Novels by Ericka Wayne Lucero

The most dangerous thing about almost is that it gives people hope. It almost looks like a possibility. It almost feels close enough to reality that people start building dreams around it, convincing themselves that if they just wait a little longer, push a little harder, stay a little more patient then eventually, it will almost become something real.But sometimes, almost is just another word for disaster waiting to happen. And the worst part? Not everyone realizes that at the same time.“You’re smiling at your phone again.”Mira immediately looked up from the screen in her hands, glaring at Bella who sat lazily across from her on the couch inside the Del Rosario library.“I was not.”Bella raised an eyebrow. “You literally just did.”Mira quickly locked her phone. “You’re weirdly observant.”“I have to be. Everyone around me keeps making emotionally questionable decisions.”That earned a laugh from Mira, though the faint blush on her cheeks remained impossible to hide.And Bella no

Jealousy is ugly when you admit it.But it’s worse when you don’t. Because then it stays hidden inside you, slowly turning every glance, every interaction, every almost meaningless moment into something painful enough to ruin your entire day.vAnd the cruelest part? You can’t even justify feeling it.“She’s here.”The moment Bella muttered those words beside him, Adrian already knew exactly who she meant.He didn’t need to look. Didn’t need confirmation. His body recognized Elara’s presence long before his mind allowed himself to acknowledge it.Still—he looked anyway. And there she was. Standing near the entrance beside Lucas, wearing soft ivory that made her look almost unreal under the chandelier lights. Her hair fell loosely over her shoulders, her expression calm as she greeted guests beside him. Beside Lucas.Where she was supposed to be.Adrian looked away first.“Wow,” Bella muttered beside him, unimpressed. “You’re getting worse at pretending.”“I wasn’t pretending.”“That’s s

There are different ways people leave.Some disappear completely—quiet, sudden, easy to understand. But some stay. Some stay close enough to be seen, close enough to be felt, while still making themselves impossible to reach.And somehow—that kind hurts more.“Do you think bagay kami?”Mira’s voice still echoed inside my head long after the conversation ended.And the worst part? I didn’t answer. I couldn’t.Because the moment I looked up and saw Adrian already watching me from across the room, every thought inside me tangled into something too complicated to say out loud. Like he was waiting for my answer too. Like somehow—it mattered to him.But then he looked away first. And just like that, the moment disappeared before I could even understand what it meant.The following weeks settled into a pattern I quickly learned to hate.Adrian kept his distance from me exactly the way he was supposed to.No more lingering conversations. No more quiet moments alone. No more dangerous honesty

“So am I.”The words stayed between us long after they were said.Heavy. Unfinished.Dangerous in the quietest way possible.For a moment, neither of us moved. The city lights beyond the balcony blurred softly against the darkness, the cold night air brushing against my skin, but none of it grounded me the way it should have.Because Adrian was still standing there.Still looking at me like leaving was the last thing he wanted to do. And maybe that was the problem. Maybe we both stayed too long.“You should go back inside,” he said again, quieter this time.But it didn’t sound distant anymore. It sounded forced. Like he was trying to convince himself more than me.I looked at him for a second longer before finally nodding.“Right.”That should’ve been the end of it.A simple conversation. A moment that would eventually fade into something easier to ignore. But deep down—I already knew it wouldn’t.Because the worst feelings are never the loud ones. They’re the quiet ones. The ones tha

There’s a certain kind of guilt that doesn’t come from doing something wrong—but from knowing you’re about to.It lingers in the quiet moments, in the spaces between conversations, in the way your chest tightens even when everything around you looks perfectly fine.And the worst part? You still don’t stop.“Elara?”Lucas’ voice pulled me back before I could drift too far into my thoughts again.We were still in the garden, though most of the guests had already gone back inside. The lights cast a soft glow around us, making everything feel calmer than it actually was.“Hmm?” I responded, turning to him.He was looking at me—really looking this time. Not casually, not politely. There was something more intentional in the way his gaze lingered.“You’ve been quiet again,” he said gently.I let out a small breath. “I’m sorry.”“Hey,” he said quickly, stepping a little closer. “You don’t have to apologize for that.”His tone was soft—reassuring in a way that made something in my chest ache.

There are moments in your life that don’t end when they’re supposed to.They stretch beyond their time, settle into your chest, and follow you into places they shouldn’t reach—quietly threading themselves into everything until you can’t tell if you’re still living in the present or stuck replaying something that already happened.That night on the balcony should have ended when we stepped away from each other.But it didn’t. It stayed—in the way I couldn’t sleep, in the way my thoughts refused to settle, in the way every silence felt heavier than it used to.Because nothing happened. And somehow—that made everything worse.“Elara, seriously—what is going on with you?”Mira dropped her bag onto the chair across from me, her eyes immediately locking onto mine like she had been waiting all morning to ask that question.I blinked, realizing I had been staring at my phone without actually reading anything.“Nothing,” I said too quickly, locking the screen.She didn’t even try to hide her d