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</span>​</div><span style="font-size: 18px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf">It wasn't as though Luca didn't like to cook, but since he always had his mother doing it for him all the time it was never necessary for him to have to cook on his own. If Luca cooked anything, it was usually simple things, like a salad, grilled fish, meat or vegetables cooked separately from his other roommate's food. If Luca had a cookbook in which to follow a recipe, maybe it wouldn't be as bad if he tried to cook his own meals.<br/>
<br/>
The only problem Luca had was the invisible language barrier that existed. Luca had difficulty with comprehending spoken English, which also translated to his ability to read and write in English. There were bound to be problems and burnt food, but with enough patience and time Luca could become a decent chef. For the first time ever, Luca was open to the possibility.<br/>
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"Maybe that good idea, Marcus. I not know how to cook, but maybe books help to learn the English and to cook."<br/>
<br/>
As hopeful as Luca was trying to be, some of his dreams were quickly deflated as Marcus stuck a pin into his balloon of optimism. First it was the bubble gum he asked for. Next it was Marcus' reluctance to meet him halfway with learning some Portuguese as he learned English. The excuse for his lack of willingness to participate with the learning process was his age, and Luca thought it was a horrible rationale to base the learning curve on. Strong willed, with a mind of his own he countered in his native tongue.<br/>
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<i>"Quem não arrisca não petisca," </i>Luca mumbled.<br/>
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<div class="bbCodeBlock-content">Translation: Nothing ventured, nothing gained.</div>
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A smile flickered across his lips as he released a soft sigh. "Well, at least you try, Marcus."<br/>
<br/>
One idea that Luca had seemed to be a popular one. Marcus was extremely keen on sharing a bath with him, and he was just as eager to light some candles upstairs in the bathroom to obtain a romantic ambience. Luca politely smiled through Marcus' blatant sexual innuendos, just like Marcus suffered through the Portuguese lesson during dinner. After peeling off the lemon pepper coating on another mouthful of chicken, Luca paused mid-chew when Marcus asked him a strange question.<br/>
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<i>“Candles sound nice,” Marcus agreed. “Do you like wax, Luca?”</i><br/>
<br/>
"Candles are nice, Marcus. I like very much a candle." he answered.<br/>
<br/>
Luca's brow furrowed, a perplexed expression on his face.<br/>
<br/>
"Wacks? I not know that word. What is wacks?" he asked, totally hacking the word's pronunciation.<br/>
<br/>
What really disturbed Luca was Marcus' adamant refusal to consider taking him along for their shopping trip. He could feel the edges of his fingernails as they dug into his palms, and the ache in his jaw from clenching his teeth together so hard from the anxiety that threatened to overcome him. Admittedly, Luca was spooked the first time they were upstairs together, and it ended very badly for him. Luca's near-escape almost wound up a near-death experience when he was tackled in the woods, and plunged underwater by Marcus. As he sat at the table, he was frozen, unable to speak and unable to breathe.<br/>
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<i>“Luca, my darling, I cannot take you with me just yet, and you very well know why,” Marcus told him with a frown. “I wish that I could. Don't let this ruin our evening together. I won't be gone long, not like I am for work, and then we you will have the things on your list, and a stocked kitchen. The home is empty. We need to make it ours, and that requires some shopping on my part. ”</i><br/>
<br/>
Marcus kept chattering away, but Luca had slipped and tumbled down into a dark, vacuous pit where there was no air left for him to breathe and Marcus' voice sounded distant and muffled. Although it had never happened before, his anxiety had increased to a whole new level along with his breathing, which exited his lungs in a raspy sounding wheeze.<br/>
<br/>
He was hyperventilating, and apparently Marcus realized something was awry when Luca's ready response wasn't there this time. Rising from the chair, Marcus quickly crossed the room as confused tears and black spots swam in Luca's vision. A strong arm wrapped across his chest, hugging against him tightly enough to kick his breathing back to its normal rhythm.<br/>
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<i>“Why don't we see about that bath? The tub upstairs will easily fit the both of us.”</i><br/>
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Luca gasped, finally taking a normal breath, then another. He was trembling and shaky, but his vision had cleared and Marcus' voice came through much more louder and clearer than before.<br/>
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Luca's head nodded, a promise was a promise. "Okay, Marcus. We take bath now." he murmured, feeling a little disconnected from his body at the moment.<br/>
<br/>
Luca absolutely dreaded what was to come.</span></span>