0005: FORBIDDEN FRUIT

JUNE’S POV

“No,” I said too fast, way too sharp. “I can handle it.”

He ignored me. He moved in close, took a plate from my hand as if it were his to take, and turned on the tap.

I stood there, hovering, not sure what to do with myself. Watching him load dishes into the washer as if he had always belonged in that spot. And I caught myself thinking how natural he looked there… which made me wonder how long he had been around, really around, without me noticing.

“So, you’re Adrian’s mom,” he said, breaking the silence first.

“You didn’t tell me you were Adrian’s friend.” The words came out clipped, harsher than I meant. I hated myself for snapping at him. I hated that he had forced this moment when we could have kept pretending. Pretending was easier.

“And I suppose that is my fault, isn’t it?” His smirk cut into me, warming my cheeks. “Funny thing, I was going to find you. But here you are.” His eyes flicked down, then up again, and I knew he was looking too closely.

I had nothing on worth noticing. An old T-shirt, loose pants, hair shoved up because why bother. My children did not care how their mother looked. But under his stare, I might as well have been bare.

“Stop,” I whispered, shaking my head. “Let’s forget the other night ever happened. We were drunk.”

“I wasn’t drunk. Neither were you.”

“I wasn’t in my right mind either.” That was a lie. We both knew it. I had a drink, yes, but I was not fogged. I knew what I was doing when I followed him home. I practically begged for him to take me to his place.

His grin sharpened. “You seemed clear enough when my mouth was between your legs.”

I gasped, heat rushing up my neck. “Quiet, Luca. Someone might hear.”

“So?” He leaned closer, clearly unbothered.

“You can’t talk about us like that. Not here. Not while you’re my son’s best friend.”

He moved in slowly, more deliberate now, until there was no space at all between us. I froze. I could not step back. My breath snagged in my throat. And despite every warning screaming inside me to move away, I leaned toward him instead. My body betrayed me. My legs felt unsteady, spinning.

“Funny how the best things are the ones you’re not supposed to touch,” he murmured. His voice was low and husky. It curled under my skin and made me shiver visibly. I bit down on my lip, remembering his kiss from nights ago.

“Don’t,” I whispered, but my voice cracked.

He lifted a hand, fingers grazing my arm before tugging me closer. “Knowing we shouldn’t be together makes me want you more.”

His warmth pressed in, his body an anchor I both wanted and wanted to escape. Sparks in every small touch. I was drowning in it. And then Marlene’s voice shattered the air.

“Luca.” She walked in and quickly leaned against the counter, dripping flirtation like perfume. “You didn’t tell me you were good in the kitchen too. Careful, I might steal you away.”

I froze. The glass in my hand nearly slipped. Luca did not even glance at her. His tone was cool, uninterested. “If you learned your way around a kitchen, you would see it isn’t that hard.”

She slid a hand onto his arm. “Then teach me.”

“I would have loved to, but Adrian needs me. Later.” He gently pulled away, heading for the door. Gone, just like that.

Marlene stood starry-eyed, sighing.

I let out a breath I had not realized I had been holding. Relief washed through me, brief and fragile, until my daughter appeared at my side, clutching my sleeve.

“Mom,” she whispered, eyes alight. “Help me. I want him. Luca. Please, help me get him.”

The words hit harder than anything Luca had said. For a moment, I thought I had misheard. But her flushed face, that glow, left no doubt.

She looked how I used to look when Franklin first smiled at me in the coffee shop. Back when I was scraping together money to keep my mother afloat after the diagnosis. A memory I wished I had buried.

“Marlene…” My voice cracked. My fingers dug into the counter to keep steady. “You don’t even know him.”

“I do,” she insisted, quick and shaky. “Not yet, but I can. He’s different, Mom. Not like the boys at school who only care about football and TikTok. He’s… mature. And hot.” She giggled, biting her lip.

My stomach twisted. If she only knew. If she only knew how much I agreed.

I forced a smile, the practiced kind mothers wear when they have to hide the storm under their ribs. “Marlene, he’s Adrian’s best friend. That makes things complicated.”

“So?” She tossed her hair, still lost in her daydream. “You always tell me to go after what I want. And I want him. You’ll help me, right? Drop hints maybe?”

My throat went dry. Luca’s voice replayed in my ear. Forbidden things are the best.

I wanted to scream no. To tear down her fantasy before it grew teeth. But what claim did I have? What words could I use when my own pulse betrayed me every time Luca walked into a room.

“We’ll… talk about it later,” I said weakly. “For now, let’s focus on unpacking. He’s not going anywhere.”

Her smile bloomed wider. She hugged me quick, too light, too carefree, and skipped off humming.

I collapsed into a chair once she was gone. My heart pounded. Teenage crushes usually burned out fast. A week, a month. They faded. But this? This had fire in it. Bolt of lightning too. The dangerous kind, and it was aimed at the man I was already burning for myself. Luca. And now my daughter wanted him too.