A CRAZY MARCELLA

~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

DON'T LOOK

~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

DEFINITELY NOT SURVIVING TONIGHT

~LUCAS~Marcella is already looking at my body.Not just looking, but admiring too.Like I’m some kind of exhibit in a museum she paid full attention to.“Lucas…” she says softly, almost like she’s tasting my name.I freeze.“What?” I ask cautiously.She stands up slowly and starts walking toward me with no hesitation and no shame…just confidence.For some minutes, I contemplated running back into the bathroom and locking myself inside.Her eyes don’t leave my body.“This…” she gestures vaguely at me, “…is unfair.”I blink.“Unfair?” I repeat.She stops right in front of me, her gaze dropping again….this time more openly.“Do you even know how well built you are?” she asks.My brain glitches.“I—what?”“You…” she exhales, almost like she’s impressed. “You’ve been hiding all this under your clothes?”I choke.“I’m not hiding anything!”“Oh, you are,” she counters immediately, standing up slowly. “This is very much hidden treasure behavior.”“What does that even m

WHY DO YOU KEEP PUSHING ME AWAY?

~MARCELLA~I don’t even hesitate.I start unbuttoning my shirt slowly and deliberately.One button…Two…And just like I expected….“Jesus—!”Lucas shuts his eyes so fast it’s almost impressive.I burst out laughing.Not just a small laugh, no…I laugh hard. Full-on, uncontrollable laughter, clutching my stomach as I bend forward slightly.“You didn’t even try!” I gasp between laughs. “Lucas, you didn’t even last two seconds!”“I told you not to….!” he snaps, eyes still tightly shut. “Marcella, what is wrong with you?!”“Oh my God,” I laugh again, shaking my head. “You’re actually unbelievable.”I step closer, and he stiffens immediately.“Open your eyes,” I tease, circling him slowly. “Come on… just a peek.”“No.”“Lucas… Come on…Don't you want to see how sexy I look?” I tease him seductively.“No,” he says firmly.I grin wider. “You’re scared.”“I’m not scared,” he protest.“Then open your eyes,” I tell him softly.“I said no,” he insists.I lean in slightl

THE CONFESSION

~LUCAS~I don’t know how long I just sit there after she asks me that question.Why do you keep pushing me away?It sounds so simple when she says it.Like the answer should be easy.Like it shouldn’t feel like I’m about to rip something open inside my chest just to give it to her.My hands are still, the lotion forgotten in my palm. My heart… isn’t. It’s beating too fast. Too loud. Like it’s trying to escape.And when I finally look up at her…God.Marcella is looking at me like she actually cares about the answer.Like whatever I say next matters.That’s what scares me the most.I swallow hard, dragging a hand through my hair, exhaling slowly.“You really want to know?” I ask again, even though she already said yes.She nods.No teasing this time. No games.Just her….. waiting.That’s what breaks me.I let out a quiet, humorless laugh, shaking my head slightly.“You’re not going to like it,” I mutter.“I’ll decide that,” she says softly.God.I close my eyes

OFFICIALLY A COUPLE

~MARCELLA~Is this really happening??Is Lucas really proposing to me and asking me to be his girlfriend??For a second… I can’t breathe.Not because I don’t know the answer.But because of the way he asked.Lucas didn’t just ask me to be his girlfriend.He offered me everything he is… like it’s something small.Like it’s not the most real, most terrifyingly honest thing anyone has ever placed in my hands.My chest tightens, and then…suddenly….it bursts.A rush of warmth. Of happiness. Of something so overwhelming it almost makes me laugh and cry at the same time.Oh my God.He actually asked me out.He wants me.My eyes sting slightly as I stare at him.This boy… standing in front of me like he’s about to be rejected.Like I might laugh.Like I might walk away.Like I haven’t been completely, hopelessly his for longer than I want to admit.My lips part, but no words come out at first—not because I don’t have an answer…But because I have too many.“Lucas…” I