A solid, amber wood frame covered the area where there should have been space. Yuki roughly yanked down the covers and shook Luca’s shoulders like a madwoman.
“Hey, Luca! Luca! Someone’s here!” His neck lolled to the left and right with her shaking. The scabs pulled off his face and tumbled onto his neck every time his face touched the sheets. “…It’s no use…”
Yuki sucked in a breath and exhaled. She glanced at the parlor door—no one was turning the knob trying to open it.
“Vivi said someone is here, but…they aren’t trying to come in.” Quite some time had passed during her horrid attempts to find a hiding spot and wake up Luca and yet the door hadn’t been opened.
“Come on, Luca, someone’s—” Yuki said, looking at Luca. Her heart skipped a beat. “Luca!”
Luca’s brow furrowed and he moaned. “……”
“Wh-Wh-What’s wrong?! What is it? Are you okay?!” Whatever else was going on, she needed to wake him up. She reached out to shake his shoulders.
“...Lady…”
“What?”
A heartrending expression contorted his features. This same expression vividly haunted her memories.
“No matter what I do, you won’t disappear.”
When was it that Yuki had come across Luca in the middle of the night while he was drunk out of his mind? He had confused her with someone else then too.
“Please call my name. Say, ‘Luca’.”
She said his name for the first time that night.
“…Luca.”
He grimaced painfully and shook his head back and forth, knocking his long bangs over his eyes.
“Are you all right…?” she asked, knowing she wouldn’t get a reply. She brushed his bangs aside.
“...Lady…E…Wh…y…?”
“…!” Yuki’s hand stopped in the middle of brushing his bangs aside. Tears had filled the crusted over eyes beneath the bangs. Her heart hammered against her chest. Unease settled over her.
What is this?
She struggled to keep herself calm. Her heart pounded. His almost white eyelashes were soaked with tears. Yuki always thought he had a handsome face. He looked like he walked off the pages of a storybook. How could she become aware of how close he was when his face was covered in scabs and blood?
“No…”
What was she denying? Not even Yuki knew the answer. She didn’t understand, but was pressured by the feeling she had to say it.
“Don’t cry…” She combed his hair back with her right hand and wiped his tears with the left. Her heart raced the entire time she softly touched his face with her thumb.
Until now, she had never hesitated to touch him, but some impulse had her reluctant to do it now.
Is it okay for me to touch you? She wanted to ask him even though he was unconscious. Luca moaned, deliriously mumbling in his sleep. He was calling the name of someone Yuki didn’t know. Instantly, discomfort sunk from her heart to the pit of her stomach and twisted.
“…Whose name are you calling for? I’m…Yuki…”
Yuki grimaced along with Luca’s agonized moans.