I don’t know much about cars, so when the conversation at a summer break get-together turns to everyone’s cars I sort of zone out. As I absent-mindedly braid my hair, my eyes wander from the speckled floor of the car park to the shimmering glare from someone’s windshield when something catches my eye. Snapping back to reality, I realise Luca has been trying to get my attention while I’ve been daydreaming.
“Hey, you still here?” he says with a smirk. I let out a giggle and blamed the heat for my daydreaming.
Alex jumps in to ask what car I drive and I wave my hand towards mine. “There, the blue one,” I say.
The guys chuckle; apparently, I was supposed to tell them the make and model but they’ve already figured it out and are back to their car talk. My eyes wander again, the green of the park behind Luca, his blue jeans, his lop-sided smirk… oh shit! How long have I been staring at him? Luca doesn’t seem to mind though, he gives me a nod and a wink before turning back to Alex. There’s something about him though, his scruffy beard and the way his muscled arms make his button-up scrunch at his elbows.
A car pulls up at the other end of the car park and Alex looks over.
“Uh oh, someone’s having a bad day,” he remarks nodding at the flat tyre.
“Lucky for them, you know how to change a tyre, don’t you Alex?” Luca prompts. Alex glances at me and flashes Luca a wry smile.
“Too true,” he says as he jogs off.
Luca leans beside me against his ute. I can feel the heat of the sunset reflecting off the bonnet but that’s not why I start to blush.
“I’m glad they got a flat,” he says softly.
“Oh yeah, why’s that?” I reply trying not to let my voice waver.
“Because now that Alex isn’t here, I can do what I’ve been thinking about all afternoon…”
I feel a rush, like butterflies in my tummy and I open my mouth to ask him what that might be when he interrupts me, “But only if you admit that you were checking me out.”
If my blushing wasn’t that noticeable before, it’s completely undeniable now. I giggle softly and rest my head against his shoulder in mock defeat.
Luca uses his hand to lift my face, “C’mon, I want my confession,” he teases.
“You are such a dork,” I tell him.
“A dork?” he asks softly, leaning closer to me.
“Yeah,” I manage to whisper as our noses brush against each other.
He pulls me closer to him and I can feel all the places our bodies are pressed against each other. I like the way he smells and tastes and the way he traces his fingertips across my back. Suddenly, he stops and pulls back.
“Do you want to know something about this ute?” he asks, smacking the side of the tub.
“Oh sure,” I say sarcastically, “couldn’t you tell I was just captivated by your discussion on crankshafts and axles?”
Luca laughs and reaches for my hand. He leans in again until I can feel his scruffy beard tickling my neck and he whispers, “In this tub are handles and I would love for you and me to make the most of them.”
I let out a giggle, “Oh my god, you are a dork!”