Luca and Theo sat across from each other at a nearby coffee shop, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee filling the air.

The warm sunlight streamed through the window, casting a gentle glow on their faces. Luca couldn't help but smile as he sipped his cappuccino.

"This place is nice," Luca remarked, his eyes sparkling with genuine joy.

Theo nodded, his lips curling into a half-smile. "Yeah, it's alright," he replied, his eyes scanning the menu disinterestedly.

"What are you planning to order?" Luca's eyes sparkled with curiosity as he waited for Theo's response. Theo shrugged, glancing up from the menu.

"I guess I'll go for a simple black coffee," he said, his voice casual.

Luca chuckled. "That's a good choice. I'll stick with my cappuccino, then."

Theo nodded in agreement, and he both signaled the waiter.

"You're going to leave me alone next week, Taya," Theo pouted.

Luca sighed, his gaze drifting to the swirling patterns in his latte. "I know, Theo, but it's just a short trip. I'll be back before you know it."

Theo slouched in his chair, a mock frown on his face. "Who's going to tolerate my sarcastic remarks and adventurous schemes while you're away?"

Luca playfully nudged him. "I'm sure you'll find someone. Maybe a stray cat or a talking parrot."

Theo perked up at the playful suggestion. "A talking parrot? Maybe it can mimic your cappuccino order."

Luca laughed, "Who knows, it might become a regular at this coffee shop by the time I get back."

Theo leaned back, a sly smile playing on his lips. "Well, maybe the parrot can keep me entertained since I won't have to endure your constant chatter for a while."

Luca raised an eyebrow, surprised by the hint of sarcasm in Theo's tone. "Hey, I'll have you know that my 'constant chatter' is what makes this relationship interesting."

Theo shrugged, taking a sip of his black coffee. "Sure, Taya. I'll be eagerly waiting for the thrilling updates from your little vacation. I'm sure they'll be riveting."

Luca shot Theo a playful glare. "You're just jealous that you won't be the center of attention for a week."

Theo smirked, his tone laced with mock indifference. "Oh, I'll manage somehow. Maybe I'll throw a party for the coffee shop regulars, and they can regale me with tales of their more exciting lives."

Luca chuckled, sensing Theo's teasing had taken a turn. "You'll miss me, even if you won't admit it."

Theo raised an eyebrow. "I'm not denying it. We're usually together every spare moment and now you're leaving for two weeks. I mean, we just started dating a couple of weeks ago, but still."

Luca gave a soft smile as he went to caress the side of Theo's face, "it won't be that long. It'll pass in the blink of an eye, and I'll be back before you even realize I'm gone."

Theo leaned into Luca's touch, a subtle warmth spreading across his cheeks. "Well, you better come back with stories to tell, or else I might start thinking that parrot at the coffee shop is more entertaining."

Luca chuckled, his thumb gently tracing patterns on Theo's cheek. "I promise, I'll bring back the most exciting stories, just for you."

"You better text me, Taya. Send me a couple of messages per day," Theo said, his voice filled with sadness.

"I will, my love. I'll send you updates every minute if you want me to," Luca said as he leaned in and gave Theo a kiss on the forehead.

"I'll hold you to it, Taya."

The moment Luca stepped out of the gate, the atmosphere shifted. It was as if he had entered a new chapter, one filled with anticipation and unknown adventures. The bustling noises of the airport faded away, replaced by the soft whispers of the wind.

He walked onto the passenger arrival section and made his way to the taxi.

However, the moment he hit the big sliding gates, he was jumped by a familiar person.

"Taya! You finally came!" Lucy exclaimed as she was hugging her brother like a koala bear.

Luca chuckled, reciprocating his sister's enthusiasm. "Get off of me! You're too heavy!"

Lucy laughed, releasing her brother from her bear-like embrace. "Heavy? I've been working out, big brother! You're just not appreciating my newfound strength."

Rolling his eyes, Luca teased, "Well, I appreciate the enthusiasm, but let's save the heavyweight hugs for later, okay?"

Luca noticed that there was a guy awkwardly standing next to them.

"Who's this?" Luca asked as he took in the presence of the unfamiliar person standing nearby.

Lucy turned, her expression shifting from excitement to a sheepish grin. "Oh, this is my new boyfriend, Gabe. Gabe, meet my taya, Luca!"

Gabe extended a hand, a bit nervously, and Luca shook it with a friendly smile. "Nice to meet you, Gabe. I have lots of blackmail to share with you of Lucy."

"Taya!" Lucy screeched.

Luca chuckled at Lucy's protest, enjoying the playful banter. "Just kidding, Lucy. Your secrets are safe with me... for now, at least."

Gabe looked a bit lost as he looked between the two.

Lucy crossed her arms, feigning annoyance. "Taya...I-I will share everything with your new boyfriend."

"New boyfriend?" Gabe repeated, looking confused.

"How do you know about that?" Luca asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Kai told me," Lucy shrugged as they made their way to the parking area.

Luca was confused.

How would Kai know?

He made sure to keep it under wraps. Even Leila doesn't know that they're a couple.

"You don't need to know Taya," Lucy said, as she walked up to a car that Gabe unlocked and opened the trunk.

Luca made his way to put his stuff in the trunk before making his way to the backseat.

"Lucy, no one knows about this," Luca said seriously as he got in and buckled his seatbelt.

"Ask Kai," she shrugged as he sat in the passenger's seat.

"But that's not something he should know either," Luca said.

"Well, he might have overheard something. You're not that good at hiding things," Lucy said.

Gabe, who was still trying to figure out the dynamics, sat quietly in the driver's seat, glancing between Luca and Lucy.

Remembering that Gabe existed, Luca looks at Gabe through the rearview mirror.

"You look overwhelmed, dae. If it's too much, let us know," Luca said with genuine concern.

Gabe, still trying to navigate the unexpected revelations, managed a grateful smile. "No, no, it's not too much. Just processing here. Lucy just said she needed to go to the airport. Nothing else."

He sent Lucy a glare who gave him a bright smile. Luca couldn't help but chuckle at the exchange between Lucy and Gabe.

"It's fine. But you," Luca pointed his direction to Lucy, "you should have told him instead of kidnapping him here."

"Taya, it's not called kidnapping. He drove here," Lucy pointed out.

Gabe, still getting used to the banter, chuckled. "Kidnapping or not, I'm here now. Just let me know where we're headed."

Lucy grinned. "Well we're going home. Mom has been nagging me to bring you home again."

Luca raised an eyebrow at Lucy's casual mention of taking Gabe home. "You've already met the parents, huh?"

Gabe looked a bit alarmed, "I didn't mean too. Not this early in the relationship!"

Lucy started snickering. "Taya, it was hilarious. He was casually helping mom with bringing in her items and didn't even realize where he was going. It wasn't until mom gave him a drink and some snacks that he realized he was at our place. I had to walk out the room and have a heart attack."

Luca burst into laughter at Lucy's recount of the unexpected rendezvous at their home. Gabe, slightly embarrassed but taking it in stride, joined in the laughter.

Gabe scratched his head, a sheepish smile on his face. "Yeah, well, it wasn't exactly what I had planned for our first meeting, but your mom is lovely."

Lucy, wiping away a tear of laughter, added, "Mom adores you already. And Taya, you're just jealous you weren't there."

Luca rolled his eyes, feigning mock offense. "Well, I'm sure there will be plenty more grand entrances in the future."

"Tell us about your boyfriend. Spill the tea," Lucy ordered as she handed Luca a bottle of juice.

"Can I not?" Luca asked as he unscrewed the cap.

"No. I'm your sister, and as such, you need to tell me everything, including all the details of your new boyfriend," Lucy stated.

"What do you want to know?" Luca asked as he resigned to his fate. Lucy was going to bother him the entire time.

"His name first of all. How y'all met. Everything," Lucy's eyes gleamed with curiosity as she eagerly awaited Luca's response.

"His name is Theo," Luca began, a soft smile playing on his lips. "We share a couple of the same classes together. He happened to be an intern at the company I'm working at and he asked me to mentor him. From there on I guess...we just started spending more time together."

Lucy's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Theo? His name sounds cute-Gabe do not give me a side eye. I'm serious though, Theo is a cute name. How old is he to be taking classes with you?"

"He's currently a senior-"

"Gabe, he's a senior. Do you know him?" Lucy interjected.

"Lucy, how is he supposed to know who Theo is?" Luca groaned.

"Maybe if there's a pic? You're telling me to look for a pin in a haystack Lucy. Do you know how hard that is?" Gabe sighed as he stopped at a red light.

"Taya?" Lucy asked, bringing out her puppy eyes.

Luca is immune to Lucy's puppy eyes. He knew that she would bother him until he showed it.

He scrolled through his phone to find a good picture of Theo, and finally, he handed it over to Lucy with a smirk. "There you go, detective Lucy. Feast your eyes."

Lucy eagerly grabbed the phone, inspecting the photo with scrutiny. "Hmm, not bad, not bad at all. Theo's got a good smile. And he doesn't look old though- yes I'm calling you old Gabe. How does he look?"

Gabe gave a quick glance as he started driving again but glanced again before doing a double take.

"I know him. He transferred a couple months back," Gabe said.

"A couple months back?" Luca was confused.

Gabe nodded as he kept his eyes on the road, "He used to hang out with a couple of my friend's friends. One day, he just up and left."

Lucy's eyes widened, and she turned to Luca with an intrigued expression. "Well, well, Luca, it seems like your mysterious Theo has a bit of a backstory. Why did he leave so suddenly, Gabe?"

Gabe shrugged, keeping his focus on the road. "I don't know the details. People come and go, right? Maybe he had personal reasons."

Lucy leaned back in her seat, a mischievous smile on her face. "This is good tea. Luca, you've got yourself a man with a mysterious past. Is he running from the law or something?"

Luca rolled his eyes, but a playful smile danced on his lips. "I highly doubt it. Theo's just a regular guy, as far as I know. Maybe he wanted a change of scenery. "

"Like you?" Lucy said bitterly.

"Not like me. Never like me," Luca sighed.

Silence filled the car, broken only by the sound of traffic and other cars passing by them on the street. They reached their destination soon enough, parking the car across from the complex.

Lucy decided to head up first, since she didn't want to carry anything at all.

"I know this is weird, but I thought you'd drill me or something?" Gabe admitted as he helped take out Luca's luggage.

Luca shook his head as he picked up the handles of both suitcases and backpack. "I really do not have that privilege anymore. I do not know what she told you, but I gave up all my brother privileges. What she does right now is just wishing for someone that left her. She's lost one brother and barely has a relationship with the other."

"I mean...she only told me that her brother was in City D and is a celebrity. I didn't know she had another," Gabe said.

"She doesn't. We only have each other," Luca declared with a hint of melancholy in his voice. "I moved away for college and my career, and Lucy stayed behind. We drifted apart, and now... well, we're trying to reconnect. It's not easy."

Gabe nodded in understanding, realizing the weight of Luca's words. "I had no idea. I mean, Lucy talks about you all the time, but I didn't know the whole story."

"It's complicated," Luca admitted, a hint of regret in his eyes. "Life takes unexpected turns, and sometimes, you find yourself on a path you never anticipated."

The two had made their way inside the complex and onto the floor where Luca's family lives.

Lucy was waiting by the door, her impatience evident in the tapping of her foot. "Took you guys long enough. What were you doing, discussing the meaning of life?"

"Something like that," Gabe replied with a grin.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Save the philosophy for later. Mom's eager to see you, Gabe."

As they approached Lucy's apartment, Luca took a deep breath, preparing himself for the reunion. He knocked on the door, and a moment later, it swung open to reveal a woman with warm eyes and a welcoming smile—his mom.

"My baby!" she exclaimed, enveloping him in a tight hug. "I missed you so much." She started littering his face with kisses.

Luca chuckled, returning his mother's embrace. "Missed you too, Mom."

She pulled back, holding him at arm's length to get a good look at him. "Look at you, have you been sleeping well? Did something go wrong?"

"No mom, I'm fine," Luca replied, feeling a swell of warmth at her words.

Their attention then shifted to Gabe, who stood nearby with a polite smile. "Gabriel! I haven't seen you for a long," she exclaimed, moving towards him, "someone just wants to hog her boyfriend all to herself."

As they entered the apartment, the air filled with the aroma of home-cooked food. The cozy atmosphere and the laughter that echoed within the walls hinted at the love that enveloped this small family.

"Mom! Do you know Luca has a boyfriend!" Lucy yelled as she went to her room.

Luca rolled his eyes as he wheeled over his suitcase to his room. "Mom! Don't listen to her! She's making things up!"

"You know Lucy doesn't lie about these things!" His mom yelled back.

Gabe couldn't help but chuckle at the playful banter between Luca and Lucy. Their mom gave Gabe an apologetic smile.

"Don't mind them, Gabe. They're always like this," she said with a wink.

Gabe nodded, feeling more at ease with each passing moment. "Let me help you set the table."

He moved to help move the bowls of food to the table, in their respective places.

"Look at you," she cooed at Gabe, before raising her voice, "at least my son-in-law is more helpful than the two children I physically gave birth from."

"I think that's a you problem!" Lucy shouted from her room as she emerged, wearing more comfier clothes.

"The disrespect," Their mom said as she shook her head in disappointment.

"That also comes from you," Luca pointed as he emerged from his room, changed and looking a bit fresher.

As they all gathered around the dinner table, their mom, looked at Gabe with a warm smile. "It's wonderful having you here, Gabe."

"It's not wonderful to have me?" Luca chimed in, taking another spoonful of dal.

"Oh, it is when you remember you have a family," his mom retorted, moving to serve Gabe.

Gabe looked a bit overwhelmed at the attention he was receiving as well as the sibling dynamic.

"I will when you remember to spice up your dishes," Luca retorted.

His mom gasped, "Take that back! I put the usual amount of spice! Are you saying my food is bland."

"Oh lord, here we go again," Lucy whispered to Gabe, "it's gonna go crazy."

Gabe chuckled, feeling like he had stumbled into a lively sitcom. Lucy's prediction seemed to be coming true as the playful banter escalated.

Luca took a dramatic sip of water, pretending to contemplate. "No, Mom, compared to your food, even raw pasta is more delicious."

"What!" She screeched as she went to tackle Luca who moved out of the way.

"My boyfriend's food is more tastier!" He yelled as he got up to run.

The dinner table turned into a battlefield of laughter as Luca skillfully dodged his mom's playful attack.

"Sure! A lover's food will always taste delicious, even if it's not objectively that good," she stated as she finally managed to catch Luca in a playful headlock. "But raw pasta? Really, Luca?"

Lucy, still enjoying the spectacle, added, "Hey, Mom, at least he didn't say instant noodles this time!"

"Quiet!" She yelled at Lucy who quickly made a motion of zipping her lips, "this boy has forgotten his roots and will follow forward for his lover."

"At least this one knows how to cook," Lucy shrugged as she went to finish her lunch.

"This one?" Gabe asked.

Lucy nodded, "I mean he had other lovers, gender isn't really a thing to him. But we all know about Luca and Wei. You've heard about Wei."

Gabe nodded, "I mean our schools were all in the same neighborhood. He is our advisor too. I didn't know he dated your brother."

"Yeah, they were high school sweethearts. But life wasn't fair to the both of them so it just went all over the place," Lucy sighed as she thought about the times Wei would come over with Kai and they would be playing games and such.

"That must have sucked for the both of them," Gabe acknowledged, a twinge of empathy in his voice.

Lucy nodded, "It did. It was terrible. To be honest, I thought they would have gotten back together by now. They finally met each other again at the anniversary festival. From what I heard, neither of them handled it well but I thought they improved their relationship enough to be together. I guess I expected too much. Taya is in a relationship with a complete stranger."

"There's nothing wrong with that. Wei was someone who was close to you, he's your Taya right?" Gabe soothed Lucy who looked down. "We all want a happy ending for our loved ones. You want Luca and Wei to go back to that happy relationship they once had, but they're both human and humans can make both right and wrong decisions."

Lucy looked at Gabe with gratitude in her eyes. "You're right. I just wish things were different for them, you know?"

Gabe nodded in understanding. "It's natural to want the best for the people we care about. But sometimes, life has its own plans, and we have to adapt."

"You know, something about that Theo rubs me off wrong," Lucy admitted.

"Why?" Gabe asked, wanting to know the gears that are turning in Lucy's minds.

"Didn't Taya say something like he didn't know much about him?" Lucy asked.

Gabe thought back, "I mean he didn't know that Theo transferred at all. I don't know. We could look but let's not interfere. It's supposed to be a private relationship."

"Alright," Lucy agreed.

As the conversation shifted to lighter topics, the dinner table became a place of shared stories and laughter. Luca's mom, still holding Luca in a mock headlock, couldn't help but join in the banter.

Luca, catching his breath, teased, "Alright, Mom, you win this round. But mark my words, one day, I'll defeat you in the epic battle of wits and agility!"

His mom released him, laughing heartily. "We'll see about that, my cheeky son."

The afternoon continued with the family settling into a comfortable routine of post-dinner discussions and laughter. As Luca's mom continued to share amusing stories from Luca's and Lucy's childhood, Gabe found himself feeling more and more a part of this lively and welcoming family.

At some point, she brought out her big photo album.

"Mom!" Screeched Lucy as she tried to take the album away her from mom.

Gabe looked at it like he was shown gold, "Nooo! Let me see!" He tried holding Lucy back from taking the album away.

Luca's mom chuckled, resisting Lucy's attempts to snatch the album away. "Come on, let's take a trip down memory lane. Gabe, you're practically family now, so you get the privilege of embarrassing pictures too."

Lucy, realizing her efforts were futile, sighed dramatically, "Fine, but if you show the one with me in that embarrassing Halloween costume, I'll disown you as my mother."

The threat only made Luca's mom laugh even more as she carefully opened the worn-out album. "Don't worry, Lucy, I have worse pictures of Luca."

Luca, feigning innocence, protested, "Mom, you wouldn't!"

She gave him a mischievous grin, "Oh, wouldn't I?"

As the pages turned, laughter filled the room. Gabe couldn't help but enjoy the snapshots of the family's past—Luca with messy hair, Lucy in her awkward teenage phase, and their mom in outfits that screamed old fashion.

"Ah, good times," Luca's mom sighed nostalgically. "Remember that vacation, kids?"

Lucy cringed, "How could I forget? Luca almost got eaten by a crab!"

Gabe laughed, "Eaten by a crab? Seriously?"

Luca blushed, "I was young and curious. The crab looked friendly!"

They continued going through pages, Gabe slowly learning about Kai and Wei as the timeline progressed within the pictures.

As the pages turned, Gabe's eyes widened when he stumbled upon a photo that caught his attention. There, in the distance of a picture of Luca sitting on Wei's leg in a library, but when he looked closer into the picture there was also a familiar face – Theo.

Gabe turned to Lucy and pointed at the photo, a surprised expression on his face. "Hey, isn't that Theo?"

Lucy quickly gave Luca a glance, who was scrolling through his phone with a tired look, before turning to the picture Gabe was looking closely at.

The unfamiliar figure in the picture looked very familiar to the picture that Luca showed them earlier in the day.

"You sure that's him?" She whispered.

"It's got to be, this is the high school library right?" Gabe asked.

Lucy nodded, "Kai took this picture and sent it to our mom." She then took out her phone and took a picture of the photo.

They then looked through a couple photos and they found Theo again.

"What the?" Lucy looked so confused. She then started flipping through several pages and then stared at Gabe with horror. "What is this?"

Gabe looked shocked, a little green as he was seeing the same thing Lucy was seeing.

"How did you guys not notice?" He asked as he watched Lucy take more pictures.

Lucy, wide-eyed and in disbelief, continued to flip through the pages, each turn revealing another picture with Theo in various settings—sometimes at school, other times during family events. It seemed like he had seamlessly integrated himself into the background of Luca's life.

He wasn't in any of the pictures after Luca left.

Luca, who had been engrossed in his phone, finally looked up at the commotion. "What's going on?"

Lucy glanced at Gabe and then gave Luca a big smile, "we didn't know that Wei had a tattoo! Look here! It wasn't in these photos, but it's here." She pointed at the pictures that did show that Wei had a tattoo but there was also Theo in the background.

Luca looked over the pictures and hummed, "yeah I knew about that. How did you not?"

"He wasn't my boyfriend," Lucy claimed as she was looking back at the photos.

When Luca turned his attention back to his phone, she quickly turned to Gabe with alarm.

"He didn't see," she mouthed to him.

"I know," he mouthed back.

The two of them exchanged conspiratorial glances, silently deciding to keep the "Theo has been in all the pictures" revelation to themselves for now.

As they wrapped up their time together, Luca's mom sighed contentedly. "It's been such a lovely day. Gabe, you're welcome here anytime. You've brought a new energy to this old house."

Gabe smiled warmly, feeling grateful for the unexpected turn of events that led him to this warm and welcoming family. "Thank you for having me."

"Let me walk him out," Lucy volunteered as she helped her boyfriend out of the complex.

When they reached his car, she looked very alarmed and worried.

"What are we going to do?" She asked.

Gabe, still processing the revelation about Theo, shared Lucy's concern. He leaned against his car, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"I don't know, bunny," he admitted. "This is a lot to take in. We need to figure out what Theo's connection is to all this. Why was he in those pictures? Why did he disappear from them? And most importantly, why didn't Luca notice?"

Lucy bit her lip, deep in thought. "I don't want to jump to conclusions or make assumptions, but it feels strange. It's like Theo was intentionally blending into the background."

Gabe nodded in agreement. "We should talk to Luca about it, but not right now. He seems occupied with his phone. We need more information before we bring it up."

Lucy sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I just hope this doesn't complicate things for Luca. He's already dealing with a lot."

"Alright, bunny, let's be patient and careful about this. We'll figure it out together," Gabe reassured her.

Lucy nodded, appreciating the comfort that the nickname brought. "Thanks, Gabe. I'm glad you're here with me on this."