LOGIN~LUCAS~I wake up slower than usual.Not because I’m well-rested.Because my brain refuses to fully come active.There’s a heaviness behind my eyes, not quite a headache, but enough to make everything feel…off. My throat is dry, my body slightly sluggish, and for a few seconds, I just lie there staring at the ceiling, trying to piece together where I am in time.It's Saturday morning, and I'm in my room.Good.That part makes sense.I exhale quietly and drag a hand over my face, pushing myself up against the headboard.And then, it hits me all at once.Fiorella. The club. The music. The alcohol. The way she looked at me.And then….the kiss.I freeze completely still.“Shit.”My jaw tightens as the memory replays whether I want it to or not.Her lips on mine, soft and uncertain at first.And then me…kissing her back like I have been craving for it.Like I forgot every single boundary that should’ve been in place.I swing my legs off the bed and sit there, elbo
~FIORELLA~I wake up to a dull, steady pounding in my head.Not sharp enough to make me panic, but heavy enough to make me regret every decision I made last night….whatever those decisions were.My eyes refuse to open at first. They feel glued shut, heavy, swollen, like they’ve personally been through something traumatic without informing me.“Ugh…” I groan, my voice dry and scratchy, like I swallowed something very dry in my sleep.Bad sign.A very bad sign.Slowly, painfully, I peel one eye open.Then the other.I squint my eyes, and the ceiling comes into view…familiar. White. Minimal. Mine.I frown slightly.Wait.Mine?My brain takes a second to catch up.And then, I jolt upright and instantly regret it because it's a very big and huge mistake.“Ah!” I clutch my head immediately as a sharp, violent wave of pain crashes through me. “Oh my God….my head….my head….my HEAD…”I squeeze my eyes shut again, breathing through it like I just ran a race.“God…” I mutt
~LUCAS~Her lips crash into mine.And for a second, just a second, it’s soft and uncertain. Like she doesn’t fully know what she’s doing.Like I still have time to stop this.But I don’t.Because the moment I feel her, something in me snaps completely.I kiss her back, not gently, not carefully.But like I’ve been holding something back for far too long without realizing it.My hand tightens instinctively around her waist, pulling her closer, steadying her….but also keeping her there. Her fingers clutch my jacket harder, like I’m the only thing keeping her upright, and maybe I am.Her lips move against mine again, slower this time, warmer… and I feel it everywhere.God.This is wrong.She’s drunk, and I’m not sober enough.This shouldn’t be happening.But none of that matters when she tilts her head slightly, when her breath brushes against my skin, when her body presses closer like she belongs there.Like she fits there.My mind starts to blur at the edges.
~LUCAS~Time passes, but I don’t know how much.The drinks keep coming.She keeps sipping, slow and careful at first, then less careful.I notice it before she does.The slight sway in her stance.The way her words take just a fraction longer to come out.The way her eyes linger a little too long on things.She’s getting drunk.And somehow…So am I.Not completely, but enough.Enough to feel lighter and looser.And that’s when it hits me that she's about to lose her balance.My hand moves before I even think about it, gripping her arm just as she stumbles slightly.Her body leans into mine, softer than I expected, and warmer than I should notice.Yeah.She’s drunk.And there’s no way in hell she realizes how obvious it’s becoming.My eyes flick around the room instinctively.People are starting to loosen up too.Soft music is playing, people swaying slowly, laughter rising, conversations blending into something warmer, messier, louder.There are too many eyes, and too many people.And F
~LUCAS~I don’t realize how long I’ve been standing here…staring at her…until something shifts in my peripheral vision.The corner of my eyes catches a familiar figure watching us, and I know instantly that it's Chloe.My eyes flick toward her instinctively, and sure enough….she’s already looking straight at me.Not subtly either.Her gaze is direct, and intentional.Like she’s been waiting for the exact moment I’d notice.And the second I do…her lips curve slightly.It's an invitation.She wants to come over.I can see it in the way she shifts her weight, the way her fingers tighten around her glass, the way her eyes flick—just briefly—to Fiorella…then back to me.Her eyes are calculating and hesitating because she can't come over.Not while I’m standing here.Not while I’m with her.I exhale slowly, dragging my gaze away from Chloe, but the awareness doesn’t leave.It lingers, and pulls at me.Because normally, I would go over.I’d walk up to her, say somethi
~LUCAS~It feels like I'm staring at Marcella.My chest tightens in a way I don’t like, something sharp and unexpected cutting through my calm as I stare harder, trying to find something—anything—that proves me wrong.But there’s nothing.Nothing.Even the way she holds herself…that quiet dominance, that effortless control, that look in her eyes like the entire room exists beneath her…Marcella.“Lucas?”I blink.Charlotte’s voice snaps me out of it slightly, but not enough.Not nearly enough.Because she’s still there, and I’m still staring.I drag in a slow breath, forcing my body to move again, to walk forward like a normal person, even though nothing about this feels normal anymore.The room is loud—soft jazz humming in the background, glasses clinking, people laughing, but it all fades into a dull, distant noise in my ears.Because somehow, she’s the only thing my brain is registering.Like everything else has blurred out just to make her clearer.And I hat
Alessandro stands in the middle of his father’s office, tall and impassive, hands in his pockets, face unreadable. His black shirt clings to his frame, sleeves rolled to the elbows, veins prominent, tattoos peeking at his wrists. The room is thick with tension.Behind the heavy mahogany desk sits
~ELENA~I walk toward Nico, grab him by his collar and crash my lips against his, kissing him hard and passionately.The kiss is hot, hungry…and for a moment, the kiss is all there is.Nico groans low in my throat, his hands immediately going to my waist as he pulls me clos
~ELENA~Vincenzo pins me to the door and takes my lips in his, kissing me hard and passionately.The kiss lingers for a moment, hot, raw and passionate before he abruptly steps back. Like he just crossed a boundary.“Leave now, please” he growls. “Now that I'm still able
~ELENA~Nico's lips graze my cheeks…almost a kiss.Almost.And then the gym door swings open.“Damn!” We both exclaim.Riccardo walks in, towel over his shoulders. He pauses, eyes flicking between our too-close bodies.“Everything okay here??” He asks, voice neutral, but b







