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“Alright, car’s gonna be full,” Luca patted the roof of the car and backed away to let someone else, someone much more intoxicated, take the last seat. “You guys go ahead, I’ll catch a ride with someone else.” He waved his hands to everyone as Vox squeezed himself into the packed car. Ren rolled his window down once more to convince him to come along; he joked that Luca could hide in the trunk during the short drive.
Luca assured his friends that he would be just fine. He had been too distracted tonight to drink as much as he normally would. From the backseat, Vox yelled at him to pinky promise each of them that he would text the group chat when he got home safely.
It took five pinky promises, Doppio and Zeal holding Vox back before he tried grabbing at Luca again, and Luca himself shooing his friends away with a hearty Drive safe! for the car to finally take off. He watched Ren drive off with the rest of their friends from the curb, then made his way to his Plan B.
Shu leaned his back on the passenger door of Sonny's car. Sonny was taking an awfully long time to leave the party, even though they both agreed to leave after an hour. They'd showed up late to leave early — Sonny was invited by his special friend, and Shu had been dragged out of his study den. However, with Sonny's charm, he expected that one hour would turn to two.
Sonny had become somewhat of a beacon of light for underclassmen. His cool, levelheaded exterior made him appear as a completely respectable senior who was just the right amount of unhinged. Unless a bubbly blonde girl was present at the party, his image would stay intact. Seeing as how he was late to their leaving, Shu guessed that Sonny was comfortably conversing without the torment of his woman.
Once half an hour past the second hour hit, Shu began silent prayers. He hoped Sonny would cut whatever conversation he'd been sucked into short, so they could head back.
Feeling unwanted annoyance begin to boil and burn up what good feelings he had left, Shu took a deep breath and looked up to the night sky. Of course there were no stars, just deep darkness and the occasional blinking light from a passing plane. He cursed the city and its light pollution — at least, the moon was there to keep him company.
A long sigh escaped Shu's slightly chapped lips. A waving hand from his peripheral drew him away from the crowd of complaining demons in his head. He turned his head lazily toward the person waving only to immediately return his attention to the seemingly empty space above. There was absolutely no way this guy was waving toward him, that much Shu was sure of.
Or not.
It appeared that the universe was up to no good tonight, and its newest victim was Shu. The blond man was, in fact, waving at him. Not only was he waving at him, he was quickly approaching Shu with long strides. Not long after, Shu was standing face to face with him.
Before Shu could even get a word out to assess the situation, Luca had began rambling as if neither of their brains were currently fighting impairment from alcohol consumption. Shu forcefully pulled what remaining brain cells he had to process what Luca was saying. His focus manifested as furrowed eyebrows above his tired, amethyst eyes.
“Hey, I promise my house is on the way,” Luca put his hands together, “Please give me a ride home.” His clasped hands went up as his head bowed down. Luca peeked up at Shu to make sure he was at least considering taking the offer. Then, he went for the kill.
Luca gave Shu the craziest (read as cutest) puppy dog eyes he'd ever seen. They were definitely working in his favor but also in Shu's as he figured out why the night sky was so empty tonight — all the stars were in Luca's eyes!
One long glance at him washed away the bitter annoyance that previously poisoned Shu's brain. His body finally acknowledged the relieving night breeze and tuned out the suffocating music that leaked from the college townhouse. No more tension, not quite peace, but close enough.
“You there?” Luca reached his hand out to check if Shu was alert, but a sudden outburst stopped him in his tracks.
“Shu, I'm here!”
Sonny jogged up to where Shu and Luca stood. His hair was slightly disheveled, and his denim jacket hung loosely on one shoulder. The other side was dropped, revealing his bare shoulder as he wore only a white tank top under. Redness in his neck crept up to his cheeks, which glowed a pretty pink.
Luca’s hand hovered just over Shu's shoulder, unmoving until the source of the outburst stood at the hood of the car. He dropped his arm and watched them talk, waiting until his request was accepted or denied.
It felt too late now for Shu to assure Luca that he was sane and not just drowning in his starry gaze, so to prove his intact mental wellness, Shu moved on as typical people would. He gave Sonny a deadpan expression, annoyance still simmering in his core. That is, until he noticed a small figure walking behind Sonny.
The brunette walked with his hands in the front pockets of his black skinny jeans. His fluffy hair was swept perfectly by the night breeze as he approached the car. The moonlight shined on his cheeks, making them glisten like glazed donuts. He appeared to be very nonchalant about this whole situation.
“And who is that?”
“That's Alban.” Sonny answered quietly, his attention mostly taken by his car keys, which he was fumbling to get from his backpack.
Shu exchanged nods with Alban as a quick greeting before indirectly answering Luca’s plea by asking Sonny, “Is it cool if he comes with us?”
If Luca had puppy ears, they’d have been perked up. He also sported a tightlipped, bread-like smile. His lilac eyes closed into crescent moons as happiness and relief washed over his face. How is it that he was more interesting and beautiful than space itself?
“Since when do you and Luca know each other?”
Luca had been his next door neighbor for as long as he could remember, but Shu never imagined he was still aware of that fact. Their paths didn't cross often, mostly just the off chance if they were headed to campus at similar times. It wasn't news to Shu that they had mutual friends, so he was a little surprised that they never bumped into each other at any hangouts.
Shu never would have guessed that Luca would use their being neighbors as an opportunity to catch a ride home with him.
And perhaps it was the very little alcohol in his lightweight system talking, but for as long he knew of Luca, he never imagined his next door neighbor would have the prettiest eyes he'd ever see on a boy — that was definitely something no one else needed to know. Despite how little he drank, Shu banked on his brain erasing the entire night, including anything stupid he said and any feelings he suddenly felt, tomorrow. There would be no reason for him to see Luca intimately, as intimate as gazing into his eyes could be, again anyway.
“He’s my neighbor.” Shu answered, to which Sonny nodded, a quiet Ahh escaping his lips.
Luca’s mouth fell ajar slightly as the words left Shu's mouth, dumbfounded by the fact that Shu remembered who he was. For as long as Luca knew of Shu, he'd showed no signs of acknowledging Luca's existence after their first, very brief, meeting.
They were opposites when it came to how they approached their relationship. While Shu seemingly avoided getting to know him, Luca had picked up on a few things about him by chance. Luca had always been a friendly guy, but he was also shy, believe it or not. Making friends was something he could do in his sleep (it’s actually how he became best friends with Ren in elementary school — long story short, Ren found Luca’s sleep talking funny), but talking to the boy he liked was a different story.
Shu was Luca's “boy next door”, the one he’d always been interested in. He couldn’t believe it at first, it was like every romance movie he’d seen — moving in, becoming childhood friends, growing up together, falling in love with each other except none of that actually happened. All that happened was that Luca got hit with Cupid’s arrow, and Shu went on with life, steering clear of the falling love-filled projectiles.
“Sani, give me the keys.”
Shu discreetly blew an air of relief. He had half a mind telling him to suck it up and offer to drive if no one else would. He was seldom the driver in his friend group, but Sonny was in no state to drive them all back. Thank goodness this Alban guy had some sense to take over the role.
Alban, to Shu's surprise, was the boy Sonny had been hyping up for the past couple of weeks. Actually, it was quite the pleasant surprise. Shu was happy to finally meet the angel with a devil’s tongue — Sonny sure picked his words well. Alban was conventionally cute, but he had more than a few innuendos in him.
They appeared to get along well, and Shu felt like he could trust this guy to care for Sonny. He seemed capable despite his frail appearance. Alban's presence was comforting to Shu despite knowing having known him for only about ten minutes. Well, all the stories Sonny told him would add up to enough time. Shu took his comfort as a good sign.
From the back seat, Shu tried his best to give Sonny and Alban what privacy they could, but he caught Alban reaching his hand past the gearshift to hold Sonny’s hand, and it took immense self control to not react beyond a slight widening of eyes. He made a mental note to debrief with Sonny another day.
On any other given night, Shu would have just turned his attention out the window. He would have counted the streetlamps until he reached home or stared aimlessly at the night sky and trees that blurred together as the car moved along, but tonight, he decided to turn his attention to the boy sitting next to him, discreetly of course.
Luca had been one surprise after another, like those prank gift boxes but more enjoyable. He was sweet as he was cute. He’d taken off his jacket when they were both seated, so Shu could use it as a makeshift blanket the car ride, a gesture which went without immediate thanks. Had it been anyone else, Shu would have thanked them the moment he realized, so why not this time?
Shu's own actions, thoughts, and feelings within the past half hour perplexed him. The fluttering in his stomach and buzzing in his head made him feel awkward. He was sure that the alcohol had worn off, but what else would cause such irritating awareness and fixation on Luca?
From his peripheral, Shu could see Luca's charming yet boyish mannerisms. His hands were still, clamped between his knees, and his tattooed fingers were tightly intertwined. That was about the most still part of his body. Luca swayed side to side to the beat of some trendy song on the radio. He really was much cuter than Shu would have ever guessed if he ever decided to get to know his neighbor.
Luca appeared to be doing just the same as Shu, trying to focus on anything but the lovely couple in the front seats. His star-filled lilac eyes darted at just about anything outside the front window, and he had the cutest little pouty lips as he sat and stared aimlessly.
Maybe he could use a better distraction was what Shu thought as he stopped fiddling with the zipper on Luca's jacket. Shu placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, and Luca turned to Shu with startled eyes, pout still very present. The slight head tilt was what really did it for Shu — he looked like a curious golden retriever pup.
Shu's lips parted and quiet laughter sounded as he placed his hand on Luca's shoulder, gently guiding him to lean into the seat. Watching him sway back and forth had been entertaining for a short while, but it had gotten dizzying — darn that motion sickness of his. A soft smile formed on Shu's face when Luca seemed to relax. Shu took this moment to gesture to the jacket on his lap, a whispered Thank you being the first and last of their conversation before the GPS announced their arrival.
You’ve reached your destination.
Alban pulled the car up in front of Shu's driveway. He released a sleeping Sonny’s hand to put his arm around the passenger’s headrest. He turned around to the backseat and gave the two of them a cheeky grin, the only hint to his awareness of how close Shu and Luca had gotten by the end of the drive. Nothing sat between the two of them except wonder and something between a want and a need.
“Home sweet home.”
“Thanks for driving, Alban.” Shu said as he undid his seatbelt.
Shu's slender fingers pulled at the door handle, but before it reached its threshold to open, Shu retracted his hand. A warm touch on his arm startled him. The sudden contact had been from Luca's hand, which had been resting next to Shu's on the middle seat.
“Wait,” Luca fumbled around as he failed to swiftly free himself from the seatbelt. When he’d finally found the correct button, he gestured with two hands up, “Stay here.”
Shu and Alban watched him curiously as he exited the car. Once Luca's door shut, Shu shot a semi-panicked glance at Alban, to which Alban just shrugged. The two of them watched Luca walk around the back of the car until he was outside Shu's door.
To Shu's shock and Alban’s amusement, Luca opened the door and offered his hand to help him out of the car. Shu was like a toddler staring at its mother for a sign of what to do. He looked at Luca, then back to Alban, then let his gaze land at Luca’s outstretched hand.
Alban chuckled lightly at Luca’s act of chivalry, pleasantly surprised at the older man's forward gesture. He watched Shu hesitantly place his hand in Luca’s and pretended not to notice how neither of them let go after Shu had already exited the car. Alban also turned a blind eye to how Luca’s jacket was now carefully draped over Shu's shoulders.
Shu was the one to let go first; he hadn’t said his goodbye to Alban and Sonny. As the car started up again, he knocked on the passenger window.
“Could I have your number?” Shu asked as the window rolled down. He pulled his phone out and handed it to Alban with a new contact screen open. Alban didn’t hesitate to input his information, he even called his own number so he’d have Shu's to save later.
“Since Sonny's fast asleep, please let me know when you both get home.”
Luca stuck his head out from behind Shu's smaller stature, hand on the hood of the car. Shu felt it again, the fluttering and buzzing. Being encapsulated between his sturdy frame and the car sent his body into malfunction.
Shu couldn't focus on anything but his beating heart. His usual calm eyes shook in fear of anyone else hearing how erratically his heart was thumping against his chest. Shu kept his head dipped, eyes low and focused on saving Alban's contact. He tried to calm his desperate heart by controlling his breath.
Had autumn's midnight air always been so hot?
“Drive safe, Alban!”
Alban gave him a little salute and a cool click of his tongue. Luca waved with one hand as his other hand moved from the hood of the car to Shu's waist. He gently guided Shu back to safety, which evidently was against his chest, as Alban drove away.
Shu would never forget how his heart soared that night. Like a rocket ship headed to space, his heart traveled at light speed among the stars in Luca's eyes.