---
🌙 Chapter 4 – Almost Something
It started with small things.
Luca Fernandes bringing Noah Watson tea without asking.
Noah remembering how Adrien liked his coffee.
Sofia Watson exchanging knowing looks with Sabrina Fernandes.
Nothing obvious.
Nothing spoken.
Just moments that lingered a little too long.
That evening, the group gathered in the living room. Eva and Emily were sprawled on the floor with snacks, Mike and Alic arguing over music, while Liam Watson watched everything with amused silence.
Noah sat on the couch, sketching absent-mindedly in her notebook.
Luca noticed.
"You draw when you're overwhelmed," he said softly, sitting a little distance away.
She paused. "You notice a lot."
"Only what matters."
Her heart skipped—annoyingly so.
Adrien, sitting across from them, caught the shift immediately. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
"So, Noah," he said, smiling, "what are you drawing?"
She hesitated, then turned the notebook slightly.
It was a half-finished sketch—two people standing back-to-back, close but not touching.
Adrien blinked. "That's… intense."
Sofia raised an eyebrow. "Looks like unresolved tension to me."
Noah groaned. "Can everyone stop psychoanalyzing my art?"
Luca didn't speak—but his gaze stayed on the sketch longer than necessary.
---
Later that night, a sudden power cut plunged the house into darkness.
"Okay, nope," Emily said instantly. "I hate this."
"It's just a power cut," Mike laughed. "Relax."
But Noah froze.
Darkness always made memories louder.
She didn't even realize she had stood up until her hand brushed against someone else's.
Luca.
"It's okay," he said quietly, steady and calm. "I'm here."
Without thinking, Noah held onto his sleeve.
Adrien saw it.
The way her grip tightened.
The way Luca didn't pull away.
Something settled painfully in Adrien's chest.
Sabrina switched on her phone flashlight. "Power should be back soon."
When the lights flickered on again, Noah pulled her hand back instantly, cheeks warm.
"Sorry," she muttered.
Luca looked at her gently. "Don't be."
Their eyes met.
Too long.
Too deep.
It was almost something.
From the doorway, Sofia watched them, arms crossed, heart uneasy.
"This is going to get messy," she whispered to herself.
---
Across the city, Alina stood on her balcony, phone pressed to her ear.
"So you're saying Luca is getting close to her?" she asked coolly.
The voice on the other end confirmed it.
Alina smiled—slow, sharp, dangerous.
"Good. Let him."
She ended the call and whispered into the night,
"People value things more when they're about to lose them."
Back at the Watson house, Noah lay awake, staring at the ceiling.
She kept telling herself it was nothing.
Just proximity.
Just familiarity.
Just kindness.
But her heart didn't listen.
And somewhere down the hall, Luca Fernandes was wide awake too—realizing that what he felt wasn't safe anymore.
It was real.
And it was already too late.
---