Pitch Perfect - 9. Chapter 9: Surprise, Surprise

Sam’s eyebrows shot up as he realized who was sitting at his Aunt and Uncle’s kitchen table Sunday morning. Lucca, in a pair of boxer briefs and a t-shirt too big for him was a surprising sight, but not at all unwelcome. He stood there for a few beats admiring his thin frame before Jeremy acknowledged his presence with a nod. Lucca turned, curious, finally taking notice that there was another person there.

It took everything Sam had in him to swallow his orange juice properly after seeing the look of surprise, directly followed by horror, flit over Lucca’s face. When he finally could, Sam laughed uncontrollably. ‘What was that expression, it’s like he saw a ghost.’ Sam was shocked to see Lucca too, but his expressions were just priceless. The ‘oh shit,’ going through his mind clearly visible.

Now that he was found out, Sam had no problem going to pour himself a bowl of cereal before meandering back and sitting directly next to him.

“Funny seeing you here,” he whispered into Lucca’s ear when he noticed the boy ignoring his presence.

Lucca gulped in a breath of air and stiffened, but otherwise disregarded the comment. What was with that reaction? Finding the challenge of him amusing, Sam grinned and moved closer, trying again.

“Hi Lucca,” he said, this time loud enough for his cousin to hear. Would he ignore him in front of everyone?

“Sam.” Lucca turned giving him a tight smile and another look, one he couldn’t quite interpret.

The reception from Lucca was odd; Sam didn’t understand why he was being so hot and cold. When they met at the café the other day he had certainly been friendly enough. Now, it was like they were strangers, even though they were supposed to be going on a date Friday. They hadn’t met since that first day, so Sam wondered what could cause the change in attitude. That is, until a second later when Jeremy piped in.

“How do you guys know each other?” Jeremy asked, creating a tense look on Lucca’s face.

‘Oh, so that’s it.’

“Well, you know.” Sam took a bite of cereal and grinned at Lucca who looked back nervously. “We have the same dentist.”

“You… have a dentist?” Jeremy had a skeptical tone, which made sense since his explanation had been a complete lie. “How is that possible? You just moved here a few weeks ago.”

“Don’t underestimate the importance of good dental hygiene.” Sam smiled to show off his pearly whites then took another bite from the pure-sugar Froot Loops.

“Yeah, right... I guess.” Jeremy raised an eyebrow.

“No, really.” Lucca nodded along now. “I brush my teeth after every time I eat something, and I floss twice a day.”

“Whatever.” Jeremy rolled his eyes at them both and shrugged. “You guys are freaks.”

“Well, at least I’m not a Germ.” Sam grinned, it was an old joke between them and he couldn’t resist teasing his cousin a bit.

“Yeah, yeah,” Jeremy shot Sam a glare as he got up from the table. He turned to Lucca who was still eating. “I’m gonna go shower and get ready first, but I’ll look for some clothes that might fit you after I shower.”

“Thanks,” Lucca mumbled and Jeremy left the kitchen. After the noise of someone walking up the stairs he finally turned to Sam.

“I’m so sorry I made you lie, but I haven’t told anyone else besides Addie and my family.

“It’s not a big deal.” He planned to leave it at that, but Lucca still looked slightly uncomfortable about the whole thing. A realization hit Sam. Lucca was a good kid, not just cute and easygoing, but actually a good person. So much so that a little white lie made him visibly uneasy.

‘This must be what Addie was talking about.’

After Sam asked Lucca on an actual date Addie had stopped by the shop again to offer her two cents, which was, for lack of a better term, a warning. Even though she had been the one to set them up, she still felt it necessary to tell Sam to be careful. ‘Lucca is delicate… and intense. He’s innocent in a lot of ways, but he’s had a hard time too, he’s wary.’ Sam replayed the Addie’s words in his mind. That’s all she told him before mentioning if Sam was only interested in Lucca to play around, then he could forget the whole date.

At first he was confused by her coming to warn him. Why would such a tiny girl feel the need to protect anyone from him? But now her words made more sense. He had initially assumed Lucca’s innocence and timid nature were a bit of an act. Plenty of guys who hit on Sam were wolves in sheep’s clothing. Not Lucca though. He was actually a lamb. Sam sighed.

Biting his lip, Lucca looked incredibly guilty. It was endearing how worried he was over such a minor offense. Sam considered the alternative; being naïve was definitely preferable over someone who thought nothing of lying or cheating.

Still, Lucca didn’t have to worry so much.

“I guess you’ll just have to make it up to me.”

The comment was meant as a joke, but judging from his serious expression Lucca was considering it seriously. Sam decided to keep quiet, sticking it out to see what response he might get.

Lucca chewed cutely on his bottom lip for a minute and stared off into space before his cheeks stained red. ‘This is getting interesting…’

“What do you have in mind?”

Sam grinned. He wasn’t planning on asking for that kind of repayment, although the thought was tempting. But, then again, he hadn’t expected any response so there was actually nothing on his mind; other than trying to figure out how Lucca operated.

“How about hanging out today?”

“I can’t… it’s not that I don’t want to. I just, do things on Sundays. If you wanted to… I mean...” Such a simple request, though it was hard to believe after taking a look at Lucca’s expression. “If you really wanted to hang out you could come with me, I guess, but it’s not necessarily fun, you know?”

‘Where is this half-naked boy going to spend the rest of his day? And does it really matter? I’ll probably be focused on him.’ Now he had to go, the curiosity was overwhelming.

“I’ll shower and meet you in fifteen?”

“Okay,” Lucca said, smiling.

Sam thought about their exchange while getting ready. Lucca was… interesting to be around, at the very least. Sam was hesitant to think of him as handsome, but he was undeniably beautiful. It was almost ethereal, the shape of his lips and the shade of green in his clear eyes. There were negatives, though. Lucca was so pure. And, apparently, in the closet; at least to most people.

Pulling a black band t-shirt over his head, Sam sighed. He was actually dying to get to know Lucca better, in several respects. The problem was his motivations. Addie being the first new person he’d met that was actually friend material, he didn’t want anything to jeopardize that. He instinctively got the feeling that getting to know Lucca for the wrong reasons, or doing anything to hurt his feelings would put a stop to his new friendship.

Of course, Sam was considerate of the people he dated. But, being reserved was something new. He was used to saying exactly what was on his mind, or what he wanted, without restraint. It had always worked for him, boldly pursing guys. Normally, it would never even come to that, back home he had plenty of unsolicited offers.

He finished getting ready and rushed back to the main house. Lucca was waiting for him at the kitchen table, this time fully clothed.

“You look nice with clothes on too,” the words fell out of Sam’s mouth before he could stop them. He reminded himself that was just the sort of thing he shouldn’t be saying to Lucca.

Lucca’s cheeks turned red, but he didn’t comment. Instead, he said, “Jeremy already went ahead, we’re running a little late. I told him I’d stay so you could follow me over.”

‘Over where?’ Sam realized he still had no idea. ‘Jeremy is going to be there too?’ For the first time Sam wondered at the relationship between his younger cousin and Lucca. Weren’t they school friends? Did they actually hang out? They couldn’t, Jeremy would have mentioned him before now.

“Sam?” Lucca stood near the door expectantly.

“Yeah, sorry.”

Pulling into the lot of Grace Memorial five minutes later, Sam felt surprised more than anything. A senior living facility… was this where Lucca, and supposedly even Jeremy, spent their Sundays?

Apparently, yes. As they walked through the building Lucca was greeted by every person they passed. The nurses looked at him adoringly, especially the one they finally stopped at.

A round Italian woman smiled at them when they approached the nurse station. She had dark brown hair pulled up into a bun, giving her a slightly authoritative air.

“This is Sam,” Lucca said, pointing back to him. “He’s going to help out today.”

The brunette appraised him then smiled. “Glad to have you, I’m Betty, the nurse in charge of this floor. If you have any questions just let me know, but I’m sure Lucca will be able to help too.”

The first task they were assigned with for the day was cleaning out a large supply room. They started to silently unload things from the shelves, and without speaking they organized everything into large groups on two tables.

Lucca started putting some of the wares back in place. “You must do this at work too, right?”

Sam smiled; Mr. Ramone and him had organized the stock room together once. It did not work out well. There were so many different types of coffee, and tea that no one could do it besides the owner. Lots of the teas weren’t even labeled because Mr. Ramone had found them on trips he’d taken. In the end, Mr. Ramone had sorted them by smell, which made Sam laugh. He had no idea how his boss could keep all the scents straight, but he guessed it must be something like notes on a keyboard to him. Loving something has a way of making problems seem insignificant.

In response to Lucca’s question Sam shrugged.

“Are you here every weekend?”

“Yeah, I like it here.”

“Why?” Sam asked. When Lucca shot him a look he realized his question hadn’t come across properly.

“I meant why do you, Lucca, like it here? Not that there aren’t things to like.” Sam gestured toward the nurses station and Lucca’s shoulders visibly relaxed.

“Well…” Lucca started, then stopped, looking thoughtfully at a jar of cleaning solution he was holding. “I guess it feels right. I do things here and it means something to people. Does that make any sense?”

It made complete sense. Of course this beautiful guy would volunteer on weekends just because it felt right to help others. Why not? Sam wondered if there was any way he could even be considered to be in the same league as Lucca. There seemed to be a huge gap between them, and suddenly he felt there was a lot of catching up to do if he really wanted to deserve Lucca.

“I get it, it’s nice of you. So how did you get started?” Sam grinned over at Lucca who seemed surprised to be asked another question.

Lucca frowned. “I want to say my Dad suggested it, but it was more of an order at the time. That might be better to talk about sometime later.”

He was definitely curious, but respected the obvious need for space there and filed away the discussion for later. They were almost done organizing and Sam was anxious to see what else this boy did with his weekends. Suddenly, another thought occurred to him. “Hey, where’s Jeremy? I thought he was going to be here.”

“Ah, Jeremy.” Lucca loaded the last few items onto the top shelf and turned to face him. “I’m not exactly sure what he’s up to, but I have a pretty good idea.” He grinned, and Sam felt momentarily paralyzed. Sam was certain then that he’d never been subject to one of Lucca’s real smiles before, the expression was overwhelming.

Lucca made a move to leave the storeroom but Sam couldn’t move, his mind was still on pause. Impatient, Lucca pulled on Sam’s arm causing him to follow. He was acutely aware of the heated feeling he got from the slender fingers on his forearm. If the light touch hadn’t already made him so excited, he’d be kicking himself for acting like some giddy preteen.

Lucca finally dropped his arm when they reached a well-lit room at the end of a corridor. The disconnect made Sam relieved and annoyed, mostly at himself for not knowing what to make of the interaction.

Inside the room, Jeremy was concentrating on the table in front of him while an older man sat thumbing through a book. As he took the last place at the table across from Lucca he noticed the game the two had been playing, and how poorly Jeremy was doing at it.

“Sam, Mr. Evans, Mr. Evans, Sam,” Lucca quickly introduced.

“I hope he’s better than the last one,” Mr. Evans raised an eyebrow to Lucca.

“Hey!”

“We’ll see I guess.” Lucca shrugged.

“I’m sitting right here, you know?” Jeremy pouted playfully, not really upset by the ribbing.

“I know,” Lucca laughed as he responded. “From the looks of the board our practice session didn’t do you any good.”

The next game, after Mr. Evans had won by a huge margin, they all played. This time Lucca won, which impressed everyone. Mr. Evans joked that he shouldn’t let it go to his head, but it was probably true because he had only finished a few points behind.

Sam was starting to see the picture of why Lucca spent his free time at the care facility. Helping people was of course a positive, like he’d mentioned earlier, but the patients were fun to be around too. A few more trips into rooms to play board games or read had Sam convinced of that. The people were quirky, and interesting, and they very obviously loved to have Lucca there visiting.

‘Maybe doing a free music program wouldn’t be such a bad idea. I could do a free teaching session for kids, or maybe even the patients here.’ Getting involved in community work seemed like a good way to get to know people. As much as he hated to admit it, the move from Florida had been a little disorienting. It was odd to go from growing up somewhere knowing everyone, to living here where he knew less than a dozen people by name. Any way he could use to get to know people would be beneficial, and if he could help them too- all the better.

Halfway through the day they stopped to eat lunch. Sam was led into a comfortable room with a couple couches and chairs to sit on. He chose a spot on a large brown couch and was happy when Lucca sat directly next to him. They were so close that Sam could feel a light heat coming off him.

Whatever quiet spell they were under was broken when Jeremy followed them into the room a few minutes later. Sam was grateful to see him, because he’d packed the lunches for the day. Sitting down, he passed over sandwiches and bags of chips to them, and that was it. Not that he was an especially nosey person, but Sam had hoped to find out more about Lucca- and even though it wasn’t really his business he was curious about how his cousin knew the guy. It was odd to him that they both sat without talking.

‘Aren’t they friends?’ Neither of them seemed especially uncomfortable, but Sam definitely was. He didn’t know enough about Lucca to judge properly; Jeremy, though, he was only ever quiet when something was eating at him.

When they did finally talk, it was a conversation Sam couldn’t contribute to- patients, things that had to get done- so he watched Jeremy instead. His interest was piqued; his cousin was definitely acting strange. And after thinking about it a while he realized it wasn’t just today, but ever since he’d arrived in Pennsylvania, really. The horrible ex-boyfriend bringing him down was logical. Acting different now just didn’t make sense though; the only people there were the three of them.

Sam creased his forehead thinking about it, had Jeremy been acting off all day? The vibe in the room was weird now, but there hadn’t been anything noticeable when they played scrabble. Of course, Mr. Evans had been there too, so maybe that changed things. What about during breakfast? Sam tried to think of how Jeremy was acting, but he couldn’t remember clearly. He admitted to himself that most of his attention had been on Lucca then. He did remember one thing; when he walked down to get breakfast there hadn’t been any talking going on in the kitchen. That was part of the reason why he’d been so shocked to see Lucca sitting there- he hadn’t heard, or seen, him coming.

His eyes flicked to Jeremy face only to find him staring back, studying in return. ‘What’s going on here?’ Sam knew that the way his cousin was acting wasn’t normal, but there wasn’t any reason. The only thing different from normal was…

All at once it made sense. Lucca.

He glanced over at Lucca but the boy seemed completely unaware to everything around him, he was staring off into space unaware of the fact that he was causing tension in the room. Without actually asking Sam knew that Jeremy was wondering the same things as him. They both wanted to know what Lucca’s connection to the other was.

Through a conscious effort Sam tried avoiding thoughts of Jeremy for the rest of their afternoon shift. For one thing, thinking about his cousin was pretty much the last thing he wanted to do when he was around such a cute guy. Also, it just didn’t feel right to pry into whatever was between Jeremy and Lucca. Sam wanted to know about how he was related to his cousin, but understood how important boundaries were to people. It wasn’t really his business, so he would just have to deal with his curiosity somehow.

Instead of focusing on such things, Sam let Lucca have all of his attention. They were spending the day together, after all. He was impressed at the ease Lucca had there. He knew all the patient’s names, their family members, their favorite books and so on. Obviously he was someone who paid attention to detail. Sam followed Lucca from room to room helping him when he needed something, but a lot of the time he was left to observe and think.

Maybe when they were first introduced Sam had only been curious about Lucca. It was hard not to be, he was charming. But the world seemed to be full of good looking guys, and Sam hadn’t expected much to come from it, if he was being honest. Now, as he watched Lucca chatting with a patient he felt…

Well, he felt something. There was a nervous jitter in the pit of his stomach and Sam knew Lucca was worth taking seriously.

That was probably why at the end of the day Sam stayed behind to talk to Lucca for an extra minute, using the excuse of finalizing their plans for Friday. It could have been why he lingered and decided to do the gentlemanly thing by walking Lucca to his car in the freezing twilight. And it was definitely why, in the last second before they parted, Sam pulled Lucca’s face to his and gave him one gentle kiss.