Chapter 12: Practice Begins

I'm only too happy to get on with our evening - I can't believe I spilled as much as I did to Luca. This is why I need real friends.

The rec room here in Luca's house looks - unsurprisingly, I guess - like something straight out of a movie. In my head, I've always referred to this as the "party room" - in part because this is where Luca's house parties are usually centered, and in part because the room was clearly designed precisely for that purpose. There are a number of plush couches, armchairs, and ottomans between us and the far side of the room, where a full bar is built against the wall. There's also a pool table and dart board.

The most impressive feature of this room, however, is the wall to the outside - which, technically, isn't a wall at all. There are only three real walls here, and the fourth is completely open to the outdoors, creating a seamless flow between this room and the elaborate poolside area behind the house. I know there's a retractable screen that can be brou