All Chapters of Against all odds : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Luca's POVIt had been three days since Elliott arrived at my doorstep unannounced, and we still hadn’t figured out how to exist around each other without the weight of our past hanging heavy in the air. We moved carefully, like dancers unfamiliar with the choreography—each step tentative, every glance loaded with questions neither of us knew how to ask. There were no arguments, no outbursts, no dramatic moments. Just silence, punctuated by brief conversations that felt like cautious offerings.I couldn’t say I wasn’t happy to see him. A part of me—an embarrassingly large part—was still tethered to him. But I didn’t know how to feel about it. Was it relief? Anger? Hope? Fear? Maybe it was all of them at once, constantly shifting depending on the moment. I’d wanted him back for so long, and now that he was here, I didn’t know how to hold him without remembering all the ways he’d slipped through my fingers before.We spent most of the time in my small apartment. I’d taken some days off

Narrator's Pov The days began to blend into each other as Luca found himself spending more and more time with Elliott. It was strange—how something so fractured could begin to feel familiar again. The tension that had once filled every room they shared like a storm cloud had gradually lessened, replaced by a cautious, quiet understanding. There were no sweeping declarations, no sudden, dramatic shifts—just a series of small, deliberate efforts that slowly stitched new meaning into old spaces.It was in the way Elliott lingered in the kitchen after making coffee, always remembering to add the right amount of sugar, the perfect splash of oat milk. In the way he touched Luca’s back when passing behind him, just a brush of fingertips, but grounding, reassuring. In the way he called late at night—not because he had to, but because he wanted to, their conversations drifting lazily into the early morning hours. Even silence had begun to feel like companionship again, like something shared

Luca povLetting Elliott back into my life felt like trying to walk a tightrope in the middle of a storm. Every step forward was met with a gust of memory that threatened to knock me off balance. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to trust him—I did. I wanted to believe that things could be different, that people could change, and that we weren’t doomed to repeat the same cycle of betrayal and heartbreak. But my heart was cautious, guarding itself like a fortress under siege. Even when Elliott smiled at me like he used to, even when he reached for my hand and held it like it meant something, I still felt that tug of hesitation deep in my chest.Mornings with Elliott had become softer now. He made coffee the way I liked it, and we’d sit in silence on the couch, the quiet between us not uncomfortable but heavy with unspoken things. Sometimes he’d look at me like he was trying to memorize the way my face changed in the light, and I’d pretend not to notice because acknowledging it would mean ad

Luca povThere was a strange quietness in the way Elliott moved around me these days. It wasn’t uncomfortable, exactly, but it made me hyper aware of the changes between us. We had come a long way—stitched something broken back together with unsteady hands and cautious promises. The wounds had scabbed over, but I still flinched if anything got too close. And even now, when I looked at him and felt that familiar warmth rise up in my chest, there was a part of me that remained clenched tight, like a fist around my heart.The fear hadn’t completely gone.I was still scared that one wrong move could tear it all down again. That all the progress we had made could unravel in seconds if we weren’t careful. Maybe that was why I started pulling away—not all at once, not with some dramatic goodbye, but in subtle, nearly imperceptible ways. The kind of withdrawal you could almost mistake for coincidence if you weren’t paying attention.But Elliott was paying attention.I stopped texting back as

Luca’s POVI stood in front of the mirror, staring at my own reflection, trying to make sense of the storm inside my chest. I should’ve been getting ready to meet Elliott, but the truth was, I couldn’t bring myself to move. Every step felt heavy, every thought tangled in a web of doubt. I didn’t know what I was waiting for anymore—some sign, some answer to the question that had been haunting me for weeks: Is this worth it?I had promised myself I wouldn’t let myself be hurt again. After everything with Elliott, after the way things had fallen apart between us, I had sworn I’d never let myself feel that kind of betrayal again. I didn’t know if I could. I didn’t know if I could take the risk. But here I was, standing on the edge of something that could either be everything I’d ever wanted or the worst mistake of my life.There had been moments where it felt like everything was falling into place—like we were on the verge of something beautiful. But then, there were moments where the fea