All The Small Things

147

[Jacob POV]
I didn't even know his mom too well, and from what I did know, I didn't like her a whole lot. But, when anybody dies it's world shattering. And even though I didn't necessarily adore his mom, when he's sobbing so hard he pukes in our bathroom, I still feel awful it happened. That she's gone and that he's hurting so bad. It was a couple days after she passed when Calvin messaged him asking him to show up.
"Luca, I don't think it's a good idea for you to go in," I gently advised him, leaning on the doorway to our bedroom. Right now, he's laying in the bed with the lights off and the curtains closed. He's clearly been grieving, so there's no way he can go into the restaurant and put on a customer service attitude.
"I-I don't know," he whispered, sounding ultimately helpless.
"That's okay. You don't have to know. Do you want me to talk to Calvin?" I offered, getting a little nod.
"I'll text him you can't make it and explain stuff to him when I go in for my shift later. Okay?" I suggested, getting another little nod again. I stepped into our bedroom, very quietly shutting the door behind me, and sitting on the bed.
"Can I hold you?" I asked, rubbing his shoulder. He slowly sat up and let me pull him into my lap. I pulled the blanket over his shoulders, letting him rest his head against my shoulder while I silently rubbed his back. Silence right now is something he's been really needing, so I've kept my mouth shut about things that don't involve him. I tell either Spade or Jane. Or even sometimes Mason. I haven't told my mom about what happened yet. Because it's only been slightly inconvenient to reschedule plans without an explanation, and because I don't think Luca wants to acknowledge it for now. I'm not going to pry. It's still very new and grief is a long process. I'm not going to force my fiance to recount his mother's very recent death just so it's easier for me to explain why I can't make something. The only reason I'm telling Calvin is so he doesn't think Luca's just skipping out on work. Because if he gets fired for it and then he applies anywhere that brings it up, it's gonna just be bad for everyone involved.

When it was 45 minutes until my shift, I knew I needed to get up and get ready.
"Bubba," I whispered, getting him to look at me for a second. "I have to get up," He nodded barely and climbed off my lap, rubbing his eyes before picking up Oliver.
"I love you, Hun," I whispered, kissing his cheek before grabbing my work clothes from the dresser. I just got changed in the bathroom since I had to brush my teeth anyway. And so I wasn't flashing Luca. It just felt fucked up to me the idea of stripping down in front of him when he was going through something like this.
"I'm leaving, baby. Call me if you need me," I quietly told him, peeking my head in the bedroom. He nodded, so I grabbed my keys from the coffee table and left to get in my truck.

I pulled into the parking lot, already seeing Jane waiting by her car. I got out and slammed my door shut, not even walking two steps before her yelling for me.
"Jacob!" she shouted, sliding off the hood of her car. I sighed before walking over to her, telling her hey.
"Where has Luca been? I actually haven't seen him for like three weeks," she asked, almost definitely exaggerating.
"He's at home. He's probably not gonna be at work for a while," I vaguely explained.
"Why?" she continued to ask, making me internally groan.
"Something happened. I mean, he's not here. It's really not my place to tell you what happened," I tried to explain.
"When's he gonna be back?" she questioned again.
"I don't know," I told her, standing up off of her car and telling her I'd see her later. I opened the front doors to see Calvin standing at the hosting stand, checking reservations most likely.
"Jacob, where the hell is your fiance? Why can't he make it for two weeks straight?" Calvin asked, starting the conversation aggressively.
"He was out the first couple days cause he was inpatient, and I gave you the paperwork saying that. But Thanksgiving he got called to the hospital 'cause, um, his mom was gonna go. She died the morning after," I tried to briefly explain, leaving out as much information as I could while still giving him the real reason. I saw his expression instantly soften as he exhaled.
"Okay... I can get someone part time when schools are on winter break. Do you think he can be back in January?" he asked, sighing.
"I think so," I answered honestly. I don't wanna make a promise that he definitely will, because he might not. But I also didn't wanna say I needed it later because Luca might be ready by then, or earlier.
"Okay... I can do that," Calvin agreed, making me thank him a couple of times before going to clock in.