(Once again, the pressure of writing the scene of them in the treehouse that night before going to sleep has paralyzed me! Perhaps I will write it some day. But for now, we jump forward to the following morning.)
***
"The insistent yet comforting chirp-chirp of a bird gently draws Alberto awake. He opens his eyes, but it takes a few moments for his gaze to focus on the sound-maker. A few moments after he does, it flies off. Alberto takes a deep breath, then releases it casually. Well-rested, he stretches out his limbs like a starfish. But something is pinning his right arm; he looks over.
It's Luca. The boy rolled towards him in the night, and now his head is resting on Alberto's bicep. Luca's arms are curled up by Alberto's side, his knees touching the side of Alberto's thigh. Their faces less than a foot apart, Alberto studies Luca's features a few moments and smiles. He manages to gently rotate the pinned arm and bend the elbow to embrace his friend's back, then turns his head to gaze up into the sky.
A few soft clouds glide over, small puffs of softness in a vibrant blue expanse. Alberto breathes in the sweet sea air, closes his eyes and allows the mellow sounds to come to him: The gentle rustling of the tree. Massimo's strong voice somewhere in the house, heavily muffled by walls, followed by Giulia's equally unclear but enthusiastic reply. The washing of the waves against the pebbly shore nearby. The more distant sounds of townsfolk starting to gather in the piazza. All of it soft. Carefree.
Alberto opens his eyes and turns his head to look again at Luca. "Here he is; here he is," is all Alberto can think. He reaches over with his left hand and takes one of Luca's. Closing his eyes, Alberto tips his head forward slightly until their foreheads touch. Utterly relaxed, the warmth of summer infusing his body and the soft sounds of Liguria in his ear, he breathes deep his friend's scent and whispers to himself: "Perfect."
"Wu…whaz perfit?", Luca mumbles, stirring from sleep. He opens his eyes and sees Alberto inches from him. "Oh, sorry. Guess I got a little chilly last night."
"No problem." Alberto releases his friend, unhurriedly. He watches Luca as the boy awakens.
Luca lazily sits up and yawns big, slowly bending his neck to the side, then his arms above his head, and rubbing his eyes before looking to Alberto. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?"
Alberto gradually sits up. "Yeah, I slept great. You?" His reply is uncharacteristically low-key and low volume, lacking the usual over-the-top-ness. Luca picks up on it, and notes Alberto watching him.
"What is it?"
Alberto smiles a simple smile. "Nothing. I'm just glad you're back."
Luca returns the smile. "Yeah. Me too." A moment passes, the boys just looking at each other. Luca gets a bit shy and breaks eye contact.
Suddenly Alberto claps his hands and jumps to his feet. "Alright! Do you want to help me make breakfast?"
"Y-yeah!" Luca stands, a bit slowly, then yawns again. "Um, but maybe we can make some espresso first?"
"Definitely. Two pots."