Episode 5

It was eight forty-five, Luka was outside the student building where Emanuele was staying. After five minutes of waiting, he saw Emanuele come out with a sports bag on his left arm and a backpack in the other hand.

"You can put it in the trunk," he said, lowering the car window. Emanuele nodded and went to leave his things, then came back and got into the passenger seat. "Where are you taking so many things? You're coming back, I don't think it's necessary."

"They are gifts for my little brothers and sisters, and for my parents." Luka nodded, a little surprised because the backpack and the suitcase were big; he had bought too many things. He didn't say anything else and started driving.

"By the way, you always talk about your sisters, but you've never shown me a picture or told me how old they are," Luka said casually. Almost since they met, Emanuele talked very often about his family and the mischief his little sisters did, but he had never seen them. The only thing he knew about them was that they were twin girls and nothing else.

"They're ten years old," he said, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, "they're very cheerful and fun girls. Bianca is the twin who was born first, and she feels like she's the older sister now that I'm not there, she always says that she's going to take care of her little sister. Frida is a little more reserved, but just as cheerful, she always gets upset when Bianca wants to boss her around, she says she has no right because they are the same age."

Luka smiled as he listened to everything he had to say to her. Emanuele wasn't much of a talker, but when he talked about his family, and especially those two little ones, no one could stop him. The love he had for his family was admirable. Luka listened and commented from time to time, he also asked some questions, and although the journey was long, between conversations and laughter, it went by too quickly.

When they arrived at the bar where Luka used to work, they both got out of the car, but before entering, Emanuele stopped him by the arm.

"I wanted to show you a picture of them, but you were driving and it would be too irresponsible of me." Emanuele stood beside him and showed him his cell phone.

Luka looked at the phone screen and found a picture of two little brown-haired, curly-haired girls with big eyes and bright smiles. Their innocent faces were very similar to Emanuele's. Behind them, a man and a woman, with bright smiles. It seemed that Emanuele's family was very smiley.

"They're very pretty," he said.

"I'd like you to meet them, if you can one day, come home with me." Luka was a little surprised by the sudden invitation, not even he, who lived there, had invited him to his house.

"I'd love to go." He smiled sincerely.

...----------------...

They both went into the bar and went straight to the table Luka had reserved earlier. Andrea was there, drinking a margarita, while looking at his cell phone. Luka hit him on the head and he got up, angry.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he shouted, exalted, "oh, Luka, I didn't see you arrive." His eyes fixed on the person behind Luka, a handsome boy, but with a very innocent face, "Whoa, where did you get him? I mean, is this the friend you were telling me about?" Andrea seemed embarrassed by his words.

"Yes, this is Emanuele Russo. Emanuele, this is Andrea, my best friend." They both shook hands and took their respective seats.

"So?" Andrea asked, a sly smile on his face, "what made the hermit Luka Mancini come out of his cave?" Since he had known Luka, (which wasn't a short time), whenever he invited him out, he refused to leave his bed or his work.

"I got accepted to the culinary school," he said with terrifying naturalness. Andrea stood up, banging his hands on the wooden table, startling the pair of friends in front of him.

"And you say it like that?!" He shouted, euphoric.

"How do you want me to say it?" Luka furrowed his brows, clearly irritated. It had been seventeen years since he first crossed words with Andrea, and he still didn't understand how he managed to maintain a friendship with someone so introverted.

"I don't know, dance, scream, even smile. Show me something that tells me you're really happy. You've been waiting years for this opportunity and when you finally get it, you just say to me with a poker face; I got accepted to the culinary school," Andrea said, a little indignant, "can't you show any other expression?

"But he already did. When he came out of college, he even hugged me," Emanuele commented, very calmly. Andrea sat back down, a little surprised. He couldn't even imagine Luka doing that. A mischievous smile curved his lips. Looking at the pair of friends, sitting very close together, an idea crossed his mind.

"Oh," he said, drawing out the word, "I see, so you only show that personality to your friend." His words and his look were all too suggestive. Luka, noticing Andrea's abnormality, kicked him under the table. Feeling the blow, Andrea was only forced to smile, "I'll get the drinks, I'll be right back."

"Yeah, better get the drinks." Luka crossed his arms and leaned back against the red leather couch. Emanuele, who followed Andrea's gaze, saw him limping slightly and looked back at Luka. He shrugged, by Emanuele's look, he knew he wanted to ask him, "If he says anything weird, ignore him."

Luka knew Andrea's thoughts perfectly. That look, and that suggestive smile, was for one reason only; his relationship with Emanuele. Andrea, perhaps, thought that there was something more than friendship between them, and being a loudmouth, he would surely say something that would make everyone uncomfortable. He had never thought of Emanuele as anything more than a friend, but that, Andrea wouldn't understand.

"So you used to work here?" Emanuele asked him, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, I was a waiter, and sometimes I was in charge of the books," he replied. "Come on, I'll introduce you to my ex-boss. He's a nice guy, you'll like him."

The two of them went to the office on the second floor. Emanuele was surprised to see armed men in the hallway, at the foot of the stairs, but didn't ask any questions and silently followed Luka.

Luka, with all the confidence and naturalness in the world, opened the door to David's office.

"Boss!" he said in a rather cheerful tone. However, the smile on his face froze instantly. Leandro was there, occupying the place that originally belonged to David.

"Luka, it's good that you've come to see this old man." David smiled cheerfully. The slight sheen of cold sweat on his forehead evaporated instantly. If Luka hadn't walked through that door, he would surely have stopped breathing.

"Excuse me, I didn't know you were busy. I'll come back later." The blue eyes deliberately avoided Leandro's brown eyes.

"Weren't you going to take care of some personal business?" Leandro asked, excessively coldly. His eyes, consciously or unconsciously, focused on the person who was a couple of steps behind Luka.

He was just as his precious secretary had said; young, neither muscular nor thin, beardless and innocent face; Luka Mancini's ideal type. Leandro furrowed his brows and squeezed the pen tightly in his hand.

"I finished a few hours ago," he explained. "Well, if you're busy, I'll come back later." Luka turned halfway, but was stopped by David's hand. He looked at him, a little surprised, he didn't know when he got to his side, how could he move so fast?

"No, no," he denied, shaking his head from side to side, "better tell me, did you need anything?" David smiled at him suggestively. Luka could recognize that smile from miles away. Surely, his former boss had gotten into trouble with the Bernocchi brothers.

"Yes, Luka, tell us, what did you come for?" Leandro took a step forward. Emanuele, behind Luka, felt the hostile gaze upon him. And while he was a peaceful person, he didn't like receiving so much hostility from someone he didn't even know.

"I came with my friend to meet Mr. David." Luka stepped aside and dragged Emanuele to his side, "This is Emanuele, a friend I met a while back at a restaurant."

"A friend?" David looked a little taken aback. In all the time he had known Luka Mancini, the only person he had called a friend was Andrea.

"Well, now we're going to be more than friends," Emanuele said lightly. Of course, his words were easily misinterpreted. Although he meant becoming college classmates or colleagues, before Leandro's ears, it was a clear hint of an intimate relationship.

"Get out, I need to talk to Luka." The cold eyes and the authoritative voice made the whole atmosphere tense and the air drop two degrees.

Luka's eyebrows furrowed, but he forced himself to change his face when he saw Emanuele and said, "Go with Andrea, I'll be there in a minute."

"Are you sure?" Emanuele had a hint of concern in his eyes. He wasn't stupid, and the person in front of them gave him the feeling of death.

"Yes, he's my boss." Luka patted him on the shoulder and urged him to leave. Once they were alone, his warm, friendly face changed dramatically. "Do you need to tell me something?"

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