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Luca stepped off the train in a hurry, his new shoes tapping along the pavement of Portorosso’s train station as he made his way to the station entrance. It was already dark out, and a glance at the clock on the wall revealed he was very late.
Walking out to the street, Luca suddenly realized upon seeing the empty road that any taxi he was hoping to catch would no longer be working at this hour.
Before he could start to panic, Luca heard the whirring of a vehicle coming down the street toward him. An older man on a green Vespa came to a stop a few feet ahead of him.
“Ciao ragazzo! What are you doing outside the station this time of day?”
His voice was deep and gruff, but there was an underlying tone of friendliness that eased Luca’s worry.
“Buongiorno signore! I was coming home on the train with my friend, but we kept getting delayed and now we’re late for something really important,” he explained, gripping his luggage handle tight with anxiety.
“If you’re running late, perhaps I could give you a ride?” The man offered, patting the seat behind him.
“Oh, grazie signore, but I don’t think both of us could fit on the seat,” Luca said, grateful yet apologetic.
It was then that Giulia appeared behind Luca, looking slightly disheveled as she dragged along her own suitcase.
“Luca! Are there any—“
She cut herself off, noticing the man Luca was talking to.
“Oh! Salve signore,” she smiled before turning to Luca. “What’re you talking about?”
“This nice man offered us a ride, but I was telling him I don’t think the both of us would fit,” Luca explained, motioning to the Vespa’s passenger seat.
“Hmm,” Giulia hummed. “In that case, you take the ride. I can walk.”
“What?! No, I wouldn’t wanna go ahead without you!” Luca exclaimed.
“It’ll be fine,” Giulia assured him, placing her hand on Luca’s shoulder. “I’ve walked home before, and besides, he’ll be much more excited to see you than me.”
Luca bit his lip, thinking. He didn’t want to leave Giulia behind, but the two of them standing here debating would just waste time they didn’t have. Plus, he really did want to get there as soon as possible, and this was the fastest way.
He relented with a sigh. “Ok, fine, but just be careful on the way.”
“Please, as if there’s any danger here,” Giulia scoffed.
Luca rolled his eyes at her, turning back to the man. “Uhm, I’ll take the ride if you don’t mind.”
“Of course not, hop on boy!” The man dusted the seat with his hand, leaving it nice and clean. Luca carefully stepped on, sitting sideways holding his suitcase.
“I’ll see you there,” he told Giulia as the engine sputtered to action.
“See you there!” She parroted, giving him a two finger salute. Luca smiled, saluting back as the Vespa began to pull him further away. Soon it was just him and the man, floating along the streets.
“So, where am I dropping you off?” The man asked.
“The pescheria please,” Luca answered, realizing he’d never actually told the man.
“Ah, ol’ Massimo’s place! Are you one of his?”
“Oh, no signore, he’s just a close family friend. I’m Luca Paguro.”
“And that girl you were with?” The man inquired.
“Giulia Marcovaldo.”
“Ah, of course, I should’ve known by the curls! You must forgive me, I’m not good with faces.”
“It’s alright signore…” Luca trailed off, now realizing he never asked this man for his name either.
“Nico Rossi,” the man said, filling it in for Luca.
“Signor Rossi,” Luca finished.
“Might I ask, why are you two in such a hurry to get home tonight?”
“Well, today is Alberto’s birthday,” Luca answered, suddenly feeling a bit shy. “So Giulia and I wanted to surprise him, but because of the train I’m worried we’re too late now.”
“Ah, well I was by Massimo’s earlier and it sounded like the party was still going strong,” Signor Rossi said with a smile.
“Really?!”
“Really.”
“Oh, thank goodness,” Luca sighed. Hope sparked in his chest that he wasn’t too late after all.
The two sat silently for a minute, and Luca took in the scenery around them.
The streets were quiet and empty with hardly anyone else around. Various songs drifted out from open windows, the people in their houses enjoying a late night breeze. A bonfire in the distance filled the air with the smell of burning leaves. All around, Luca could smell the strong scent of pasta, and he closed his eyes as he breathed it in.
It brought him back to his first summer above water. The memories of dancing with Alberto to his newly fixed phonogram, a fire pit the two would sit around for hours telling stories, and every small meal they were able to share at Massimo’s table.
Luca smiled fondly, happy to remember that every step of the way had been taken alongside Alberto. His heart squeezed, overflowing with a surge of affection that made Luca even more excited to return to his side.
“We’re almost there,” Signor Rossi announced, tossing Luca a smile over his shoulder.
Luca lit up as he glanced over the man’s shoulder, seeing the pescheria come into view down the hill. The yard was still heavily decorated, and he could hear music and voices drifting up from below.
He was going to make it.
“Thank you so much Signore! How much do I owe you?” Luca asked, beginning to reach for his wallet.
“Pah, tell Massimo’s boy happy birthday for me and we’ll call it even,” Signor Rossi replied with a wave of his hand.
“No, I- I couldn’t! I came prepared to pay,” Luca insisted, but Signor Rossi just laughed.
“Nonsense boy, go enjoy your party! That’s payment enough.”
The Vespa came to a gentle stop outside the pescheria, and Luca hopped off onto the cobbled street.
“Grazie!” He smiled at Signor Rossi, taking a deep breath as he fully appreciated the man’s kindness.
“Ciao, ragazzo!” With a smile and a wink, the older man set off back in the direction of the train station.
Luca faced the door to the yard, suddenly very nervous for no particular reason. He set his luggage down to the side, wiping his hands on his pants and forcing himself to breathe.
Taking a deep breath, Luca smiled and pushed the door open.
Dozens of townspeople were huddled in the yard, as many as possible slotted into seats around a large wooden table that now held the remains of dinner. At the head of the table, facing directly toward him, was Alberto, blindfolded and seated in front of his birthday cake. On his right was Massimo, smiling slightly at the sight of Luca.
A hush fell over the crowd as everyone turned to look at the door, seeing a shy Luca still gripping the handle. Luca hardly noticed though. He was looking only at Alberto.
“What? What’s going on, why’d everyone get so quiet?” Alberto asked, turning his head in the direction he knew Massimo was sitting.
Luca held back a giggle at his confused face, half hidden by the fabric over his eyes.
Massimo placed a hand on Alberto’s shoulder. “Take off your blindfold, figlio,” he instructed softly, a hint of excitement leaking into his tone.
Still confused, Alberto reached up and pulled the blindfold down from his eyes, blinking as he adjusted to the light. He froze as his eyes landed directly in front of him onto the boy in the doorway.
The smile spread across his face before he could stop it, and Alberto’s chest bubbled with something warm that made its way into a laugh.
“Luca?” He asked, feeling himself start to choke up.
Luca shrugged, holding his arms out slightly as though asking for a hug. “Happy birthday!”
The rest of the world disappeared as Alberto ran, chair discarded behind him and cake entirely forgotten.
He collided violently with Luca, sweeping him up into the air and squeezing as tightly as possible. In return, Luca threw his arms around Alberto and squeezed back, practically shoving his face into the taller boy's neck. Alberto heard the most wonderful laugh in his ear as he began to spin them both in circles, shutting his eyes when he felt tears beginning to form.
All these months of writing letters and talking on the phone and lying in bed yearning for Luca, finally he was here. He was here in Alberto’s arms, laughing and wishing him a happy birthday.
He was home.
After another minute of spinning and laughing, Alberto came to a slow stop and placed Luca back on the ground. They stepped apart, Alberto taking Luca’s hands in his own to stay physically connected.
“How- what are you doing here?” Alberto asked, shock finally setting in. “I didn’t even know you were coming!”
“We wanted to surprise you! It’s your birthday after all, it’s an important day,” Luca answered, squeezing Alberto’s hands.
“‘We’?”
“What, you didn’t think I’d miss all the fun, did you fratello?”
Alberto turned to see Giulia, leaning with her arms crossed against the doorframe as she grinned.
“Giulia!” He cried, dropping Luca’s hands to scoop his sister into a hug. She laughed, returning the hug as Alberto lifted her off her feet. Instantly he was overwhelmed with emotion, and this time Alberto didn’t bother to hold back the few tears that escaped when he lowered Giulia to the floor.
Stepping back, Giulia softened as she noticed the thin purple streaks beginning to appear down Alberto’s face.
She placed a hand on his cheek, reaching up to give him a kiss on the other.
“Happy birthday, Alberto.”
Alberto sniffed, wiping the scales away and bringing Giulia in for another hug. “Grazie, sorella.”
“GROUP HUG!” Luca yelled, and before Alberto could prepare, he felt the force of a body being thrown against his back. Though not strong enough to knock him over, the impact jostled a laugh out of him, and soon the three underdogs were laughing uncontrollably as they embraced.
Massimo approached as they all stepped apart, arm open and waiting for a hug from his daughter. Giulia happily obliged, slotting herself comfortably into her fathers arm.
“Alberto, would you like to blow out your candles now?” Massimo asked, and it was only then Alberto remembered the party he abandoned when he ran to Luca.
“Sì Papà,” Alberto nodded. He wondered if he should feel embarrassed that the entire party had stopped to watch him hug Luca, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Luca and Giulia were here , they were all together again, and that was all that mattered.
Later that night, the trio sat up talking in their treehouse. They had decided on a hideout sleepover and brought out as many pillows and blankets they could, turning the wood plank into something resembling a bird's nest.
Luca and Giulia filled Alberto in on their adventures in Genova, retelling funny stories they had already told him over the phone, but Alberto laughed and listened intently anyway. Alberto regaled the pair with his own stories, talking to them about his job lifeguarding and all the friends he’d made around Portorosso.
Eventually Giulia drifted off to sleep, leaving Luca and Alberto quietly talking along the edge of the treehouse, fingers comfortably interlocked.
Luca sighed happily, leaning his head on Alberto’s shoulder. “I’m so glad I made it on time today.”
“Me too,” Alberto sleepily replied, nuzzling his nose into Luca’s curls. “I was so happy when you guys showed up.”
“Hehe, you should’ve seen me on the train earlier,” Luca giggled. “Giulia had to stop me from tearing my hair out with how anxious I was.”
“Mm, ‘m glad she did. Your hair is too pretty to lose,” Alberto mumbled, continuing to rub his cheek against Luca’s head.
Luca giggled again. “Do you wanna go to sleep now? You sound tired.”
“No, I wanna talk to you more,” Alberto protested. “I’m not even that tired.”
“Can we lay down and talk?” Luca asked, hoping to trick Alberto into falling asleep.
Alberto thought for a moment before agreeing. “Yeah, just try not to fall asleep.”
“Only if you don’t,” Luca teased, pulling his legs back onto the wooden ledge.
He and Alberto laid down facing each other, Alberto reaching to re-lock their fingers. Luca hummed happily, shuffling forward to rest his forehead on Alberto’s chest.
“Happy birthday Beto,” he mumbled, closing his eyes.
Alberto lowered his head to rest against Luca’s, and Luca could feel the smile against his scalp.
“Thanks Luca.”
Giulia woke slowly the next morning, stretching as she yawned.
She sat up, glancing at her surroundings.
Just a few feet away from her were Luca and Alberto, curled up together and sound asleep. She smiled fondly at the sight, knowing all their troubles yesterday had been fully worth it.
It was good to be home.