Pretty in Pink and Mortified—Luca’s Dress Dilemma

Even though Luca is a key player in the blossoming romance between Damien and Alex, the book barely gives us any real dirt on him. All I knew from reading it was that Luca was the green-eyed monster of the story, envious of all the attention Alex got—especially from Damien. But after spending some time in Luca's shoes, I'm starting to understand why he was so salty.

First off, there's Luca's family—or, well, lack thereof. His parents kicked the bucket when he was just three, leaving his older sister to play the role of guardian, parent, and overworked breadwinner. You can imagine how much quality time they spent together—zilch. Luca was left alone most of the time, which is probably why he turned into such a social butterfly on the outside, but deep down, he's more of a lone wolf. Not that the book ever bothered to mention this, of course.

The book does have a few scenes where Luca chats with Alex about his sister, but it doesn't go much deeper than that. The author was more interested in making Luca seem like a cheerful, outgoing guy who made friends easily. In reality? Luca was practically a pro at being lonely.

And then there's the whole Damien situation. As expected, Damien was glued to Alex like a magnet, making Luca see red. He was jealous of Damien for hogging all of Alex's attention and jealous of Alex for having someone like Damien to lean on—a luxury Luca never had.

Honestly, I can't blame him. I get it. I grew up in an orphanage from the day I was born until I hit 12. Rumor had it that my mom ditched me there because I was the product of some scandalous affair, but who knows? When I turned 13, I got adopted by this couple who had been trying (and failing) to have kids for years. I remember being so happy I cried. Finally, I had a family! But two years later, my adoptive mom got pregnant, and suddenly, I was old news. All the love and attention I thought I'd finally found was showered on the new baby.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel a little resentful. But hey, what was I supposed to do? I was just the adopted kid. Getting a tiny slice of affection was better than none, right? Still, I wonder if my adoptive parents are freaking out now that I've disappeared into this weird book world. Are they worried sick? Or are they just relieved they only have to deal with one kid now?

"Luca, hurry up! You've got to try this dress—it's so cute!" I'm exhausted. Today, Luca's sister, Lianna, has a day off, and instead of kicking back and relaxing, she decided we should hit the mall. Now, she's dragging me from store to store, shoving every frilly, pink monstrosity she can find into my hands. I'm starting to see why Luca's room looks like a unicorn threw up in it—pink, flowers, ruffles everywhere. The poor guy never stood a chance.

"I'm good, thanks. Why don't you try it on instead?" I push the dress back at her. There's no way I'm squeezing into that pastel pink nightmare with floral embroidery all over the chest. Luca's closet is already full of this stuff, and I haven't touched a single one. Why would I add another to the collection?

As I turn away from Lianna, scanning the mall for anything less pink, I suddenly spot Damien. He's leaning against a wall, arms crossed, watching me with that infuriatingly cool expression. He looks like he's walked straight off the cover of a romance novel—the kind where the guy's shirt is always mysteriously unbuttoned halfway down his chest. And just my luck, he's witnessing my desperate attempts to avoid looking like a human cupcake. Great.

Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, Lianna shoves the dress into my arms. "Please, just try it on, Luca. It'll look so good on you!"

I glance back at Damien, who raises an eyebrow, clearly amused. Fantastic. Now I have to make a choice: wear the dress and let Damien see me in all my frilly, pink glory, or refuse and have Lianna guilt-trip me all the way home.

Yup, this day just keeps getting better and better.

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