24 You Deserve A Break
Sophia's respect for Luca grew when he didn't pressure her further for the rest of the day.
By continuing as usual, he showed that he wasn't going to press her for an answer and did the work he normally did while also learning how to make various drinks for customers. She felt great relief.
There were things he did that caused her to wonder whether or not she was mistreated in her last relationship. Grant was someone who couldn't get past things. He held grudges and, if there was something unresolved between them, he pressed on even when the situation didn't call for it.
Many dates of theirs wound up with him yelling at her in front of either their friends or in public. Even if she was on the phone or handling something for her bakery, he insisted on being the highest priority.
Despite that, their arguments never felt fully resolved because Grant wasn't one to apologize nor did he ever find himself to be in the wrong. Sophia imagined that was also why he made her feel at fault when he was the one who cheated.
As Luca worked alongside her, his attitude no different than normal, Sophia's mind started to wander.
Who wouldn't want to picture themselves at the side of such an attractive man? His appearance wasn't even the best thing about him. She felt safe with him and when she spoke it felt like he listened. Even when she was talking about frivolous things that didn't matter or complained simply for the sake of complaining, he listened.
Maybe it was because he was a blank slate and didn't have his own experiences to draw from. When he remembered exactly who he was, would he turn out to be just like most other men?
What if they did end up working out in the longer term? There was that whole issue of how she couldn't have sex without being hurt. Any desire to have a sexual relationship with anyone had fizzled away.
Her body simply wouldn't do what it was supposed to do. How could she ever confess to Luca? It wouldn't be fair to expect that he would be fine without a physical relationship in the future. After all, it was clear he was the picture of virility. He deserved to share that with someone who could respond to him the way they were supposed to.
While they worked alongside one another, Sophia agonized over all the possibilities.
She kept coming up to the same conclusion that she was going to have to let him go so she wouldn't have to face his unhappiness in the future. She couldn't bear the thought of getting cheated on again because she couldn't give him what he wanted.
At the end of the day when Rosa had gone home and the two of them were left cleaning up the bakery and preparing a few things for the next day, there was a heavy silence.
Sophia realized that it was more on her end than Luca's. He seemed to be fine working in silence while she was the one who couldn't let go of the conversation they had earlier.
It made her further wonder if it was fleeting for him. Maybe she was the only one taking it seriously.
Before they could leave the bakery, Sophia helped Luca out of his apron and hung it up in the back room. She took off her own and let her hair fall around her shoulders, soft waves remaining from the way she had twisted her hair onto the top of her head.
She knew that Luca was observing her as she got ready to leave.
"We should go someplace to eat on the way back," he said, catching her off guard.
"Tired of my cooking already?" Sophia asked, a teasing smirk pulling at her lips.
"Not at all," Luca said. "You should take a day off of cooking considering how busy you were today."
With his blue eyes fixed on her, Sophia found it hard to say no to him. She tried to subtly escape the situation.
"I have food left at home," she insisted.
"If you're worried about a budget, I have more than enough tips from today to pay for a decent meal," Luca responded easily, returning the smirk from before.
Sophia hated that part of his journey of discovering himself had awakened some kind of awareness of how to flirt with people. He used it on customers who practically overturned their purses to give him a big tip. Now he was using it on her. The worst part was that it was working.
Maybe it was a bad idea earlier to call him attractive.
No matter how much she logically wanted to deny him of anything else from her, she found herself accepting his offer of eating somewhere that evening. Her excuses that she smelled like a bakery, was too tired, and didn't want to spend money didn't work on him.
As they walked down the street with one another, they found an old restaurant that served a variety of pasta and other foods in that vein. It was a place she had been a few times but not since her grandparents passed away. Now that they were gone, it hurt to return there.
"I guess now we get to figure out whether or not you like pasta," Sophia said with a small smile.
Luca didn't know what was bringing him there, but the moment he smelled the food as they walked by, he found himself stopping. The place wasn't new or very flashy. The smell alone was enough to bring him inside.
To Sophia's surprise, the moment they stepped through the doors, the man standing at the front recognized Sophia immediately.
He had to have been as old as her grandfather yet despite his advanced age, he remembered her by name, speaking in an accent she couldn't quite place. He referred to her as dear and said he remembered her from when she was a little girl. He said he was sorry about her grandparents and he led the two of them to the best seat in the house.
After putting menus on the table, the man nudged Luca.
"Ah, you like guys like him?" the man said to Sophia. "Better keep my eye on you for your grandfather."
He seemed to be kidding, but there was a glint in his old, wise eyes that Sophia couldn't ignore.
When it was just the two of them, Sophia occupied herself by putting her eyes on the menu in front of her. They didn't have any obligations at that moment except for each other, but the thought of talking to him like nothing had happened before filled her with dread. All she could think about was how she was going to have to let him down easily.
