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“We need to talk,” he says gravely.
I force a laugh, trying to make light of the mess in the kitchen. “Were you checking up on me?”
He arches an eyebrow. “No, but if I'd known you were setting fires, I would've come sooner.”
My cheeks flush.
“Can we go somewhere more private?” he asks.
I nod, and Luca threads his fingers through mine. We walk down the hall in sync, our steps matching.
Once we’re in a quiet, dimly lit sitting room, we settle together on the couch.
A lock of dark hair falls across his eyes. I fight the urge to reach out and touch him. As if reading my thoughts, Luca sweeps it back with a weary sigh.
Sensing the anger radiating from him, my body tenses. “What did you want to talk about?”
“I just came from my parent’s house,” he says grimly.
Healwaysreferred to the house in Malibu as ‘home,’ but not this time.
His eyes are distant. “Luca?”
My chest aches. Whatever he came here to tell me must be bad.Really bad.
It looks like his parents got into his head and made him change his mind. Now he’s going to end our relationship.
I can’t bear the thought of living without him, but I don’t want to make it worse.
I clear my throat.
“Wait, let me go first. It's fine. You don't need to say anything. I understand if you don’t want to be with me.”
The lie makes my throat tight. I cough. It quickly develops into a coughing fit, as if I’m choking on the treacherous words.
“Auds, you think I came here to break up with you? Fuck no! This whole situation has gone too far. It ends now.”
His gentle kiss reassures me. I’m embarrassed I lost control so quickly.
“Luca, what’s wrong? You're scaring me,” I say, my voice tinged with a vulnerability I can't mask.
Resting his forehead gently against mine, he cradles the nape of my neck in his broad, warm hand—a soothing gesture that comforts and claims me as his own.
Luca's breath feathers over my skin as he whispers, “Look at me, Auds. This is real. You and me, just like this.”
“Yes, it is,” I murmur.
Nothing compares to the love I feel for this man. The best part? He feels the same way.
“Stay here in this moment with me,” he implores softly. “I don't ever want to let you go.”
“Me neither,” I breathe.
I'd do anything to be together forever. Rather than surrender to fear, I cling to the fact that he's here now, reassuring me—nothing will tear us apart.
I gently take his clenched fists, massaging my thumbs over his knuckles until some tension leaves him.
“Luca, why don’t we come clean now? My dad saw you twirling me around—the cat’s out of the bag. What’s the point in waiting until tomorrow?”
