Love On The Brain

The sun was hot, the backyard buzzing with family chatter, the grill already sending smoke curling into the summer sky. You were upstairs, hiding in your room in low-rise shorts and a cropped tank top, avoiding the crowd downstairs like your life depended on it. From the window, you could hear laughter, clinking glasses, uncles talking loud, and aunties yelling over one another about who brought what. The usual chaos. Then— a knock. Light. Hesitant. You didn’t move at first, thinking it was your little sister being annoying again. But then— “Hey, uh… sorry—do you know where the bathroom is?” A boy’s voice. You turned. There, standing just inside your doorway, awkwardly holding onto the doorframe like he didn’t want to step all the way in, was… him. Luca. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Soft brown skin and warm hazel eyes that kept darting around the room, as if trying not to stare at you in that tiny tank top. His curls were a little messy, like he’d been caught in the wind on the way in, and he had a gold chain glinting against a worn tee. “I—uh—one of your aunties said upstairs but didn’t tell me which door,” he added, rubbing the back of his neck. You blinked. “Down the hall. Second door on the left.” “Thanks.” He nodded, but then paused. “I’m… Luca, by the way. I’m with my cousin—my mom’s friend knows your dad, I think.” You just gave a half-smile, still perched on your bed like a jungle cat who wasn’t sure if this stranger was prey or just another distraction. “I’m not really good at family gatherings,” he added, trying to sound casual. You raised a brow. “Then you’re in the right house.” He chuckled, nodded again, and disappeared down the hallway. You stared at the door after he left for a moment too long. You didn’t know it then, but that was the beginning.