One day, when he was in town, he dashed in to get a newspaper. As he was doing so, he noticed a glossy magazine with the image of Luca staring back at him. He picked it up and stared at it until the image became blurry due to the tears forming in his eyes. He blinked them back and cast his eyes over the vast array of magazines before him. There was another cover with Luca. He picked up a copy of that magazine and took both of them, along with his newspaper to the counter.

"You want a bag?" asked the assistant, a young, clean-shaven man wearing a Kurt Cobain t-shirt.

Duncan shook his head. He did not. He wanted the magazine on the seat beside him so he could glance down at Luca all the way home.

After pulling up outside the large double garage to the right of the house and pressing the remote control, his mobile phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Oh, Luca. How are you?"

"Don't sound so happy to hear from me," laughed Luca.

"Sorry. I was just parking the car." He turned the engine off.

"Oh yeah? Where have you been?"

"Into town. I got a couple of magazines with you on the cover."

"Really? No kidding?"

Hearing Luca so excited, without him there, created a heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Yes," he managed to say. "Really."

"Well I'm about to be on one more. Danny, Simone's friend in Melbourne, is doing some shots for GQ magazine and wants me for the cover. It's way more money than I've been getting and I get to go to New York, only I won't be able to come home before I do."

Duncan felt a tightness in his chest, to add to the already heavy feeling in his gut. The tears were now streaming down his cheeks, blurring his vision so he could barely make out the dashboard in front of him.

He forced a smile, hoping it would mask the sorrow in his voice. "That's fantastic, love."

"Are you alright? You sound like you've got a cold or something."

Duncan was finding it incredibly difficult to get out more than a word or two. "Yes, I think I'm coming down with something."

He allowed himself to sniff, knowing that Luca would now think it was the cold he didn't have.

"I hope it doesn't develop. I don't want to be worrying about you while I'm in New York."

It was a nice sentiment, but Duncan knew well that he would be the last thing on Luca's mind in New York.

"I'll be fine. Don't you worry about me."

"Okay. Good," said Luca, sounding cheerful again. "Anyway, gotta go. I love you."

The phone went dead.

"I love you, too," he said to someone no longer there.

He dropped the phone onto the passenger seat and fell forward sobbing, his head hitting the steering wheel and smarting, though the small amount of pain created couldn't compare to the pain of his breaking heart.