Chapter 43 – A Breath Away

His eyes flickered, widening for a split second before that familiar coldness settled over his face like armor. "Then why pull me in here, Quinn?" The words sliced through the thick air between us, sharp and unyielding. His tone was harsh, daring me to admit what I wasn’t ready to say.

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. "To tell you to stop acting like I don’t exist. Like none of it mattered."

He let out a bitter laugh, low and sharp, cutting right through me. "I did what you asked."

"Yeah, well... maybe I was wrong," I admitted, barely able to meet his eyes.

Luca’s fingers lifted my chin, forcing me to look at him. That stupid spark between us — the one I kept trying to deny — blazed hotter than ever. His gaze softened, but his voice was thick with something raw, something he probably wouldn’t admit even under torture. “You want to know why I’ve been ignoring you?”

I didn’t want to hear it. Or maybe I did. God, I didn’t even know anymore. My heart was a traitor, beating wildly against the walls I kept trying to build around it. “Tell me,” I whispered, my voice barely a breath.

His jaw tensed. “Because I thought giving you space was what you wanted. You wanted distance. You wanted out.”

“That’s not what I wanted, Luca,” I shot back, louder now, anger flaring through the mess of emotions swirling inside me. My fists clenched, the words spilling out before I could stop them. “I just needed time.”

“Time?” he echoed, disbelief dripping from his voice. He stepped back, his hand dropping from my chin, and the space between us felt like a chasm. “Time’s just an excuse, Quinn. It’s running in circles, hoping you can dodge the truth. And we both know you’re too stubborn to admit how you really feel.”

Pride burned hot in my chest. How dare he think he knew how I felt? “Oh, so now you get to tell me what I feel?” I snapped, my voice a little too loud for the tiny space.

He didn’t even blink. Instead, he crossed his arms, his expression unreadable. “I’m not the one pulling you into closets, Quinn.”

The words hit me like a slap, the weight of them crashing down on me. The space between us was suffocating, and I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. He was slipping through my fingers, and I didn’t even know why I cared so much.

And then, the truth hit me like a freight train. The thought of him ignoring me, shutting me out forever—it terrified me.

“Then what do you want?” I whispered, the words a dare, my voice trembling.

The question hung there, heavy and loaded. Luca’s jaw clenched, his eyes dark and intense. For a moment, I thought he might say it—might pull me close and admit everything he was holding back.

But instead, he leaned in, his breath warm against my cheek, his voice low and filled with a quiet intensity that broke through every defense I had. “Maybe I want you to be sure, Quinn. Because right now, you’re only half in. And I can’t be with someone who isn’t all there.”

Before I could react, before I could even process what he’d just said, he stepped back. His face was unreadable as he slipped out of the closet, leaving me standing there alone, every nerve buzzing with what I didn’t get to say.

The door clicked shut behind him, and it felt like the ground had fallen out from under me. I just stood there, barely breathing, his words replaying in my head on an endless loop.

Maybe I want you to be sure.

I tried to steady myself, but every breath felt jagged, like shards of glass tearing through my lungs. Why did he have to twist everything like this? Why did he make it seem like I was the problem—like he was some wounded hero just waiting for me to figure things out?

The dark room pressed in around me, but instead of grounding me, it made everything worse. I could still feel him, the heat of his presence, the intensity of his stare. He was in every thought, every quiet moment, and I hated it.

Finally, I shoved the door open and stepped into the hallway. The harsh fluorescent lights stung my eyes, and the quiet hum of the school’s heating system was deafening. I didn’t even know where I was going; I just needed to move, to escape the feeling clawing at my insides.

The next few days were a blur. Every time I saw Luca, he acted like I didn’t exist, like that conversation never happened. Like we never happened. And it was killing me.

I caught myself glancing at him in the cafeteria, looking for him in the hallways. My eyes betrayed me every time, settling on his face before I could stop them. And each time he looked through me with that cold, detached indifference, it was like a fresh sting, a reminder of the distance he’d put between us.

It felt worse than any fight or insult he could’ve thrown at me. He was ripping himself away from me, piece by piece, and I couldn’t figure out why I cared so much.

But maybe—maybe I really did care. And that was the scariest part of all.

One morning, he brushed past me in the hallway, so close I could smell that familiar mix of cedar and something faintly sweet. Our eyes met for a fraction of a second, and I thought I saw something there—something dark and conflicted, mirroring the storm inside me.

But then he was gone, swallowed up by the crowd of students, leaving me standing there like an idiot.

I couldn’t take it anymore. This whole town had brought me nothing but danger and emotional chaos, and I was done. I stormed to my locker, yanked it open, and stuffed my belongings into my bag. My chest was tight, every breath ragged with frustration and heartbreak.

Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I marched toward the school’s main doors, my footsteps echoing through the hallway. I didn’t care who saw me. I didn’t care what anyone thought. I was done playing this game, done letting Luca mess with my head.

The cold air hit me as I pushed through the doors and stepped outside. The wind stung my face, but I barely felt it. My feet hit the pavement hard, each step fueled by anger and something else—something raw and desperate.

I didn’t know where I was going. I just knew I needed to get away.

From Luca.

From this school.

From everything.