Chapter 59 Aria
Luca was already at the far end of the gym when I walked in. The air smelled like sweat and floor polish and that weird rubbery scent that all school gyms seem to have. He was in the middle of a drill with his team, shirt slightly damp, and hair pushed back like he had run his hands through it too many times. I spotted Nora already seated on the bleachers. She waved me over with a grin and I sat beside her bracing myself for whatever she had stored up.
“You see this?” she whispered. “It’s like watching a high school edition.”
I snorted. “What are you talking about?”
She pointed subtly toward the court. “Luca and Nate. Look at them.”
My eyes followed her hand. Luca had the ball now, sprinting down the court, and Nate was guarding him. Nate was tall, broad shouldered, with that cocky I-know-I-look-good posture every time he moved. He blocked Luca harder than necessary and it was a little too much for a friendly school practice. The slap of their sneakers against the floor echoed through the gym as Luca pivoted and cut around him, scoring with a clean layup that looked effortless.
The rest of the team cheered but Nate didn’t. He stepped into Luca’s space close enough that the air between them felt electrically charged.
Nora sucked in a breath. “Yep, there it is. The challenge display.”
“This isn’t NatGeo Wild,” I whispered back.
She gave me a look. “Sweetheart, this is absolutely NatGeo Wild.”
Luca said something to Nate and he smirked poking at a boundary he couldn’t see but could somehow feel. A few teammates looked at each other confused but aware that something weird was happening.
Then Luca looked up straight at me. It took a moment to register that his eyes had locked onto mine like he had known where I would be without even searching. Something flickered in his expression that made my heart trip. Nate noticed and his smirk grew.
“Oh no,” Nora whispered. “He did not just try to establish dominance in front of you.”
I gave her a stare. “Please stop narrating this like a BBC documentary.”
“I refuse.”
I wondered if Luca felt the same thing I did when his eyes found me, that strange tug beneath my ribs, like an invisible cord pulling tighter every time he was near. Heat rose to my cheeks, and I looked away, but I could still feel his gaze lingering like the gym wasn’t loud enough to drown out the way he could make every other sound disappear. The coach blew the whistle interrupting whatever silent showdown had been happening. The team finally dispersed jogging back to their positions.
Nora tapped my elbow. “So, how long has this been going on?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She laughed softly, shaking her head. “Aria, please. Luca looks at you like you’re the only person in the room.”
“It’s not like that,” I tried.
“So you’re telling me that wasn’t a challenge over you?”
“He was just guarding him too hard.”
She raised a brow. “Sure. And I’m the Queen of England.”
I didn’t answer because I honestly didn’t know how to explain it. It was like Luca had become hyperaware of me lately in a way that made my heartbeat speed up without asking my permission. Practice resumed but the tension hadn’t gone anywhere. Every time Nate guarded Luca, it felt like a silent conversation was happening between them, one I couldn’t hear but could sense all the same.
Nora leaned forward, chin in her hands. “This is straight up pack dynamics.”
I kicked her lightly. “Stop. He’s normal.”
“Are you one hundred percent sure?”
She nodded at my silence. “Uh-huh. That’s what I thought.”
When practice ended, the guys scattered toward the locker rooms. Nate walked past Luca with a short shoulder bump as a reminder that whatever had happened between them wasn’t settled. Luca didn’t react. He watched him walk off, jaw tightening the slightest bit, then turned toward me.
He stopped in front of me. “Hey.”
“Hey,” I answered, way too aware of the distance between us.
“You came.”
“Yeah, well, Nora dragged me.”
“Lies,” Nora muttered under her breath.
Luca’s eyes flicked to her, amused, then back to me. “So how much did you see?”
“Enough,” I said before I could stop myself. “You and Nate looked like you were about to fight and the whole gym felt weird.”
He paused. “It’s nothing,” he said, though his tone didn’t match the words. “Nate just likes to push people.”
“And you don’t?”
“I try not to,” he said.
Nora straightened. “He challenged you.”
Luca’s eyes sharpened but he stayed quiet for a moment before speaking again. “Nate thinks he can get under my skin.” Another pause. “I don’t let him.”
Nora stood. “I’m gonna get water. Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone.”
She wandered off, leaving Luca and me alone. He leaned in slightlybnot enough for anyone to notice, that I felt the warmth of him.
“You shouldn’t worry about Nate,” he said quietly.
“I’m not worried about him.”
He swallowed. “Then what are you worried about?”
“You,” I whispered.
His gaze felt like I was in molten lava and his voice almost drown me. “Aria...”
Nate reappeared across the gym calling out to a teammate, but his eyes flicked toward us assessingly. Nora returned and plopped down beside me, oblivious to the silent stare-down happening behind her.
“Well. If high school has taught me anything, it’s that guys will literally fight for dominance instead of going to therapy.”
Luca let out a breath that sounded like a mix of annoyance and laughter. “Nora, please.”
She shrugged. “Hey, I just report the vibes.”
Luca looked at me one last time something unspoken passing between us then he stepped back, running a hand through his hair.
“I’ll see you later,” he said.
“Yeah,” I whispered.
He walked off toward the locker rooms and Nate watched him go, his expression unreadable, then he turned away.
Nora nudged me. “You have no idea what you’re getting pulled into, do you?”
I shook my head. “Not at all.”
“Do you want out?”
I thought about Luca’s eyes and the way the world shifted around us like it was rearranging itself.
“No.” I replied.
Nora sighed. “Then buckle up. Because that was only the beginning.”
AUTHOR’S NOTE:
I swear, this chapter felt like tossing a bunch of teenage wolves into a gym and just letting the chaos spark on its own. And Nora deserves an award for narrating the entire situation like it’s her personal reality show. Anyway, thank you for sticking with Aria’s journey — every chapter is getting more fun (and unhinged) to write. See you in the next one😊💛!