Chapter 57 Aria
I didn’t mean to wander all the way to the edge of the forest. One second I was walking off campus, trying to shake off the exhaustion of school drama and Avery’s latest backhanded comments, and the next, my feet carried me down the narrow dirt trail behind the soccer field, the one everyone said was “creepy but vibey.” The late afternoon sunlight filtered through the trees in thin ribbons of gold, and the further I walked, the quieter the world became until it felt like the whole town faded behind me.
But the quiet wasn’t peaceful all thay peaceful.
I realized I wasn’t alone. I stopped near the treeline, frozen, trying to convince myself that I wasn’t imagining things that I wasn’t freaking myself out because of everything weird happening lately. My breath came out shaky as I wrapped my arms around myself. “Okay…” I whispered. “This is fine.”
It was not fine. A branch snapped deep inside the trees and my heart hammered against my ribs like it was trying to escape.
“Aria?”
I spun so quickly I nearly tripped over my own feet. Max jogged toward me from the direction of the field, still wearing his practice jersey, his hair slightly damp from sweat. He slowed when he saw my face.
“Whoa, hey,” he said gently. “You okay? You look like you saw a ghost.”
I tried to laugh it off, but it came out thin and weak. “Do you ever feel like something’s staring at you here?”
Max turned toward the woods with a thoughtful squint. “Animals, maybe? This area’s crawling with them. Deer, raccoons, the occasional coyote. I camp out here sometimes. Once, I swear a fox watched me eat an entire protein bar.”
That made me smile but the pressure in the air didn’t ease. Max noticed and nudged my shoulder. “Seriously, though. If you’re scared, we can head back. You don’t have to tough it out for pride points.”
“I’m not scared,” I said immediately, even though the tremor in my voice said otherwise. “Just on edge.”
“Well, if it makes you feel better, you’re not alone.”
He tilted his head and I didn’t understand what he meant until I felt a new presence approaching from behind us. This one was familiar in a way that made my chest warm instead of freeze. I didn’t even have to turn to know.
“Luca,” I breathed.
He emerged from the path to my left and didn’t even look at Max; his eyes were locked on me, scanning my face, my posture, and the tension in my shoulders. His jaw tightened when he saw how shaken I was.
“Aria,” he said, voice low. “Why are you out here alone?”
“I wasn’t alone,” I said. “Max was just—”
“I found her,” Max explained, lifting both hands. “She looked spooked so I checked in.”
Luca gave a short nod but his attention never left me. He stepped way too close for someone who wasn’t technically my boyfriend and something inside me pulled toward him like gravity. I inhaled, and there it was: his scent. Warm cedar crisp like mountain air, and something masculine. He stepped in behind me. The air thickened with electricity. His chest brushed my back when he leaned in slightly close enough that his breath whispered against the side of my neck.
And everything inside me went molten.
My eyes fluttered shut without my permission. The world narrowed to the heat of him, the sound of his breathing, and the soft firmness of his hands as they hesitated near my hips.
“Something was watching me,” I whispered.
“I know,” Luca murmured. His voice vibrated against the back of my neck, sending a shiver down my spine. “I felt it from halfway across school.”
His breath warmed my skin again and I swore my knees almost buckled.
Max cleared his throat behind us. “I’m… uh… gonna head back. Text me if you need anything, Aria.”
I could barely form words with Luca this close. “Yeah. Thanks, Max.”
When Max’s footsteps faded, Luca finally shifted, just enough to slide around to face me. His eyes—gold-flecked, intense, and infuriatingly beautiful—searched mine.
“You shouldn’t come out here alone,” he said softly.
“I wasn’t planning on it,” I whispered. “I just needed space and nd then something felt off.”
“You weren’t imagining it.” His gaze flicked toward the trees behind me. “There were wolves nearby.”
My pulse spiked. “Wolves? Like real wolves or—”
“Does it matter?” His voice was quiet but steady. “Either way, you were being watched.”
“That’s not comforting, Luca.”
“I’m not trying to keep you safe,” he said.
He stepped closer again and I felt the air disappear from my lungs. I hated how much control he had over my heartbeat. Hated and loved it at the same time. His hands lifted hesitantly until they rested lightly on my arms.
“You scared me,” he admitted. “When I couldn’t find you.”
A wave of warmth rolled through me. “Luca… I didn’t mean to.”
“I know.” His thumb brushed my skin in a slow, unthinking motion. “Just don’t disappear like that again.”
His face was so close that his breath brushed my cheek. If I tilted my head even slightly, our lips would touch.
My voice came out barely above a whisper. “You can’t act like this and then tell me we’re nothing.”
He closed his eyes, pained. “I never said we were nothing.”
“Then what are we?”
Luca swallowed like the truth was something sharp lodged in his throat. “Complicated.”
“I hate complicated,” I said.
He opened his eyes again, and there was the raw emotion he hid from everyone else. The anger at himself, fear, and the pull toward me he tried so hard to fight.
He leaned his forehead against mine. “Me too.”
My heart raced as his hands tightened just on my arms like he was anchoring himself. I didn’t know how long we stayed like that—seconds, minutes, forever—but eventually he exhaled shakily and stepped back, running a hand through his hair.
“We should go back.” he said.
I nodded, still recovering from the intensity of the moment. We walked back together and every time our fingers touched, that strange, magnetic pull rippled through me again. As we reached the edge of school property, I glanced back at the forest. Something still watched us from the shadows and this time, I knew the presence wasn’t Luca.
AUTHOR’S NOTE:
Whew. This chapter was a ride. Luca is barely keeping his emotions in check and Aria is getting pulled deeper. Complicated? Puhleaze, they can do better than that 🙄. Keep your comments coming, my lovelies💋.