Page 78 of Ruined

You. I need you.

Santino called.

You couldn’t tell me to leave yourself?

Luca

You don’t have to leave.

I froze, rereading the words.

Then what was Santino’s call about?

Luca

Options.

So this was him giving me the choice. Not telling me to leave, but making it clear I didn’t have to stay. Luca always played it like that, pretending he wasn’t pushing me closer to the door.

You mean staying or chasing your stubborn ass down?

You’re making it hard for me to go, Luca.

The dots appeared. Disappeared. Appeared again.

Luca

I’m not stopping you.

You never do. That’s the problem.

I need you in my bed tonight.

A long pause. The dots appeared, flickered out, then came back.

Luca

Not sure that’s a good idea.

Frustration simmered in my chest, bubbling into something hotter, heavier. This was supposed to be about making sure he didn’t get himself killed.

I couldn’t lie to myself anymore.

Luca’s presence clung to every empty space. Even when he vanished, he haunted me.

I gripped the edge of the desk.

Don’t go there.

But I was already there. Luca wasmine. Not just my responsibility.Mine.And now he was slipping through my fingers. The thought of losing him punched through my chest.

I dropped my phone onto the desk.

Why does he keep pulling away?

And why couldn’t I let him?

I stared at the dark screen. Sitting still wasn’t an option, not when every nerve in my body buzzed with tension. I grabbed thephone again. I debated sending something sharp to pull him out of hiding.

---