Chapter 75 Aria
On Friday evening after the kind of week that felt like a broken zipper, Luca asked if he could come over. It was just a soft, “Can I? I don’t want to be alone tonight.”
I didn’t ask why.
Mom was working a double shift so I had the house all to myself. The room was dim when he climbed through my window, something he’d done enough times now that I could tell it was him just from the sound of his landing. My room was a mess of laundry piles and the lingering smell of the vanilla-and-cedar candle I’d blown out earlier. He stepped inside shutting the window behind him, hair messy from the wind.
“Long night?” I asked.
He shrugged out of his hoodie. “Something like that.”
He looked exhausted though not physically. Luca always carried himself like he was carved from something solid but his eyes were dull around the edges and that did something weird to my stomach.
I patted the bed. “Come here.”
He didn’t hesitate. He never did with me. We lay on our sides facing each other with the warm space between us until we were close enough for our breaths to mix. My hand found his almost by instinct and his fingers curled around mine like he’d been waiting.
“You wanna tell me what’s going on?” I asked softly.
He shook his head. “Later, not tonight.”
That alone told me it was hunter-related. Anything normal like Coach, Mason being an idiot or his annoying sister, he would have spilled immediately. He gazed at me like he needed something solid to hold on to and maybe that was why I lifted his arm and slid into his chest. He went still, like he couldn’t believe I did it, and then he exhaled against my hair and pulled me closer.
His heartbeat was steady beneath my ear. I traced small circles over the cotton of his t-shirt, letting the quiet settle between us which wasn’t awkward and never was with him.
After a minute, I whispered, “You’re tense.”
He huffed a short laugh. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. Just talk to me?”
His fingers brushed along my spine. “I just—people have been acting weird around you. Tyler was hanging by your locker yesterday and Avery keeps staring at you like she’s planning something.” He stopped, jaw flexing above me. “I hate not knowing what’s coming.”
“You can’t control everything,” I murmured.
“I know.” His hand slid up to the curve of my shoulder. “But I can try to keep you safe.”
Something in my chest stopped. “Luca…”
He didn’t say anything else. He pulled back slightly. “Can I…?” His hand hovered near my jaw.
I nodded. His fingers traced along the line of my cheek, down to the small scar near my chin from falling off my bike in third grade. He brushed over it like it was fragile. “You always hide this when you’re nervous,” he murmured.
“I do not.”
“You do.” His thumb lingered on it. “I like it.”
My face warmed embarrassingly fast. “It’s not cute.”
“It is.” His eyes flicked up to mine. “It’s you.”
My pulse tripped over itself. I swallowed and let my fingers drift to his arm, pushing his sleeve up slightly. A thin silver scar ran from the crook of his elbow up. “This one? How’d it happen?”
His breath hitched. “It’s silver.”
I furrowed my brows.
“Silver hurts us.” He clarified.
I sucked in a sharp breath. “I’m so sorry.”
He pushed a lock of my hair behind my ear. “It wasn’t your fault, Riri.”
The nickname stirred something in my chest. “Does it hurt still?”
“No.” His eyes softened. “Not when you touch it.”
I wasn’t sure if he meant it romantically or truthfully but the warmth behind the words made everything inside me tilt.
He shifted closer until our knees brushed. My breath tangled in my throat. “Is this okay?” he asked quietly.
“Yes,” I whispered, surprising myself with how immediate it came out.
He wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling my back to his chest so we were spooning, his breath warm against the nape of my neck and his hand settled just under my ribcage in a way that made my whole body relax.
“This is nice,” he murmured.
“Yeah,” I breathed.
His fingers moved slowly along my side. It was the kind of closeness that stripped everything else away.
“Aria?” he whispered.
“Mm?”
He hesitated, then said, “I feel different around you.”
“Different how?”
He pressed his forehead to the back of my shoulder. “Like the noise shuts off.”
My chest tightened at the honesty in his voice. “I’m glad.”
His hand stilled, resting right above my hip. “Do you feel it too?”
I turned slightly so I could see his face over my shoulder. His eyes were vulnerable in a way he rarely let anyone see.
“Yeah,” I said softly. “I do.”
We didn’t move for a long time and Luca held me like he’d been waiting weeks to finally breathe. Eventually, he shifted again gently guiding me onto my back so he could look at me properly. He lay propped up on one elbow beside me, fingers still trailing absentminded circles along my arm.
“I didn’t expect any of this,” he said quietly.
“Me either.”
His hand slid down to my wrist, tracing the faint vein there, his expression softening even more. I knew he wanted to say something but wasn’t sure if he should.
“Aria,” he whispered, “I—”
The front door opened downstairs and we both froze.
“Aria? I’m home!”
Luca’s eyes widened. “Are you kidding me?”
“Under the bed,” I hissed.
He rolled off the mattress faster and slid underneath just as Mom’s footsteps hit the stairs. I sat up, grabbed a random textbook and pretended to be deeply fascinated by trigonometry.
Mom pushed open the door. “Hey, sweetheart—oh.” She eyed the open window. “Cold much?”
“I, uh needed fresh air,” I said weakly.
Her eyes narrowed in that mom way that said she was connecting dots I didn’t even know existed. She stepped farther in scanning the room like a metal detector.
“Strange,” she murmured. “Thought I heard something.”
“I’m fine,” I blurted. “Just studying.”
She gave me one more look. “Okay. I’m heating up leftovers. Come down soon.”
I nodded quickly. “Will do.”
She closed the door. Three seconds passed then Luca whispered from under the bed, “Your mom smells like lavender and judgment.”
I burst into laughter, reaching down to tug him out. His hair was dusty and his expression insulted on another level.
“That was traumatic,” he muttered.
“You’ll live.”
He sat beside me again, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “Can we pick this up later? I really wanna ask you something.”
“Yeah,” I whispered, feeling warmth bloom under my skin. “We can.”
And I knew we would.
AUTHOR’S NOTE:
Okay, soft-intimacy girlies/boys🌝, this one was for you. Also yes, Aria’s mom absolutely knew something was up. Lavender and judgment is her brand. Tell me: did you like the cuddling? The scar tracing? Or was Luca under the bed the best part? Let me know what moment hit you most😊.