Masuk~LUCAS~The bathroom door closes behind me, and I lean against it for a second.I don’t know how long I stand there with my forehead pressed against the door.Five seconds? Ten?Maybe a full minute.All I know is… I’m rethinking every decision that led me here.Every. Single. One.“Focus,” I mutter to myself, pushing away from the door. “It’s just a bath. A normal bath. People take baths every day. You’ve done this your whole life.”Yeah.Just not with Marcella waiting outside like a villain in a psychological thriller.I turn on the shower.The water comes out warm instantly—of course it does, because apparently even the water in this house is rich.The sound of the water hitting the tiles echoes softly, filling the space, but somehow it doesn’t calm me. If anything, it makes everything feel more intense… more real. Like I’m counting down to something I can’t escape.I step in, trying to ignore everything she just said.Trying, but failing terribly.Because n
~LUCAS~I don’t think I’ve ever felt anything like this before.Not the laughter. Not the noise. Not even the chaos that filled the house just a few minutes ago.No… it’s what came after.The silence.The kind that settles in slowly, wrapping around you, pressing into your chest until you become aware of every little thing… every breath, every heartbeat… every feeling.And right now?All I can feel… is her.Marcella.She’s standing just a few steps away from me, but it feels like she’s everywhere. In the air. In my head. Under my skin.“So…” I say, rubbing the back of my neck, trying to act like my brain isn’t completely scrambled right now. “What’s next?”Smooth, Lucas. Real smooth.She swallows slightly before answering, trying to sound normal… but I can hear it. That tiny shift in her voice.“You need to take your bath,” she says.I nod quickly. “Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense.”Then it hits me….. reality, clothes, and toiletries.Everything I don’t have.“Y
~MARCELLA~This game of Truth or dare is going to be fun.“Next!” Stephanie says quickly, clearly trying to recover. “Lucas!”“Is it my turn now?” He asks.“Yes, pick someone,” Stephanie says.I watch Lucas grins slowly.Oh no! He must be up to something.“Jason,” he says, turning his head. “You're up.”Jason sighs. “Of course I am.”Lucas raises a brow. “Truth or dare?”“Dare,” Jason says immediately.“I dare you…” Lucas pauses, clearly enjoying this, “…to dance seductively. Like a lady.”There's silence, and then….we all burst into laughter.“You’re joking,” Jason deadpans.“Nope,” Lucas says, completely serious.Stephanie is already clapping. “YES! DO IT!”Derrick is practically falling over laughing.Jason stares at all of us like he’s reconsidering his life choices…Then sighs.“Fine,” he says and stands up.And what follows?Is the most ridiculous, over-the-top, dramatic attempt at a “seductive” dance I have ever seen in my life.He starts swaying his hip
~MARCELLA~The rest of the day unfolds like a dream I don’t want to wake up from.Laughter keeps spilling into every corner of the house, warm and alive, mixing with the music that refuses to die down. Plates clink, glasses touch, voices overlap, and for once… everything feels full. Not chaotic….just full.Full of life.Full of him.I watch Lucas as he moves around the room, slower than before but stronger than he was just days ago. And each time he smiles… God, each time he smiles, something inside me settles.There was a moment…..small, almost unnoticeable, when he pauses near the wall, one hand pressing lightly against his side. His smile flickers… just for a second from pain still there, and not completely gone.My chest tightens immediately. I almost stand up… almost rush to him… but then he straightens, catches someone’s joke, and laughs again like nothing happened.And it hits me….how hard he’s trying to be strong.For us.For me. I swallow thickly,
~MARCELLA~I'm not even concentrating on the other people in the room.The only person I'm focused on is My Lucas.I'm staring at him.He's laughing so much…. really laughing.The kind of laugh that fills a room.I have never seen him laugh this much and for some strange reason, I get scared that I might never hear his laughter again.My chest tightens.The party is getting fun now.Music plays loudly in the background, blending with conversations and laughter.I catch sight of Stephanie and Fred laughing and giggling at each other like they've known each other since ages.Just looking at them, you'd think they're best of friends or even a thing because they're being so touchy.I gasp when I turn and see Jason looking towards them with his face completely morphed into that of jealousy.Not only is Jason jealous, he is also furious.Wait! What??Don't tell me Jason is secretly in love with Stephanie?? Or is he just jealous because another guy is taking all of
~MARCELLA~For a second… Lucas doesn’t move.He just stands there, frozen in the middle of the living room, his eyes slowly scanning everything.The decorations. The balloons. The food. The lights.The people.We're just six in the room…. Stephanie, Fred, Jason, Jason's friend, Lucas and I.Stephanie said something about inviting her male best friend, Jason over and he obviously came with his friend.Stephanie is already jumping up and down like a child, waving both hands dramatically.“WELCOME BACK, OUR HANDSOME LUCAS!” she yells.Fred raises a glass casually. “Try not to faint this time.”Jason and his friend laugh, their voices blending into the warm noise filling the room.But Lucas…Lucas is quiet….too quiet.My smile softens as I take a small step closer to him, my eyes fixed on his face.And then I see it.That tiny shift.That crack in his calm.His throat moves as he swallows.His eyes blink once…twice…And then….“Oh my God…” he breathes.There it is.
~LUCAS~I leave campus with my jaw clenched so tight it aches.I walk straight home to change my clothes so that I can go to the coffee shop to begin my shift. This clothes I'm putting on is one of the decent clothes I have. I can't afford to wear it to work.And I woul
~MARCELLA~I’ve never been good at standing still after humiliation.Scratch that! I have never been humiliated before.And I really do not like how humiliation feels.It clings. It crawls under my skin. It makes my palms itch and my throat burn and my eyes sting in a way I a
~MARCELLA~For a moment, I don’t move.Not because I can’t, but because my body hasn’t caught up with what just happened.Lucas Santis walks away from me like I’m nothing more than noise he’s finally learned to tune out. His steps are fast. Purposeful. He doesn’t look back
~LUCAS~I shouldn't let Marcella distract me, I tell myself.So I sit up straight, clear my throat and take a deep breath.I start listening to Dr. Raymond again, not until her foot nudges mine under the desk again.I stiffen.She leans closer, her voice barely a breath.“Y







