another step towards her. It was so quiet; she was suddenly aware of the sound of her heart hammering against her rib cage. Her head spun with this turn of events.
Time slowed down as Luca inched closer and closer towards her. Electricity thrummed through her body, pulse after pulse. She felt as though a magnetic force was pulling them together. She forgot to breathe. The balmy warm air and the sheer beauty of her surroundings added to the heady sense of longing she was experiencing. She felt absorbed in the magic of the place, of the moment. She tried to force the thought of all the other hundreds of women he had kissed before out of her mind. He took hold of the back of her arms. His mouth was millimetres from hers, hovering irresistibly close to her lips. She could feel his breath on her cheeks. She felt dizzy with lust, dizzy with the musky smell of his aftershave. He stroked the back of her arms with his thumbs, sending thrills down her spine. She thought she might pass out from longing.
‘Sei bellissima, Libby,’ he whispered. Slowly, he grazed his lips against hers. At the touch of their lips a pulse of electricity kicked through her pelvis with incredible force. Tantalisingly slowly, he brushed his lips with hers once again, so softly it was barely a kiss. Her whole body started to tremble. She was desperate for him to kiss her properly but he refused. He stroked her hair and he moved his kisses to her cheekbone, her temple, her eyelids and then back to her lips. Her body was tingling with longing. After what felt like a thousand torturous kisses he stopped and pulled away. She opened her eyes in confusion, willing him to kiss her again.
‘I think I had better go home,’ Luca said. ‘I’m serious, bellissima, about my feelings for you. I think this could be different for me, I really do. Will you at least think about it?’ Libby was rooted to the spot, speechless. She nodded.
‘A domani, bellissima, la mia piccola inglesina,’ he said. He lifted her hand and kissed it, before turning on his heel and walking away, leaving her senses reeling.
Chapter Six
Libby spent a sleepless night tossing and turning in her bed, tormented by thoughts of Luca. Everything had changed for her since that first kiss. By chance she had a day off the next day, and so did Luca. He texted her first thing asking her if she wanted to meet up. She was torn between playing safe with her emotions – protecting herself from potential upset, and living in the moment, following her instincts. Her heart wanted to run into Luca’s arms and see where the journey took her, but her head was urging her to proceed with caution. She leant out the window to get signal on her phone and called Jules. There was no way she was going to risk someone overhearing this conversation.
‘Jules? It’s me.’
‘Hi Libs. To what do I owe the pleasure of a phone call at this early hour of the morning?’
‘I need to talk.’
‘What’s going on?
‘It’s Luca.’
‘The hot barman?’
‘Yes… despite my determination not to, I have really started to like him—’
‘Ooh Libby, I knew it!’
‘He saw me flirting with this American guy called Bret, and yesterday I could tell he was in a mood with me.’
‘Right…’
‘I confronted him and forced him to tell me why he was acting so strangely.’
‘What did he say?’
‘He told me that he had feelings for me, that he’d seen me with Bret and had been really jealous, that he wanted me to give him a chance.’
‘Whaat? This is huge!’
‘I know!’
‘What are you going to do?’
‘I don’t know. This is the guy who told me when I first met him that he doesn’t “do” monogamy. That he falls in love easily, but just as easily out of love…’
‘Well, he hadn’t fallen for you then, Libs. You might be the one to change everything!’
‘Unlikely. I always thought it sounded romantic being the woman to tame a serial ladies’ man, but now I’m not so sure. It just sounds like a recipe for heartbreak.’
‘Anything is possible Lib—’
‘And I’m also going to be leaving in a couple of months.’
‘So what? See how it goes… You can’t plan your whole life out. Just live each day as it comes.’
‘So you think I should go for it?’
‘Absolutely. What have you got to lose? Sure, it could all go wrong and you might end up with a broken heart, but at least you will have given it a shot. Hearts always mend…’
‘You’re right,’ Libby said thoughtfully. ‘Nothing lasts forever. Look at Mum…’
‘Exactly. She’ll never stop loving Ronald but time has definitely healed her. And that was losing the love of her life and her husband.’
‘Yes, that’s true… God, I’m suddenly terrified.’
‘Well I’m excited for you. What are you going to do? Run downstairs and jump over the bar?’
‘He wants to meet up. We both have a day off.’
‘Ah, perfect! But whatever you do, don’t jump straight into bed with him.’
‘Jules, I’m hardly going to shag him immediately.’
‘And to think I’ve only ever slept with Angus – it kills me!’
‘You’ve had way less drama that way, Jules. It’s better, trust me.’
‘Yeah, yeah. Now don’t be a slut.’
‘I won’t,’ Libby laughed.
‘And good luck. Text me later.’
‘OK.’
Libby hung up the phone. She felt a lot better having spoken to Jules. There was a reason why she had chosen to call Jules and not Angus; she knew exactly what he would say. He would be furious with her for pursuing yet another pointless romance that could lead nowhere. Anyway, Jules was right, you only lived once
. What was the worst that could happen? She only had two months left – she might as well enjoy a summer of fun with Luca. It was unlikely that it would last much longer than that. Libby was not sold on the idea of a long-distance relationship, and she could hardly imagine either of them changing their plans and relocating for one another. No, it would probably just be a summer romance, that was all. If she ended up moving back home with a broken heart, then so be it. The old cliché ‘better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all’ popped into her mind.
A shot of adrenaline rushed through her as she grabbed her phone and replied to Luca’s message. They agreed that he would pick her up and drive her to a small beach that he had told her about a while ago. Ten minutes later she was standing on the road with her small rucksack full of beach gear, her heart pounding nervously as Luca’s red Fiat pulled over. She jumped in.
‘Ciao bella,’ Luca bent over and kissed her on the cheek. Her heart flipped at the sight of him. He grinned at her with raised eyebrows and she laughed.
‘So?’ he asked.
‘So?’ she replied.
‘Do you accept my proposition?’
She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, saying, ‘Why not?’ She laughed as Luca tooted the horn enthusiastically, startling a pair of old grannies crossing the road outside the butcher’s as he revved his engine.
‘Mi amore, that makes me so happy. I promise, no funny business. You have my heart’s complete devotion.’
‘Let’s just see how it goes, Luca.’ Libby wanted to keep him on his toes. ‘I’m only here for two more months anyway. So you might get your way… you’ll probably be sick of the sight of me by then.’
‘Don’t talk about leaving. I can’t bear it. I will be heartbroken.’
‘We’ll see!’
‘But until then, we are together?’
‘We can see how it goes,’ she repeated.
‘Bellissima, you have made me a very happy man.’ Luca sang cheerfully along to the radio as he drove, turning his head regularly to beam at Libby, his hand resting on her knee.
As they neared their destination, Luca took a hairpin turn to the right then manoeuvred the car into a tiny parking space between a three-wheeler and a small van. He opened the door for Libby, pulling her close to him and kissing her briefly on the lips. She couldn’t wait for him to kiss her properly, and tingled at the thought with nervous anticipation.
Luca led the way down a hidden set of steps to a deserted beach. The small wooden sign saying ‘spiaggia’ was hanging from one nail, so faded it was hard to read. ‘Only locals know about this beach,’ explained Luca. ‘We all try very hard to keep it a secret.’ He was carrying a freezer bag that he had packed with cool drinks and lunch, because there was no beach bar or restaurant down below.
‘Once you have climbed down all these steps, you certainly don’t want to have to come back up until it is time to leave,’ he said. Libby could see why. Steep stone steps had been carved into the cliff. There must have been close to fifty of them, zigzagging down a sheer drop to the sea. The sight of the beach below was an enormous incentive to make it down in one piece. The golden arc of sand was framed by a riot of greenery and brightly coloured bougainvillaea. Large boulders appeared to have been thrown at various intervals across the beach and into the sea. As always the water was so crystal clear it almost seemed to magnify the detail of the seabed below.
Soon they were setting up camp on the beach: towels side by side, umbrella firmly embedded into the sand between the two of them. The sun was beating down and they were both desperate to get in the water. Libby ripped off her dress and ran into the sea, with Luca chasing close behind. They fell into the cool water, laughing as they splashed each other and shrieking as their skin adjusted to the plunging temperature. They swam out into the deep water and dived under. They were the only ones there, apart from one other sun-seeker at the far end. It was amazing, like having their own private beach. They swam closer to the shore so that they could stand. Luca pulled Libby closer to him and kissed her, properly this time. She could smell his aftershave again and taste the salty water on his lips. She could feel him pressing against her hips and could tell how much he wanted her. It felt so good to kiss him, to finally allow herself to cave in to all the desire she had been suppressing. She could have kissed him forever. He was certainly an expert; all the practice had definitely paid off.
‘Wow!’ she said as he pulled away several minutes later. His brown eyes sparkled in the sunlight and beads of water glistened on his mahogany skin. He looked devastatingly handsome.
‘Yes, wow!’ laughed Luca. She dived under the water and swept the hair away from her face before swimming back to shore. They lay on their towels and chatted, Luca frequently interrupting their conversation with kisses. ‘I’ve been wanting to kiss you for so long,’ he said as he kissed the tip of her nose. ‘You are so beautiful.’
When she had dried off he rubbed sun cream on her then they dozed in the sun. She lay her head on his lap, resting against the damp fabric of his swimming trunks.
At lunchtime they tore into Luca’s picnic. He had brought cold prosecco, water, sandwiches, crisps and strawberries. After they had eaten they fell asleep, their stomachs full, feeling relaxed and rather light-headed from the prosecco they had shared. Later, as the sun began to drop lower in the sky and the temperature gradually fell, Luca retrieved a bat and ball from his bag and they played beach tennis. They cooled off in the sea before eventually calling it a day, packing up and heading back into Positano. Libby accompanied Luca to his flat, greeting Nicola with a kiss as she came through the door. She was busy preparing some delicious-looking lamb chops in a thick marinade.
‘Are you staying for dinner?’ she asked.
‘Yes please,’ replied Libby. ‘That looks incredible. What’s in the marinade?’ she asked, always keen to pick up cooking tips.
Nicola talked her through it. ‘Giovanna is coming around too, by the way,’ she added.
‘Ah, the sister I haven’t yet met,’ laughed Libby. ‘Great!’ She had met Antonia, the oldest sister, and her husband Matteo one evening in the bar. Giovanna, the youngest of Luca’s three sisters, had been away on business for the past month and had only recently arrived back in Positano. Luca drove Libby back to the hostel to run in and get a change of clothes.
‘Ciao Giulia,’ said Libby. Giulia was sitting behind the reception desk doodling on a pad.
‘Where are you off to in such a hurry?’ she asked as Libby rushed past her.
‘Luca’s waiting in the car. I’m just grabbing a change of clothes before dinner.’
‘Really?’ asked Giulia, one eyebrow arching towards her hairline and her mouth settling into a pout. Libby hoped Giulia wouldn’t disapprove of her now that she and Luca were seeing each other. As Luca had said, wasn’t it all water under the bridge between them? If she took against the idea, it could make for a rather frosty working environment. She wondered once again whether Giulia was jealous, or just trying to protect Libby from getting hurt.
Libby grabbed her coral dress, a fresh set of underwear and a pair of earrings, then turned and ran back downstairs. ‘See you later,’ she called, waving cheerily at Giulia.
Luca was waiting with the engine running, having turned the car back around. He drove her back to his apartment. She showered in his huge power shower, rinsed out her wet bikini and got dressed, hanging her bikini on Luca’s balcony to dry off. She had already decided that she would walk home later; it would be a while until she felt ready to spend the night with him and she knew sleeping in the same bed would prove too much temptation for her to resist. For now she just wanted to enjoy the early stages of a new romance.
Giovanna arrived half an hour later. She had a mass of bouncing curls that seemed desperate to break free from her hair tie. ‘Libby it’s lovely to meet you. My brother has mentioned you quite a few times,’ laughed Giovanna.
‘It’s a pleasure to meet you too. Now, apart from
the parents, I’ve met the whole family.’
‘Oh you must meet our parents,’ said Nicola. ‘They would absolutely love you.’
‘And she will, soon,’ added Luca, kissing her on the cheek. Libby blushed as she noticed both Giovanna and Nicola exchange a grin at this display of affection from their brother.
They had a happy dinner, chatting and teasing Luca, as always, at any opportunity. Libby relaxed into their company, feeling part of the family. They were all so easy-going, such warm people. Luca was very tactile with her now, resting his hand on her knee or putting his arm around her shoulder, dropping kisses on her head when he walked past to get another bottle of wine. It was amazing how simply getting your feelings out in the open and being honest with one another changed the dynamic of a relationship so completely.
Later that night, Luca walked her home. She was grateful that he didn’t try to persuade her to stay, that he respected her and clearly wasn’t only interested in getting her into bed. As they stood outside the hostel she found it hard to tear herself away from his increasingly passionate kisses. Eventually she found the strength to turn and walk up the steps, letting herself in through the yellow door before turning to blow him a final kiss. Beaming from ear to ear, she came through into the reception.
‘Have fun?’ asked Giulia as Libby hastily wiped the grin from her face.
‘Lovely thanks,’ said Libby. ‘Giovanna and Nicola were there; they’re both so nice.’
‘Mmm,’ said Giulia. Again, she hardly seemed thrilled that Luca and Libby were growing so close.
Libby went up to her room and closed the door, allowing the smirk to come back on to her face. She really, really liked him! And he really seemed to like her. Despite their different nationalities and the complete implausibility that they would work out as a couple, she couldn’t shake the feeling that this could be the beginning of something amazing. She fell asleep with the shadow of a smile tracing her lips.
One Summer in Positano Page 6