The call ended, but Luca still held the phone in his hand like he was waiting for it to light back up.
Silence.
Just the soft splash of water as he swung his feet gently in the pool.
The sun had risen higher now, burning quiet streaks across his bare arms, but he didn't move.
A breath left his lips, slow. He rubbed his palm across his thigh, as if that could calm the strange heat crawling up his chest.
"She's probably just an old friend," he murmured to no one.
He said it out loud like it might pin the thought down, make it easier to believe.
But his jaw tensed.
The way she bumped into him… that laugh—too close, too easy.
And Noel's voice… it changed. Not in a bad way. Just… softer. Familiar.
Luca glanced down at the surface of the water, at his own warped reflection.
"Do I… sound like that when I talk to him?" he whispered.
He didn't like the answer he didn't get.
A small splash as he dipped his foot deeper, the ripple spreading wide—then vanishing.
