ANMELDEN~LUCAS~“Then why did you tell me to forget everything?” Marcella asks.My expression shifts, and I don’t answer her.Not because I don’t have an answer.But because every possible answer sounds like a confession I’m not ready to make.The silence stretches between us, thick and suffocating. I can feel her eyes on me….waiting, searching, demanding something real for once.And God… I want to give it to her.I want to tell her everything.That I told her to forget because I was scared.That I pulled away because I already like her too much.That every time I look at her, I feel like I’m reaching for something I was never meant to have.But instead, I clench my jaw.“Lucas.”Her voice is softer now, but somehow that makes it worse.I exhale slowly, dragging a hand through my hair, buying time I don’t deserve.“It’s complicated,” I finally say.The moment the words leave my mouth, I already know I’ve messed up.Her expression changes instantly.Not dramatic
~MARCELLA~Stella is staring at us with a slow, wicked and satisfied smile on her lips.And in this moment, I feel like punching her hard in the face and dragging her hair out of her thick, empty skull.She's very lucky that I am not Fiorella, my elder sister, or she would have been hospitalized by now because Fiorella would have made a good mess of her.Lucas and I continue to stare at her without saying anything, and I begin to regret why we didn't have this conversation in my car.“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Stella says lightly. “But this is getting really interesting.”My jaw tightens.Of course.Of course she would show up now.Lucas’s entire body goes rigid beside me.“Stella,” he says, his tone cold, but she ignores him.Her eyes are on me.“Did he tell you?” she asks sweetly.I don’t respond.I won’t give her that satisfaction.But she doesn’t need it.Because she continues anyway…..“He didn’t come back to me because he wanted to,” she says.She pauses,
~LUCAS~I never expected to see Marcella out in the public as I walked into school this morning.Yeah, we have a joint class and I knew that I must definitely see her, but I was hoping it would be in the class with the lecturers already lecturing so the full attention wouldn't be on us, and we wouldn't have enough time to speak with each other.In other words, I was trying to avoid her.I almost didn't want to come to school this morning because I wasn't ready to face Marcella, not after the cold way I spoke to her about forgetting everything.Because knowing Marcella, she might likely approach me, most especially if the students are watching.I just had to come to school because I'm not the type of person that misses lectures.I had barely slept since friday's night.Every time I closed my eyes, I pictured her face—confused, hurt, trying to hide it but failing.And the worst part?I was the reason for that confusion.I kept replaying my own voice in my head,
~MARCELLA~I don’t wait for him.I don’t give him the chance to lead.The moment I stand up, I walk past him.Not fast. Not slow. Just enough to make a point.If he wants to talk, he can follow.And he does.Of course he does.I can feel it without turning.His presence….Close, steady and heavy.We walk out of the classroom into the corridor, the noise of students fading slightly as we move further down.I stop near the empty stairwell that is quiet and private enough, but not completely hidden.I turn to face him.And for a second, we just stare at each other.This is the perfect time to be real with each other since there is no audience, no performance, no pretending, just raw and unfiltered tension.“Say what you want to say,” I speak first.My voice is calm….too calm.His jaw tightens slightly.“That’s how this is going to go?” he asks.I tilt my head.“How else should it go?” I shoot back.There is a pause, and then…“You’ve been off since I walked in through the gates,” he says.
~MARCELLA~The moment I say it, “Shall we?”I expect him to move.To play along.To follow the script.To keep everything neat, controlled, believable.But Lucas doesn’t move…not immediately.Instead… his grip on my hand tightens.Not subtly or gently, but tight enough to make my breath hitch.My eyes flicker to his, and that’s when I see it.Something has changed.Gone is that calm, controlled look.Gone is the composure.His jaw is tight.His eyes… darker and sharper.Like something inside him just snapped.My heart skips.“What?” I murmur under my breath, my smile still perfectly in place for the audience.But he doesn’t answer.Not with words.Instead, his hand suddenly slides from mine to my waist…Firm and possessive.And before I can even react, he pulls me into him…hard.A collective gasp erupts around us. But this time… it’s not soft.It’s shocked.Because this?This isn’t gentle affection.This isn’t performance.This is something else entirely.My b
~MARCELLA~I don’t move.I can’t.It’s like my feet are glued to the ground, like something unseen has wrapped around my ankles and decided for me that this… this right here… is where I stay.And all I can do….is watch Lucas walking closer, step by step, completely unbothered and calm as usual, like nothing in the world is wrong.Like he didn’t just become the center of every rumor in this school.Like he didn’t just….My chest tightens, and I swallow.My fingers curl slightly at my sides as I contemplate on what to do next.“Ignore him.”The thought comes fast. Sharp.“Ignore him and walk away,” my mind screams louder. “Let him feel it. Let him wonder. Let him chase. Let him explain.”Because after what Stella said….I shouldn't be walking to him and acting like a loving girlfriend.My stomach twists.“He dropped your drunk ass off… then came back to me.”“We shared a very passionate kiss.”“He can never love you.”My jaw tightens as Stella's words replay in my h







