"Some love stories begin with a spark… mine began with silence."
Ava's POV
There are people you notice…
And then there are people you can never ignore.
Luca Moretti was the second kind.
The moment he walked into a room, everything changed. Conversations died. Eyes followed. Fear lingered in the air like perfume.
And me?
I watched from a distance.
Like always.
"Here we go again," Maya muttered beside me, nudging my arm. "You're staring."
"I am not," I lied, quickly looking down at my notebook.
Jess leaned forward with a smirk. "Girl, please. If staring at Luca was a subject, you'd be getting straight A's."
Heat rushed to my cheeks.
"I don't like him," I whispered.
"Yeah," Maya said dryly. "And I'm the president of Nigeria."
They both laughed.
But I stayed quiet… because the truth?
I didn't just like Luca Moretti.
I loved him.
And the worst part?
Everyone knew…
Except him.
Luca walked past our table, dressed in all black—like always. His shirt sleeves were rolled up just enough to reveal the ink on his arm.
Dangerous.
Untouchable.
Perfect.
My heart betrayed me instantly, beating faster like it always did when he was near.
He didn't look at me.
Not even once.
"Hopeless," Jess whispered.
"Shut up," I muttered, even though she wasn't wrong.
Because loving Luca Moretti was like chasing something that was never meant to be mine.
And yet…
I couldn't stop.