ESTER

After the unexpected proclamation of love from me and the even more unexpected 'yes' from Luca on the very unexpected trip to Manali, I spent most of the time locked up with him in my hotel room. Even Luca pleading that I have lots left to see in Manali couldn't get me out.

"I want to take it slow", I say laying on the bed my head on Luca's chest.

"When did I say I want to take it fast?" He asks me casually, reading a book as big a brick. "You don't understand," I tell him.

He glances down at me as I try to phrase out my confession "This might be weird but I have never had a relationship."

He stares at me for some time and then lets out a weird raccoon-like noise "What?" I snap. "I do not believe you. For one second." He tells me.

"I haven't. I mean I have gone on lot's of dates but I have not had one boyfriend. " I shrug as his grey eyes turn as big as gold coins.

"What about prom?" Luca demands "I went with my cousin," I say awkwardly.

He shrugs pulling himself up and stares at me his eyes serious for once

"You think, I'm good enough for you?"

I look at his face carefully, his grey eyes were very nervous, I give him an assuring smile.

"Maybe? I mean you are the only person I've felt like...could mean something to me." He nods still looking unsure.

"What?" I ask pushing his face up, He tugs on the chain around his neck looking disturbed,

"What if...what if you feel like I'm not the person who you thought I was." He asks me. I put my arm around his, snuggle up and say "We'll burn that bridge when we come to it. "Okay?"  "Okay."

                     *****
When you travel a bit and explore places you find out how good it feels, but it's when you come back home to meet your normal life that you realize how boring your it is.

"ESTER!" I jump up hearing Rosalie shout at me, I look at her confused as she grins wide at me.

"Do you know how much I missed you?" She asks hugging me, I scrunch my nose as the smell of Rosalie's sugary perfume wafts into my nostrils.

"Really?" I ask pulling myself free, she nods flashing her pearl-like teeth at me and says "I've been stalling my date with Matt for you!"

Rosalie was my best friend since college and to both of our joy, we got placements to the same place for our paid internship last month.

Actually, what happened was I works hard enough to get an internship in a good company after before I could start my postgraduate course in Business Studies and Rosalie's parents were rich enough to buy their daughter a job like they bought her everything else.

I stare at her crossing my arm as she lets out a dramatic sigh and starts "Matt wants to go on a double date, "

I shake my head. I did not want to go on a double date with Rosalie and her boyfriend for two reasons.

The first reason being that whenever I went to a double date with Rosalie I would end up with some pervert who just wanted to stare at my blouse as if he had
X-Ray vision.

The second reason was, I was still waiting for something to happen between Luca and me, it had been a week since I got home from the trip and he hadn't even texted me.

Rosalie had told me Luca was some playboy playing hard to get, but something made me feel that he was much more than some playboy.

"Hello?" I ask as Rosalie clutches my hand pleading.

"My phone was dead! Can you believe that?" The caller shouts at me.

"Who is this?" I ask confused "Oh, this is my new number, my bad. You don't remember my voice?" Asks a smirking voice, I shrug.

"Seriously?" The familiar voice asks in disbelief. "Luca?" I ask my heart thumping hard. "Hallelujah!" He says making me laugh.

'Is it Luca?' Rosalie mouths. I nod and ask "What's going on?" He laughs again and says "Nothing much, I was just missing someone," I blush red, it was not very often that hot guys smothered me with praises on the phone. "So cheesy," I tell him guffawing.

"Anyway, when can I see you?" He asks me eagerly, I cover the phone and repeat the question to Rosalie. She squeals in joy and asks me to invite him for the double date.

"Are you free tonight?" I ask him nervously as my best friend crosses her finger. "Um, yes," He says after a pause. "My friend and her boyfriend are going out to the carnival tonight...." I explain as Rosalie jumps up and down excited.
"Listen, Ester, I'll call you later. I'm a bit busy, sorry," He says cutting the phone.

I nod to myself and look at Rosalie feeling particularly breathless.

"Look at you all red..." she tells me grinning.

"He called," is all I say.

"We're wearing a dress, I see..." Rosalie says coming out of her room. I roll my eyes and say "So are you." She grins and says "You seldom wear dresses unlike me."

I shrug and look at myself straightening this very casual white sleeveless dress with blue motifs that flowed around my knees, I shrug feeling particularly unbeautiful at the moment, I brush my hair out and put a dash of nude lipstick.

"Wanna ditch the glasses?" Rosalie asks making her famous 'icky face', I glare at her and say "He likes my glasses."

"I'm so, so, so, sorry!" Luca apologises taking my hands in his.

He had shown up half an hour late and I had to endure Rosalie clucking her tongue annoyed and Matt throwing me stink eyes, but, I decided to take the noble option and say "It's fine."

After walking a bit I ask something that had been in my mind since he had come.

"Luca?" He glances down at me "Do you always dress like this on dates?" I ask him.

He had shown up wearing a button-down and formal pants. Not that I was mad about it, the rolled-up sleeves made his arms look sharper than it already was.

"Hell no! I didn't get time to change, I came here straight from work, " he tells me laughing, I nod feeling a bit bad about the time I had spend dressing up for him. But just shrug and pull him away towards the game zone.

After we start playing games I sigh in relief as Luca turns back into the good old goofball he is, turns out the formals were just a disguise.

Furthermore, I get Rosalie's approval, she pulls me away while the guys go crazy at the shooting centre.

"Congratulations, he seems so perfect that I'm not going on a double date with you two again, ever." She tells me looking half jealous and half proud.

"You look good in hats" Luca compliments me putting the prize on my head. I beam at him and ask glancing up, he towered over me, "Luca?" I ask, she looks at me his greys eyes sparkling.

"You look very beautiful by the way," He cuts across me pleasantly. "So do you," I say getting on my toes to give him a kiss on his cheek.

Luca blushes a faint red but puts his arms around my waist, I swallow nervously and put mine around his long neck.

"You were saying something?" He asks me in a low voice that made my toes curl. I shake my head not wanting to ruin the moment and mutter "Nothing..."

"Ester?" He asks me grinning, I nod.

"I've been thinking this whole week..." he tells me, I slip my hands gently up to the side of his face

"About the stuff you said that night...that spark...connection and everything."

I hum and gaze into his nervous grey eyes trying hard to ignore the urge to pull his beard.

"You were right. I feel all those things too." I smile as he waits eagerly for my reply. "Sure?" I ask him.

He nods seriously and say "As anything," I let out a small laugh as he swoops me into an embrace.

"Luca?" I mutter pulling away from him out of breath

"You asked me what I was about to say earlier," I say playing with the collar of his shirt.

He looks at me his grey eyes intense

"I think we lost Matt and Rosalie," I tell him grinning, he shrugs looking around and finally looks back to me 

"Ah, they are adults they'll find their way home." He says making me laugh, pulling him back into a kiss.

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