Luca's POV

I stirred at the feeling of someone tapping my shoulder repeatedly. "Just a few more minutes princess," I groaned and tried to open my eyes.
But they felt heavy and I struggled with forcing them open. My eyes burned as soon as they captured the dull light that flooded the room. 

I was in the living room. I remembered that I left Elizabeth alone last night. I wanted to give her space so I came down to the living room.

"Luca," my mother called from beside me and I ran a hand down my face and brought it to rest over my mouth as I stifled a yawn.

I turned to look at my mother and her eyes were glazed over in anger. Taking in my mother's furious face early in the morning. I immediately moved to sit up and my foot kicked something on the floor. Looking down I noticed it was an empty whiskey bottle. "What have you done?" She asked, her voice leaning on the verge of anger. 

I rubbed at my eyes that were burning, desperately wanting to close them again. "I haven't done anything mum," my throat ached and felt dry as I spoke and as result my voice was hoarse.

"Tell me why did you let Liz go to the airport alone?" she questioned, throwing her hands up in disbelief and my eyes widened.

I stood up so fast that my vision turned blurry and I stumbled back clutching my head. "I didn't let her-" I registered what she just said and paused for a moment questioning my ears if they heard right. Elizabeth was gone. "I- I have to go." I moved to leave the room and patted my pants pockets to ensure I had my car keys.

My neck and body hurt as if I'd been in a fight the previous night. I wasn't expecting Elizabeth to react the way she did when I told her I ended things with Allison.

Maybe I should have taken things slower and told her first before I tried to kiss her. Instead, I acted on my feelings without thinking clearly. The last thing I wanted was to scare her away.

It took me a very long time to realize that my feelings for Allison faded and I was holding onto something that wasn't there anymore. I was standing on a sinking ship refusing to save myself when I knew how to swim.

I had to let go of Allison. I couldn't lie to her or myself anymore. It wasn't fair to both of us. I felt guilty that I couldn't keep all the promises I once made to her but at the same time, I felt relief that I was free from a loveless relationship.

Allison was furious with me like any normal person would be. It was time for us to move on and stop hurting each other and though my honesty was rewarded with a slap across my face. I knew she understood the truth in my words.

I rushed out of the house and Harry looked up from his phone at me. "Son," Harry called. "What happened.  Where are you rushing off to?"

"Can't talk now. I'll be back," I was surprised at how polite I was. Usually, I'd ignore him or give him a really shitty answer.

I checked the time on my phone as I walked to the garage door and pressed the button to open the door. Liz's flight was at ten am. It was only a quarter to nine.

I knew she felt what I felt. She could deny it as much as she wanted. She was a stubborn woman sometimes. I just wish she would have talked to me instead of running away from me.

But I would not let her be the one that got away from me. I was crazy for her and she needed to know that, I wasn't using her as a rebound and it wasn't just infatuation. I genuinely cared about her and wanted her to be a part of my life.

I got into the car and started it immediately, wasting no time in pulling it out of the garage. As I drove past the door of the house, I saw my mother and Harry watching me. "Luca-" my mother called in a voice of concern. I put the car in second gear and sped off to the gates. 

The tires screeched as I drove the car the way it was supposed to be driven. I needed to get to the airport before she boarded that plane. She needed to know how I felt about her before she left.

I fished my phone out of my pants pocket and tried calling Liz. It was a shot in the dark and I knew she wouldn't answer but I had to try nonetheless. As I predicted her phone went straight to voicemail.

"Shit," I cursed aloud. I kept one eye on the road and one on my phone. I called again and it went to voicemail again. She wasn't going to answer. If she wanted to talk to me she wouldn't have left without saying anything to me in the morning.

I looked up at the road and saw that I ran a red light. Shit. I heard police sirens from the back of me. "Oh fuck give a guy a break." I pulled off at the corner of the street next to a tree. I switched off the car and put my hands up. I watched the cop walk over to me through my review mirror.

He stopped at my window and bent so that he could speak to me." License and registration please," he demanded.

"I don't have it," I admitted.

"Sir would you please step out of your vehicle."

I let out a breath and complied, unbuckling my seat belt and stepping out of the car with my hands in clear view of the officer.

The officer had a clipboard in his hands and on top of it was the last thing I wanted to see. A breathalyzer test. "Oh fuck," I groaned under my breath and ran a hand down my face as I stared at the thing with wide eyes.

"What was that sir?" The officer inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing," I shook my head. 

He held up the machine to me. "Blow," he instructed and I put my mouth on the mouthpiece and blew.

The machine beeped and the man shook his head in disapproval.  "Failed," he said, turning the machine and showing me the screen.

"Look officer, I'm in a rush my girl- thing or whatever you call it is at the airport. She is leaving the country."

The man eyed me warily. "No wonder why she left. Look at you son," the cop said. I looked at my reflection through the mustang's window. I looked like shit. My hair was all over the place and I had slight dark circles under my eyes due to my lack of sleep. I looked like a bum.

"Is there any way I can make this all go away?" I asked and the man's jaw clenched.

He stood up straight regaining his posture. He was a head shorter than me but twice wider. He had a belly that hung over his trousers and the buttons on his shirt were on the verge of busting. "Sir are you attempting to bribe an officer of the law?" He questioned.

My eyes widened. "No, not at all officer."

"Put your hands behind your back," the man instructed.

I did as he said and I felt the coldness of the steel handcuffs go around my wrists and I shut my eyes tightly in disbelief. This was a bad dream. It had to be. "Driving while under the influence is a serious and deadly crime," he told me.

"I haven't been drinking. I drank last night. The breathalyzer-"

"You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defense if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court," he said cutting me off and I groaned.

He walked me back to his car and opened the back door for me to get in. He then got into the driver's seat and then spoke to someone on a two-way radio to have my car impounded. Just fucking great. In all the corrupt cops out there I get the one that's the officer of the law.

After an uncomfortable ride in the back of a cop car, I was ushered into a familiar face brick building. I sadly remember this station. I've been to it three times already. It would have been a lot more but other times I was lucky enough to talk myself out of getting arrested.

The officer took off my handcuffs and walked me over to a cell. The police station was quiet. There were barely any officers around. The officer removed my handcuffs and I rubbed both my wrists.

"Place all of your valuables into this bag," the officer instructed holding open a ziplock bag. I took my phone out of my pants pocket and dropped it into the ziplock bag. It was the only thing I had with me.

"Is that it?" He asked.

He didn't look too convinced so he patted me down to ensure I didn't have anything else on me. After his search, he put me into a holding cell and slammed the gate shut. "Is there anyone you would like to call to bail you out?" He asked.

"Yes," I said and he handed me a phone.

I dialed up the one person I knew that would be able to save my arse. "Hello," James said from the opposite end of the line.

"Hey, James-"

"Luca?" He questioned. "Why are you calling me from this number. Where are you?"

"Yeah ur James I've uh been arrested."

"Arrested!" He repeated.

"Yeah."

"Which station are you at?" he asked.

"Merseyside, Oh and another thing don't tell mum and Harry."

"Okay I'm leaving now," he said and I hung up.

I paced in the holding cell as I waited for James. I looked up at a big clock that hung on the wall and it was already half-past nine. Elizabeth was going to leave in half an hour.

I tapped my foot against the flooring impatiently and ran both my hands down my face. If things had gone differently last night I would have been at that airport with her.

Twenty minutes later James walked into the building and exchanged a few words with the officer that arrested me. The officer walked over to my cell and pulled it open. "Your friend has paid your bail," he told me and I walked out of the cell.

I collected my cellphone and filled out the necessary paperwork. When I was done the officer gave me information on where the car was impounded.

I walked out of the police station with James. "So what did you do?" James asked. He didn't sound disappointed or condescending.

"I failed a breathalyzer test," I admitted and he smiled.

"Drinking early in the morning. I thought you've kicked the habit," he laughed.

"I'm more surprised you not pissed having to bail my arse out."

"Were you drinking early in the morning?" he questioned.

"No last night, but the alcohol showed up since I drank the entire bottle of whiskey."

"Let's go get the car before we go home," he said and I shook my head.

I looked at the time on my phone and it was a quarter past ten. She was gone and there was no point in going to the airport. "Yeah," I cleared my throat and got into the car.

I can't believe she just left... maybe she did feel nothing for me. It was easier to think that but I know different. I know there is something between us.
James drove out of the police station lot.

"So where were you going?" He asked once we were on the road.

I didn't know how to tell James. But then I'd have nothing to lose by telling him the truth. "After Liz. She left while I was asleep."

James arched an eyebrow. "Hmm, I figured as much. Did you two fight?" He asked.  James was calm he didn't appear to be surprised or confused about anything.

"James Liz isn't my girlfriend," I told him and he turned away from the road and looked at me with a smile on his face that confused and freaked me out even more.

"I know," he said nonchalantly, and my mouth fell open.

"You know?" I questioned. "How?"

"Luca you suddenly show up with a girl that dresses in sweaters and hoodies. A girl you knew your mother would accept. I don't mean it as an offense I like Liz she's a brilliant girl, but Luca you've never shown an interest in girls like her before."

"So you knew she wasn't my girlfriend and kept quiet?" I asked in outrage. "Why?" Things would have been a whole lot easier if James told me he knew from the beginning.

He smiled in thought. "Because I knew it would only a matter of time till you fall in love with her."

I turned to face the road. "What if you were wrong what if I didn't fall for her?"

"Well, didn't you? Or why else would have been rushing to the airport."

"Hmm," I sounded in thought. "Well, did you know Allison and I were still together?"

James cleared his throat and smiled guiltily. "My job was to watch you and ensure you didn't do anything stupid. I'm not proud of the methods I used to gain some of the knowledge I obtained on you. But I chose which knowledge to share with your mother and what not to. I kept the fact that you and Allison were still together away from her. You a grown man Luca. You should be allowed to make your mistakes and learn from them."

I quirked an eyebrow at him. "You filthy old man," I said in disbelief and James laughed.

"Hey, I'm not that much older than you."

I wasn't mad at him, but I had a feeling I knew how he found out about me and Allison still being together. "You were listening at my door again!"

He chuckled. "I'll admit, I first did that when we moved to New York because you were so unpredictable and I had to ensure you weren't getting up to no good. But mate the walls are simply thin in that apartment," he stressed and we both chuckled.

I sighed. "So why didn't you rat on me? That is your job."

"Was my job," he turned to look at me with emotion on his face I couldn't describe. His mind was somewhere else and I could tell, "and since I didn't do my job. I quit. I'll be handing in my resignation to Harry this evening."

I blinked hard. "You quit?" I asked in disbelief and he nodded. "What no why are you quitting?" I asked. 

"You are more than capable of taking care of yourself."

"But James come on mate you the only close friend I have right now," I said and he smiled.

"I quit my job, Luca. But I don't quit being your friend. You and your family are my family and I will never quit that."

I smiled at James. "Thank you for not ratting me out when you found out about Liz."

He shrugged. "It was funny watching you try so hard to fool everyone."

"You really are a filthy old man," I smiled and he laughed.

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A/N

Well, the airport chase scene went wrong. I hope you guys enjoyed it. There are only 10 more chapters left including the epilogue and then this book will come to an end.

How do you think Luca and Liz's chances of a relationship are looking now that she's gone?

Please vote, comment, and recommend to your fellow wattpadians.

💜P. A