✧

All morning I've been on the phone to my lawyer and my accountant. Luca and Hazel haven't given me the go-ahead just yet, but a part of me believes that they're going to accept my help.

Some might think giving away a loan like that could break the bank but after my time as the CEO of my own company and selling it on into the industry, it's safe to say I made a big buck from years and years of hard work.

I don't know how much they need exactly but I presume it won't be a crazy amount to pay off their mortgage for a few months, along with enough money to re-decorate and brainstorm new ideas to bring in even more customers than before.

At around four o'clock I head to Chessman's, a little later than usual. When I step inside the shop is mostly empty apart from a man and a woman who are finishing up their coffees in the corner of the room.

My eyes flicker over the rest of the empty cafe and frown. We really need to do something about this, make it thrive before it crashes and burns–and I don't give up easily. I always keep trying until I have to think through a new plan.

But a part of me is telling me that I can do this, that we can do this.

It feels right and I want to see the success of this cafe flourish.

Luca is tampering around with one of the coffee machines, as the bell rings above my head, he glances over his shoulder. Within a fraction of a second, no doubt he's still sceptical about the thief that worked his way in here a few weeks ago.

His blue eyes soften when they land on mine and when they do, I notice how dark the circles are under his eyes. Considering his complexion looks flush from working on the machine, his eyes look lifeless.

Somehow he still flashes me a heart warming smile as I make my way towards the counter. "Hi, Declan." He says cheerily, eyes glittering gently and I don't know how he does it.

It's obvious he's exhausted, fretting about the business and yet he still gives one hundred and ten percent. Not once have I heard him sound bored or drained, he always puts on a front and pushes his real emotions to the back of his mind.

The true definition of a trooper.

"Hi, how are you?"

He blinks at my question and wipes the back of his wrist against his forehead. "Yeah..." he exhales slowly. "I'm okay. I'm just trying to fix this machine, I attempted watching a YouTube video but I didn't fully understand. Now I think I've fucked it."

I step closer to the counter and press my hand to the cool top. "What's wrong with it?" I ask.

"It's leaking," he says, placing one hand on his hip and turning back to the contraption. "We can't afford to get it fixed right now because these things cost a fortune, so it's tutorials instead."

With one hand I tug off my jacket and hand it up on the back of a chair, then I proceed to push up the sleeves on my shirt. "Let me take a crack at it."

Luca tilts his head. His mouth opens but then nothing comes out right away, then he points to my shirt and then my trousers. "Those might get ruined and I definitely won't have enough to get those dry cleaned."

A laugh passes my lips and I meet him at the back of the counter, Luca glances up at me as I bypass him. "Even if you somehow ripped these clothes, I wouldn't care, Luca. They're just clothes, always replaceable."

I stand facing the machine and glance at the tools on the counter, along with the leak and the bucket on the floor. When I turn to glance at Luca, his cheeks are burning ruby red. He notices me staring and slides his hand over the back of his neck and flicks his gaze away.

Was it something I said?

"Show me the video," I beckon my head to his phone.

He leans over and presses play on the video, just as the bell to the cafe rings. I notice a customer walking to the counter and Luca catches my eye. "I'll try to sort this out," I say as the woman approaches us. "And I'll try to be quiet."

He's still blushing but I choose to ignore those bright cheeks. "Okay, thanks."

I watch the video and try to keep the noise down as I tamper with the machine, taking off the top and looking inside. With the limited tools I somehow do something that stops the leak but it's only a temporary fix, it either needs to be fixed professionally or replaced but for the meantime, it should be okay.

Luca finishes serving the woman by using the other coffee machine.

"How's it going?" He asks as he leans onto the counter beside me.

I smile up at him and straighten my spine. "Temporary fix," I tell him. "But it will need to get replaced at some point."

For a moment I wait for him to be disappointed that it will need to get replaced sometime soon but instead, he steps closer and looks beyond relieved. "Temporary? I'll take it. Thank you! Honestly, you've made my entire day."

His eyes roam over the piece of machinery before glancing up at me with those big blue eyes, that smile could not be faulted and despite his exhaustion, he looks so damn happy.

"You're welcome."

I watch as his eyes flick down to my sleeves and his throat clenches. "They're a bit dirty," he says after a few moments, noticing the splodges against the rolled up material.

"Doesn't matter," I wave him off. "As long as it works, that's all that matters to me."

Luca steps closer and holds his hands in front of him, he fidgets for a second and I think he's about to hug me but he stops himself–at least I think he wanted to hug me. He flicks his eyes between mine slowly and takes a breath, that expression glitters with relief and it has my heart twitching involuntarily inside my chest.

"Honestly, thank you. I'm not good with–" he cuts himself off to gesture to the machine. "--all that stuff."

"Well, I'm your man."

His throat clenches and those rosy cheeks return. Before I can get another inspection, he turns away and begins to make a drink. "Uhh...," he pauses for a second, as if he can't think what he's about to say. "Your usual?"

"Yes, please." I nod.

I loop around the other side of the counter and keep my sleeves pushed up to my elbows. My eyes watch Luca as he works to make my coffee, I pluck my wallet from my trousers and once he sets the mug down in front of me, I hand him over some money.

"Oh, no," he shakes his head. "This is on the house."

"Why?"

"Because you fixed the machine, I can't ask you to pay now."

I shrug and press the five pound note into the counter and slide it over to him. "It was a favour that doesn't need to be returned, take it. And the change."

Luca stares back at me and pushes the money towards me. "No. I can't."

My fingers slide it back. "You can."

"Declan," he warns me.

The corner of my lip twitches. "Just take the money, please? I want to pay."

His jaw tenses as I take the mug and step away, I can tell he's not happy but I'm not asking for a favour for a favour. Sometimes it's nice to do things for people without wanting anything in return, in this case–Luca isn't very good with following YouTube videos.

Thank Goodness I came to save the day.

"You shut the shop at six, right?"

He nods.

"Alright, well I'll wait until then so we can discuss things."

"Sure," he flashes me a smile.

Luca watches me walk to the table where my jacket is draped over the backs of one of the chairs. I take a sip of my coffee and scald myself for drinking it when it's piping hot and my tongue is on fire.

The next hour or so goes by and I shift through emails on my phone.

A few customers come and go in the next couple of hours until Luca walks towards the front of the shop and locks it, turning over the sign to say 'CLOSED'.

I look up as he slumps against the door and rubs his eyes. "I know we don't have many customers but boy, I'm wiped out by the end of the day."

"I bet," I say standing from the table and taking my empty cup with me. "You need to clear up?"

Luca nods and drags his limp body towards the counter. "I'm afraid so, otherwise it will be tomorrow's job and I really fancy a lay in."

I remember our conversation the other day, that they can't afford for anyone else to work with him so he can take breaks. Did he even have lunch? I could only hack standing on my feet for so long, yet he does it day in, day out with minimal complaints.

He takes my mug from my hands and rinses the cutlery in there. "Let me do that," I urge him.

When his eyes meet mine, it's obvious that he's telling me I've already done enough but I can't help myself. If we both do it, he will be done sooner and there will be more time to talk. But it's obvious he's very prideful, and doesn't want to push his work on someone else.

"Alright," he backs down after a quick debate inside his head. "Thank you."

I rinse off the mugs and open the dishwasher beside it, loading it up to go.

Luca is unplugging something beside me, rising on his toes to look at the back of the appliance when his elbow knocks over the toolbox that he didn't put away earlier, I watch as it tumbles over the edge. His eyes shoot wide.

I lurch forward and lean my long arms out to catch the box before all the heavy and sharp tools hit Luca right in the feet. My hand slams onto the lid and I almost fall over the open door of the dishwasher trying to catch it in time.

"Shit, shit," Luca chants.

A grunt escapes the back of my throat as I hoist the box up and onto the counter, far from the edge.

Luca pushes his fingers into his eyes and shakes his head. "Shit, sorry."

I kick up the door of the dishwasher and close it before setting it off. "It's alright," I tell him. His head is still in his hands and he huffs out a struggled sigh. "You're tired, huh?"

"Understatement."

I resist the urge to lean forward and brush my hand down the back of his blonde hair, any reason to comfort him but I realise that is incredibly inappropriate. I barely know him to touch him like that.

Once behind the counters are clean, Luca tugs off his apron and then cracks his neck. It's so damn loud it echoes off the wall. "Let's sit," he says, ushering us to the plush leather seats that are far better than the wooden chairs. I listen as he releases a slow whine when he sinks into the material.

"What did your mother say after I came for dinner?"

Luca nods. "I mean she was shocked, she still is shocked but she is up for it if you still are. She will hold onto the business with everything she can and if this is our way to bring back the light it's lost, then she will go with it. The trust will come over time but it's only been us for a few years, you can understand why she'd be concerned."

"Of course," I agree, placing my ankle against the tip of my knee.

His eyes follow the action and I cup it with my hand, stretching out my arm. "You mentioned getting a solicitor involved, I know you said you'd give us a loan but she wants to make sure that everything is in writing, we know what we're getting from this and what you'll be asking from us."

"I know," I nod. "I could set up a meeting when you guys have a spare afternoon or evening."

Luca's eyes light up, reflecting off the ceiling lights. "Yeah, that would be good. Just so that we all have everything in writing, it will put my mum's mind at ease."

"Okay, I'll let you know when it can be organised."

He smiles back at me but it's a weak expression. "What plans and ideas did you have for the cafe to pick up more customers and stand out against our competition?"

I lean forward and place my foot back on the ground. "Oh, I have plenty of ideas."

After thirty minutes of explaining to Luca some ideas that I've come up with in the last couple days, he seemed enthusiastic about them. It's something that we'd need to discuss with his mother. I would never want to tell them how to run their business, only guide and support them if they want me to.

I can see Luca's eyes becoming heavier by the second so I decide to wrap things up and save it for another day. There will always be time to discuss, not enough time to rest after a hard day's work. Luca desperately needs that.

"Let me drive you home," I tell him as I grab my jacket and roll down my sleeves.

He waves a hand at me and pulls an interesting face. "Oh, no need for that. Honestly, you've already done too much for me today. I can't take up anymore of your time."

"Anymore of my time?" I recoil quietly. "I want to be here, I want to help. Is that so hard to believe?"

Luca swallows hard and clasps his hands together in front of himself. "I guess I just feel guilty."

"Don't be," I assure him. "Come on, let's go."

He nods and grabs his stuff from the back room before taking his keys and locking up the back door. I walk to my car slowly, enough time for Luca to catch up behind me. I open the driver's side and smile at Luca as he rushes to the passenger side.

The drive home is fairly silent. As expected.

Luca looks like he could pass out in that seat and stay asleep for the next six days. But I don't miss the way he sneaks glances at my arm as it rests on the steering wheel and the way I change gear. His skin flushes and he moves his eyes away, only to look right back.

I pull up outside his house and I watch as he yawns, unbuckling his seatbelt. He stares at me for a moment with those droopy eyes. "Thank you for today," he says, lips curling gently. "You need to stop saving me or I'll get used to it."

Now it's my turn to smile. "What's wrong with getting used to it?"

He breathes out through his nose quietly. "I need to get my ass in gear and do things myself."

I shrug. "If I can help, I'll help."

"Well thanks anyway, I'm extremely grateful for everything. I really don't know what we did to deserve this but I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders," he admits, his gaze focusing on something in my windshield.

His words spark something inside me. No one should think that they don't deserve happiness, a good life. Now it makes me want to help them succeed ten times more than I intended.

"Get some sleep," I tell him.

"You don't get much sleep when your mind is occupied with worries and concerns about the future." His voice isn't even sad to try and get attention, he's speaking from genuine fear. But those eyes, those eyes tell me that he's been feeling like this for a long time.

He might have a weight off his shoulders but the future isn't guaranteed.

I understand his worries.

Luca opens the door and steps out, walking the short distance to his front door. My eyes keep focused on him until he walks into his house and shuts the door behind him.

For a few moments I don't drive away. I think over and over what he said before he left.

An unsettling feeling washes over me, tying knots inside my stomach with sharp stabs.

Luca and his mother deserve a good future for their business and more, now I won't rest until Chessman's is a place to be remembered for many people.

✧

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Author's Note

Declan is honestly an angel on earth. Ugh. I love him.🥹🥰❤️

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