Luca's pov

She was an enigma and I was curious. It's like I could just sit for hours on end, unraveling the mystery that was Elizabeth.

I watched her through my windscreen as she walked over to my car with her bag on her back. She got into the car and I looked at her from the corner of my eye. She seemed better. I hated seeing her so distraught. I tried to be there for her but she pushed me away.

I started the car and put it on the road without looking directly at her. She turned to the passenger window and looked out like she always did when she was deep in thought.

I wasn't angry that she didn't open up to me. Maybe it was best that we didn't spend a lot of time together and get to know each other better. There would be nothing for me or her to miss when I stay in England.

I wanted to know what happened between her and her ex-boyfriend but then I didn't want to upset her again so I would remain silent until I found an appropriate time to bring up the topic.

My stomach growled, and I shifted in my seat uncomfortably, hoping Elizabeth didn't hear it. I reached for the radio and turned it on so that the sounds of my restless stomach wouldn't reach her ears.

Hunger pains. That's what Stephanie called it.

Taking the first turn instead of the next turn that would of lead me to Elizabeth's housing complex. I drove to the closest fast-food restaurant in the area.

"Where are you taking me?" Elizabeth asked, sitting up in her seat as she looked around the area.

I rubbed the back of my head and smirked. "It's a surprise princess."

She sighed."I'm tired of you kidnapping me," she mumbled under her breath.

"It's not kidnapping if you willingly go with the kidnapper. Besides, it seems like you developing Stockholm syndrome faster than usual."

Her mouth fell open as she raised her one eyebrow quizzically. " You self righteous ape-man. Get over yourself."

"Apeman!" I repeated in outrage and she crossed her arms. I get that she was in a mood but there was no need for name-calling.

"You heard me," she said.

"Listen, princess, I'd rather be an ape-man than dress like an old hag ."

"I do not dress like a hag," She said in anger.

"My poor eyes beg to differ," I mumbled under my breath.

"I just loathe you sometimes," she spat, in distaste and narrowed her eyes at me.

"I wish I could say sometimes for you too princess."

"Don't talk to me then if I'm so loathsome." She pulled her face as her nose scrunched up and her lips pursed in a thin line.

I wanted to poke her cheek. She looked like a chubby little squirrel with a mouth full of nuts. I laughed at her instead. "Fine by me dear," I said, sarcastically.

She turned her body away from me, shifting in the car seat to face the window instead. I heard her huff in anger and I was finding it hard to take her seriously when she came off as adorable.

I turned back to the road, I didn't want her to be angry with me, but then she shouldn't have resorted to the pitty game of name-calling if she couldn't take and only dish out.

She peered over her shoulder casually and I watched her from the side of my eye as she slowly started to turn towards me again. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Hey," she started and I looked towards her in curiosity.

"Are you talking to me?" I asked, pretending to be confused.

"It's only me and you in the car. Unless you got someone locked in the trunk," she said in agitation. She was extra feisty.

"Fine, what?" I asked in a slightly raised voice.

"I just wanted to say sorry," she said in an equally raised voice.

I looked at her and a small smile formed on my face which soon leads to bubbling laughter, which I could no longer contain. Watching me laugh caused her to laugh along with me.

She was crazy.

"You something else princess," I said between my laughter.

I drove into a parking lot and began to look for a space. I could see that Elizabeth was slightly curious as to where I was taking her. She looked around animatedly. There was a RadioShack, McDonald's, and tattoo parlor on the block.

"Are you going to get a tattoo?" She asked and I shook my head. It was funny that she thought I would take her with me to get a tattoo. I don't think that would be something she'd enjoy watching.

"I think I've got enough for now princess." The first tattoo I got hurt like a bitch. It's a tribal ink tattoo that covers my entire bicep and left pectoral muscle. The second is of a wolf emerging from a tribal symbol on my back, the third is a Chinese dragon on my neck and the fourth is an anchor on my calf muscle.

I was running out of space on my body. The next tattoo had to be something meaningful. I regretted the anchor. I was drunk that night and my friend Reagan, is quite the tattoo artist and he insisted he ink me.

I parked the car and looked at Elizabeth, she stared at the only three places on the block and I got out of the car leaving her to her devises. Soon I heard a car door slam followed by footsteps. "RadioShack is closed so that leaves McDonald's," she piqued, keeping up with my pace as I walked.

Was she still so curious as to where I was going.

"What's the matter, princess. Not fancy enough for you?" I asked and she scoffed.

"Please," she said with a roll of her eyes. "I would rather work here," she mumbled. "But I can't complain after Blake gave me time off in December to attend your sister's wedding."

"Really, what did you say to your boss?" I asked in curiosity. "Did you pull that stick out his arse and whack him with it?"

She smiled, trying to control her impending laughter. "It's not a matter of what I said, but what I did." She replied with a grin.

My blood began to boil.

I didn't think Elizabeth was the type to use her body to get what she wanted.
"That's just disgusting," I said in a serious tone of voice. I stopped to look at her. How could she do something so vile.

She looked at me in wonder and then clicked her tongue. "No...no," she said visibly cringing. "It's nothing like that. I just coughed on him," she shrugged and this time I looked at her with a humorously, disgusted face.

"Was that supposed to mean something different in this country princess?"

"Nope," she said, popping the letter P and we continued walking.

"Well, then I stand by my first reaction."

I pulled open the door and held it open for her. We walked into the restaurant and the smell of food was making me feel like I was about to lose consciousness.

I should have eaten earlier but I didn't want to prolong being out with Harry and Christian.

I looked at Elizabeth and she was looking up at the various monitors advertising food. She was daydreaming and I knew it.

No one stares so perplexed at chicken nuggets. I snapped my fingers in front of her and she jumped. "What planet are you on princess?"
I teased and she glowered at me. "Why don't you go find a table and I'll order."

She shook her head. "No why don't you go find a table and I'll order."

"That's ridiculous princess then how will I pay?"

"I'll pay," she shrugged.

"Fuck no," I gritted out and she put her hands on her hips as she raised her one eyebrow at me.

"This is not the eighteen hundreds. A woman can pay on a date," she said in anger and I smiled cheekily.

She just said it was a date.

"What, what are you smiling at?" She asked furiously.

"Well princess," I said rubbing the back of my neck. "I didn't know that this was a date." Her eyes widened and her face paled with embarrassment.

"Lu-," she tried to say and I put my hand up, silencing her.

"Now you will tell all your friends that Luca Hendricks, took me out to McDonald's on our special first date."

"Stop it you know what I meant," she said, perplexed.

"I'm not sure I did princess. I mean are you already planning our wedding," I teased further.

"You going too far," she said, pointing a finger at me.

"I mean if you wanted to go out on a date with me all you had to do was ask princess. I mean I always knew you had a crush on me."

"I'm going to go find a table," she said through gritted teeth and stomped off.

I smirked as I watched her walk away. "That's one feisty mamacita you got there," A guy said from next to me. I turned to him and my jaw clenched when I saw him stare at Elizabeth.

"Listen, mate. I don't know you and you don't know me, but if you continue to stare at her like that then my foot will get well acquainted with your arse." The man gulped, taking in my physical appearance. I was just a head taller than him and he was skinny to the point where his clothes hung off his body.

After his brief evaluation, he scurried away.

I finally made it up to the counter and placed my order. As the lady told me it would be a fifteen-minute wait I looked around the restaurant for Elizabeth. She was sitting in a booth resting her face on her open palm.

She had opened her hair and it fell in loose waves around her shoulders. Her chocolate eyes were tired and drooping and she stifled a small yawn, like a baby kitten.

The lady at the counter handed me two brown paper bags of food and I walked over to Elizabeth. I slid into the booth seat in front of her and she turned her attention to me.

Why did she have to open her hair. It was harder to look at her now. I wanted to take one of her chocolate locks and twirl it around on my finger, but I knew better.

Think about Allison. My conscience sang.

I pushed a bag of food towards Elizabeth and then focused on my food so I didn't have to look up at her.

"Mmmm," she moaned and I looked up on instinct to see she had bit into a chicken nugget. "This is delicious," she said and I smiled watching her. "What did I get something on my face?" She asked and I shook my head.

"No you good princess," I said, looking down again.

After we had finished eating she rested her back on the booth seat. She was stuffed. "I can't eat another chicken nugget! It will be the death of me..." she slurred and sipped on her milkshake.

I chuckled. "That was better than the gourmet food they serve at that restaurant you work in," I said and she nodded.

"So how is Stephanie doing?" She asked.

"Like any other pregnant woman, mood swings, cravings, morning sickness, and swollen feet," I sighed and she chuckled.

Seeing that she was full and smiling. I thought it would be a good idea to bring up what happened between her and her ex. "So that guy Tatum still looks hung up over you," I casually mentioned and a humorous smile formed on her face.

"His name is Tyler, and he can't be because it was four years ago," she said, releasing a sigh. "So how long have you and your girlfriend been together?" She asked putting the topic back on me.

"Five years. We were friends first. Known each other all throughout high school. Fell in love in our final year of school," I said and Elizabeth swallowed hard.

"How does she feel about this entire pretending thing?" She asked and I rubbed the back of my head uncomfortably.

"She is not one hundred percent okay with it. She is only agreeing so that I can go back home." I smiled at Elizabeth. She was very clever. She knew how to put the conversation on someone else when she didn't want to talk about herself. She thought she was clever with her little tactic but I took a psychology class in my first year when I was still indecisive about my major. "So is that all the questions you have for me princess?"

"For now why?"

"Because it's my turn now of course," I said and she gulped. "Why did you and Tyler break up?" I asked and she laughed hard. It was the ugliest yet funniest sound I've ever heard. She shut her eyes as she looked up at the ceiling releasing the horrific sound.

"What the fuck. It sounds like you having some kind of an attack," I chuckled. "Why are you laughing?"

"Because my life is a joke," she said throwing her hands up in the air.

"I'm frightened you've gone mental after today love, but sane or insane answer the question."

She went silent for a while. "It's so complicated," she started. "Have you ever believed one thing for so long and then something comes along and changes your belief?" She asked.

"No," I answered honestly.

"Well, I believed Tyler cheated on me with my best friend and that’s why we broke up," she said.

"Wait let me get this straight. That piss rag cheated on you," I said in shock. Well, the boy did look a little mental by the way he combed his hair.

"Well today in the parking lot he told me that he didn't and that it was his best friend that set him up," she scoffed.

"Well do you believe him?" I asked.

"I don't know what to believe anymore."

"Well, I don't think the guy would still lie after so many years. Maybe he did genuinely love you," I said taking a sip of my coke. She let out a deep breath as her eyes widened.

"Wow," she uttered. "It's just a lot to take in."

Being cheated on sucked. I could imagine the thoughts that went through Elizabeth's head when she went through that. She was innocent and I'm sure the pain and heartache is the reason why she didn't trust so easily.

Allison cheated on me a few times and I cheated on her, yet we still stayed together.  We were both imperfect and we knew it. We just need to try and be better for each other.

"I know," I said, after a while. "But the truth has a funny way of revealing itself."

"I have another question," she said and I opened the top button of my shirt.

"Am I going to like this one?" I asked.

"No not really," she said.

"Ask away," I said.

"Why did you cheat on your girlfriend?" She asked. Why did she have to ask that she could have asked anything else but she chose to ask that question.

"I just moved here and I had some complicated mixed feelings. Allison wasn't making it easy for me she fought with me every day and told me how it was my fault. I was still a stupid teenager at the time and I lost myself and wanted to rebel against everything since I felt that no one gave a shit about me. So I did as I wanted and hurt a lot of people in the process."

I regret the things I did growing up. Every party, every time I did something to put a disappointed look on my mother's face and most importantly. I regretted cheating on Allison.

I cleared my throat. "So are any more ex-boyfriends going to pop up?" I asked on a lighter note and she tinged red, shaking her head.

"No."

"How's Beckett by the way?" I teased.

"Shut up," she said.

"It doesn't matter anyway," I said cheekily.

"Why because no other guys," she mocked in a fake English accent and I threw a chip at her.

"Exactly."

"It's not fair you know," she started. "How come you get to have a girlfriend?"

"Well life isn't fair and Allison is not here now is she?" I said.

"She will be when we in England."

"Why are you fighting for this. Is there someone you have your eye on love and more importantly is he better looking than me?"

"I can see ten guys here that are practically better looking than you Hendricks."

I gasped and she chuckled. She had a mean streak but so did I. "You not so easy on the eyes either love. Your eyes are too far apart and what's that disgusting thing above your lip. Looks like you haven't washed your face," I said, making fun of the beauty spot above her lip. I liked it but since she was being cheeky. I needed something to pick on.

"Loathsome!" She spat in anger.

"A pain in the arse!" I exclaimed and she gasped, standing up.

"Take me home!"

"Glady," I said and she began walking out of the restaurant.

I watched her walk away and a small smile formed on my face. I don't think I would ever tire of our pointless arguments. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I've never met someone like her before.

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A/N

Apologies for the late update. It's been a hard two weeks. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please vote comment and recommend to your fellow wattpaders.

P. A 💜