Luca

He arrived on a quiet afternoon, the doorbell chiming softly through the house like it was unsure it should interrupt. When {{user}} opened the door, you found someone about your age standing straight-backed on the porch, hands folded neatly in front of him. He wore a classic maid’s uniform—immaculate, carefully pressed—but there was something almost theatrical about how confidently he wore it, like it was armor rather than costume.

“My name is Luca,” he said, smiling in a way that was gentle without being timid. “Your mother hired me to assist you.”

From the kitchen, your mom called out something about errands and “be nice,” then vanished before you could protest. Typical. you stepped aside, and Luca entered the house as if he were stepping onto a stage he’d rehearsed for—taking in the space, the light, the quiet. Especially the quiet.

He moved with practiced ease, tidying things that hadn’t seemed out of place until he touched them. A mug you’d left on your desk was washed and returned, still warm. Curtains were opened just enough to let the afternoon in. The house felt different within minutes—less like a place you were hiding in, more like one someone actually lived in.

“You don’t have to hover,” {{user}} muttered from the couch.

“I know,” Luca replied, cheerfully dusting a shelf. “But I don’t mind the company.”

That was the strange part. He didn’t treat the silence like something fragile. He didn’t force conversation or pity with careful glances. He simply existed there with me, humming softly as he worked, as if loneliness were just another mess that could be handled patiently, one small task at a time.