Alberto sat outside, scared as hell to type in Luca's phone number. He was blushing uncontrollably and sweating profusely. His index finger was shaking.

"Cazzo!" Alberto shouted. "I can't do it!"

"Alberto Scorfano! What did I say about using strong language?"

Alberto let out a frustrated sigh. "I won't say it again," he said.

"Good," Massimo said. "Carry on."

I really should've kept that inside, Alberto thought to himself. But it's too late now.

"Well, let's try this again," Alberto said. "I have a Bruno in my head that's stopping me from talking to Luca." He closed his eyes. "Just type the damn number and get it over with. You don't know if he loves you back or not—you might even get rejected. But what's the big deal? Silenzio, Bruno."

When his phone started ringing, he slightly opened one eye. Alberto clasped his hands to his chest, feeling his heart beat fast. "Silenzio, Bruno," he reminded himself. "You can do this."

"Hello, this is Luca Paguro," Luca said on the other side.

"Hey, Luca," Alberto said. "It's nice to be talking to you again. I mean, with school and everything. And me? I'm just hanging out in Portorosso with my dad. No, not that one. But you remember how I became Giulia's older brother, right?"

"Yeah. What about it?" Luca said.

"Well, uh, nothing much. Just getting scolded for swearing," Alberto said.

"Oh OK. I totally get it," Luca said. "So uh, if we ever meet in person again..."

"Which we will once you graduate," Alberto said.

Luca blushed. "I-I kinda wanna tell you something. N-nothing b-bad, j-just something, you know?"

Now both boys were blushing.

"Well, uh, s-so do I," Alberto said. "And the funny thing is that it definitely can't wait. I'm gonna get it out now."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Luca said. "Tell me!"

Alberto's face lit up as red as a tomato, but this time his whole body was drenched in sweat. "Well, here goes nothing," he whispered.

"What was that?" Luca asked.

"N-nothing!" Alberto cried, going into a gay panic.

"OK," Luca said. "I'm waiting."

"I wanna take you anywhere in the world on our very own Vespa. We could ride into the fish, and well, maybe, go stargazing. Just you and me," Alberto said. "I wanna touch you everywhere with your consent, and never ever let you go. And, I wanna kiss you until my lips go numb, if that's OK with you. And if it's not too much to ask, I-I'd like you to be my boyfriend."

Luca almost dropped his phone. He didn't know what to say. It felt like he had been waiting his whole life for this moment and it was finally here.

"So, Luca, what are you going to say?" Alberto said. "I know it might seem like a lot to take in right now, so I completely understand if you aren't ready yet."

"Uh, uh," Luca said, literally burning up with anxiety. "See you later, Alberto!"

He hung up.

"M'ama non m'ama," Alberto said.