Luca walked me home.
Not because I asked. Not because I hinted. Just because, at some point during the night, it had become natural.
We didn't talk much at first. The city hummed around us. Cars passed. Laughter drifted from open windows.
"You okay?" he asked eventually.
"Yes," I said. Then, after a pause, "No. But not in a bad way."
He smiled slightly. "That's usually the dangerous kind."
I laughed under my breath. "You don't even know what I'm talking about."
"I know enough."
We stopped outside my building. I turned to face him, keys warm in my hand.
"Thank you for inviting me tonight," I said. "I didn't realize how much I needed to feel… included."
Luca studied me. Not like Noah did. Noah looked as if he were trying to understand me. Luca looked as if he already had, and was waiting for me to catch up.
"You don't need permission to take up space," he said gently.
Something inside me shifted.
"That's easy for you to say."
"I know," he replied. "Which is why I'm saying it."
The silence stretched. Charged, but not rushed.
"I won't push," Luca continued. "But I also won't pretend I don't notice you. That wouldn't be honest."
My pulse quickened. "Notice me how?"
He stepped just a little closer. Not enough to trap me. Enough to be felt.
"Like someone who's about to wake up," he said.
I swallowed.
He didn't touch me. Didn't lean in. Didn't try to close the distance.
That was the part that stayed with me.
"Goodnight, Aria," he said.
"Goodnight, Luca."
I watched him walk away, heart pounding, mind racing.
Two men. Two very different ways of seeing me.
And for the first time, I wasn't sure which one scared me more.