If I could 'build' a perfect boyfriend, he'd have the physical attributes of Luca. Tall, muscular, fit in every way, darker hair, hazel eyes, dimples. He'd also be a marine, and dedicated to his work and the country. But he wouldn't have made a promise that tied him to a woman who clearly disliked my existence. That definitely would not have been a part of the perfect boyfriend.

Life isn't perfect though.

"Who is this??" Stephanie incredulously demanded.

"Mila, we met on the beach a while back."

"I don't know you....where is Luca?"

Her tone had a pissed off edge that set my teeth sore. I really disliked her.

"Put it on speaker.." Luca said.

I did as he asked, with anxiety coursing through my body. Where was this conversation going to go? And why had she called him in the first place?

"What's up Leer?" He asked.

She cleared her throat, a sign of annoyance.

"Hey Luca. I needed to talk to you about the electricity but I can call back some other time when you're alone."

Alone?? What the hell for?

"No, it's ok. How much did they say it was to reconnect?" He asked, nonchalantly.

"I'll just call you later..."

"Alright. If you'd rather text the amount go ahead. It was on my list to get to today."

She hung up abruptly and I sat quietly, waiting for Luca to explain. He was clearly helping her pay bills. It didn't bother me per se, if she had nowhere else to turn, but her attitude towards me did.

"I'm sorry about that. Stephanie is going through a rough time affording her apartment now that Grey is..." He tightened his hold on my hand. "Now that he's gone."

I felt compassion for Luca, especially having cared for his friend as much as he seemed to.

"Were you both very close?" I asked.

The traffic began to speed up a bit, we were finally nearing the downtown area.

"Grey and I?"

"Yes. Is Grey his last or first name?"

He lightly rubbed his thumb across my hand, keeping our grasp firm.

"His first name. Used to always give him shit for it. Who names their kid after a crayon color?" He chuckled. "His last name was Weathers."

"Grey Weathers?" I laughed.

"Yeah. Pretty fucked up. He caught so much flak for it in the units he was in."

He sounded far from me, as if he'd be transported to a different time.

"But yeah, he was my best friend."

His voice changed a few octaves, and I knew this was a very raw subject still. I didn't want to pry any further. But I had to know how long he'd been helping Leer for.

"How long ago was it?" I softly asked.

We took an exit off the highway and came to a stop at a traffic light, the sun beating down on our skin without the Jeep's top on.

"It's been five months and ten days."

💋💋

Grief was plaguing us both. That much was clear. It was vicious too, and could take hold of your entire being if you let it. But I didn't want to be in its grip anymore. It simply hurt too much. No, I wanted to try and move on and live my life. The possibility seemed much more likely now that I had Luca. He was a soothing balm.

"Ready?"

Luca held my door open with his hand extended.

"Where are we going?" I asked, a big smile on my face.

He took my hands in his and helped me out of the Jeep. Shutting the door, he backed me up into it. His eyes were smoldering as he ran his hands up my sides then my back. He leaned down and kissed me, pushing his tongue inside. I made tiny sounds as the kiss deepened. Not prepared for such a shock of passion in the parking garage, I tried to pull back, but he was having none of it.

After a few minutes, we separated by mere inches.

"You worried people will see us?" He teased, his eyes fixed on my now puffy lips.

"You enjoy making out with me in public?" I countered.

"Hell yes I do. And I can do it anywhere you want. I'm not worried about anybody seeing us."

"I don't mind PDA..." I started to say. "But I'm not as used to it as you apparently are."

He brought his lips back down a millimeter away from mine.

"I'm not used to it like you're thinking. I've never really liked PDA. But with you..."

His lips made contact again, softer this time. We kissed as I wrapped my fingers around the back of his head. He then peppered my face with gentle kisses.

"With you I just want to." He finished.

I grinned. My cheeks flushed as well. Lord this man knew how to get to me.

"Let's go eat. Hopefully we get a table on the beach side."

He took my hand and led us out of the shade and into the sun. I ruminated on what he'd just said as we weaved through the tourists and locals jamming up the sidewalks. Could it even be true that he never really liked PDA before me? He didn't seem like the type to lie though. We certainly had the chemistry for it.

"You're awful quiet.." He observed, squeezing my hand and looking down at me.

"I'm just thinking." I replied.

I reached up with my other hand to grip his bicep. Just as a way to encourage him.

"Don't worry! It's nothing bad."

"No?"

"No! Just trying to wrap my head around you and PDA."

He tugged me to the side, in a spot by a store front away from the entrance.

"I'm not lying Mila. You're unlike anyone else."

I let go of my fear of others, stood on my tippy toes and kissed him. He elicited a gasp then a laugh by grabbing onto my ass through my cutoff shorts. We both giggled as we kissed.

Yep...I can move on with my life.

💋💋

"Will you always want to live here, in Hawaii?"

I paused eating, the fork suspended in air with food dripping sauce off of it.

"I..I thought I would. But, I don't have to."

Luca nodded and watched me as he took a bite of his burger. Where was he going with this? We'd just had a great conversation on our passions in life, and hobbies. Was he taking the opportunity to probe for my thoughts on moving because he was going to get orders off of the island? The thought made my stomach turn.

I quickly ate the bite of pineapple salsa covered chicken. Chewing gave me reprieve from asking or answering. But I could tell Luca wasn't done with whatever he was going on about. The vibe changed as well. It felt serious.

"I might have to take a different assignment coming up. Not right now...you look worried." He said. "But in about 6 months, I'll be up for leaving."

I swallowed and hesitated.

"Oh."

"We're new, I know, but I couldn't keep that from you."

We both began eating again but my appetite had gone. I didn't want to face it, but here it was. The dilemma of every woman who fell in love with a marine. They always left. To stay in a relationship with one, you'd have to give up your life as you knew it and be ready to follow them. You could get married and make it easier, or move and hope you would adapt to whatever state or country they were in. My final thought was if Luca moved, I'd be heartbroken.

"Six months..." I softly said, putting my fork down.

"I'm sorry. I should've waited till we got back to your house to tell you."

He extended his hand to touch mine. It felt good and I never wanted to not have Luca near. I sighed softly and looked at him. Hazel irises worriedly stared back at me. After all he'd been through, he needed me to be there. I couldn't let this disrupt our closeness. Not yet anyway. And I had my own secret to tell. Not that I wanted to...

"It's ok."

I smiled.

"We'll worry about that when the time comes. Besides, I still need to teach you how to surf."

That perked him up.

"Yes you do. And I want a hands on lesson, on the same board like Moondoggy did with Gidget."

I blushed. He knew that movie too? What a crazy coincidence. Images of Lex in my living room flashed through my mind. I really needed to forget about that!

"With that look on your face, I think we need to head back now...can anyone see us in your yard?" He asked.

"The yard? No...not on the lanai or the yard. The trees and landscaping block everything."

"Good. I want you to teach me the basics of waxing a board and then I want to make love to you on a blanket in the sun."

**This story is only found on Wattpad. If found on another site, it was stolen. Thank you for reading.💋**