Started again.
Mason:
Because I don’t like the idea of you walking around alone at night.
That hit differently than I expected.
Not romantic.
Not dramatic.
Just… steady.
Like it was obvious.
MASON
I stared at my own message for a second after sending it.
Probably too honest.
Luca walked past me in the hallway of my apartment building.
“You’re smiling again,” he said.
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“Leave me alone.”
He leaned against the wall. “Coach is gonna bench you if you keep playing like this.”
“I know.”
“Your dad’s gonna explode if he hears about it.”
“I know that too.”
Luca paused. “So what’s the actual problem?”
I didn’t answer immediately.
Because there wasn’t a clean answer.
Finally:
“I’m not off my game because of basketball.”
Luca raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
I exhaled through my nose. “It’s everything else that won’t shut up.”
That was the closest I’d come to saying it out loud.
He nodded slowly like that actually made sense.
Which somehowmade it worse.
