Chapter 6

Gus pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to make sense of her ranting. What was going on? Luca had been wearing something she didn’t approve of, that much he understood.

He fished out his phone from the inside breast pocket, pushed the speed dial button, and waited for Luca to pick up. It rang and rang until it went to voicemail. Gus frowned. Luca’s phone was, more or less, glued to his hand, and not once during their relationship had he neglected to answer when Gus called. He tried again, and this time, he listened to the message and started talking after the beep.

“Luca, your mother is here,” he said in a low voice with his back turned to Giovanna. “Please call me back. I’m worried.” He ended the call and turned to look at Luca’s mother. “What did you say to him?”

“That he looked stupid in that thing. Like a freak,” she answered with a stubborn tilt of her chin.

Freak?

Her words hit Gus like a shock from a defibrillator. He knew how Luca felt about that word. He didn’t know the background, but he remembered the day when they’d only been dating a couple months, and Gus had started telling him about the victims of a freak accident he’d treated at work. Luca had grown still and asked Gus to refrain from saying freak. He’d been so serious, which was unusual for Luca, and Gus had promised without asking for details. Luca’s demeanor had screamed that he didn’t want to talk about it, and Gus had respected that.

The whole situation made him feel uneasy, and he was filled with a sudden intense need to see his husband-to-be. Screw traditions.

He grabbed the room key, and with a few long strides, he was out the door. He hurried down the corridor, but after just a couple steps, he gave in to the urge and started jogging. A minute later, he stood in front of Luca’s door and knocked.

“Luca, I’m coming in. Hide in the bathroom if you don’t want me to see you.” He waited a few seconds before opening the door with the key card Luca had given him before they’d parted ways earlier.

Nothing seemed out of place in Luca’s room. There was an empty champagne glass on the table. His suitcase lay open on the floor, and it looked like the clothes had exploded out of it.

But then he saw it: the new flashy iPhone lying on the bed. Luca never went anywhere without his phone. He even took the damn thing to the bathroom. Gus loved teasing him about it, saying he ought to buy a waterproof phone so he could use it in the shower.

“Luca?”

Something felt wrong. Gus rushed into the bathroom, but it was empty. All Luca’s beauty products were strewn over the vanity: hair products, face creams, aftershave, and, of course, the lip gloss. Gus picked it up, unscrewed the lid, pulled out the applicator wand, and inhaled the scent of the deep red gloss.

“Where are you?” he mumbled.

He put the lid back on and slid the tube of gloss into his pocket. He squeezed his eyes shut, knocked lightly on his forehead with his fist, and then massaged his temples with his thumb and middle finger.

He knew Luca and his catholic mother had had problems when she found out her son was gay. Gus had never gotten all the details—Luca said he preferred to forget that time in his relationship with his mother. They had barely been speaking when Gus and Luca met, but gradually over the years, the relationship had gotten easier, if not cordial. She’d been to their house for dinner several times over the years and had seemed genuinely happy when they’d told her about the wedding. What happened today to change that?

When his phone started vibrating in his pocket, he snapped his eyes open. He answered without looking at the display.

“Luca?”

“Um, no, it’s Mary from the café,” a hesitant female voice said on the other end of the line.

“Mary?” He furrowed his eyebrows. Why was Luca’s employee calling him?

“Yes.” Gus could hear her taking a deep breath before continuing. “I think you’d better get over here.” Gus turned on his heel and hurried out of the bathroom. “Luca rushed in a few minutes ago and went into his office,” she continued. “He looked real upset. I…I didn’t know what to do.”

“It’s all right, Mary. I’m on my way. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Gus was already halfway down the stairs when he hung up the phone, too impatient to wait for the elevator. He looked at his watch: twenty minutes before the ceremony, and he was running for all he was worth to find his fiancé.