LILLY POV
The rain didn't let up.
It had been falling since dawn, soaking the grounds of Ravenholt University in a moody gray veil. I stepped out of my dorm with my umbrella tilted awkwardly, trying to balance a bag of library books and my tote. My boots squished into the muddy sidewalk, and for a second, I considered heading back inside.
Then I saw him.
Luca.
He was standing under the oak tree across the quad, drenched from head to toe, like he hadn't moved all morning. His dark hoodie clung to his frame, and his hair was plastered to his forehead, rain dripping off his lashes. But he didn't seem to notice.
He was watching me.
My steps slowed.
There was something raw about him, like he wasn't hiding behind charm or confidence today. Just a boy in the rain, waiting.
I crossed the quad slowly, water sloshing around my ankles.
He didn't say anything until I was close.
"I didn't know how else to make you stop avoiding me."
I blinked. "I wasn't avoiding you."
"You stopped looking at me," he said. "That's worse."
I looked down. The rain was cold on my hands, numbing. But his voice felt warm. Too warm.
"You've been... distant," I murmured. "Ever since the hearing. And then I saw you with Samantha again."
His jaw clenched. "Nothing happened with her. She just wanted to talk. I didn't go."
My heart kicked up. "Then why not say something?"
"I didn't know how," he admitted. "You scare me sometimes, Lilly."
My head jerked up. "I scare you?"
"You make me want to be better. But I'm not sure I can be."
For a moment, the only sound was the patter of rain.
"I'm not asking you to be perfect," I whispered.
He looked at me then—really looked. Like he was trying to memorize the rain on my cheeks.
"I know Enzo's been around," he said quietly. "And he's good. Solid. He listens. He probably tells you everything I can't."
I blinked at the mention of Enzo. "He's just a friend."
"Yeah," Luca muttered. "For now."
"You waited here... for me?"
He nodded once.
My umbrella tilted sideways. I stepped forward and held it above both of us.
"You should come inside."
He looked at me like he didn't believe I was real.
---
LUCA POV
Her hand brushed mine when she reached to adjust the umbrella. A tiny, accidental thing, but my entire body froze.
This girl.
I'd stood in the rain, shivering, shoes soaked, knowing I looked like a fool—but she was worth it.
We walked slowly toward the main building. Neither of us said much, but I didn't need words.
The silence between us wasn't empty anymore. It was charged.
Before we reached the door, she stopped and turned to me.
"I'm not the girl who fits in your world," she said.
"I don't want the world I had before," I replied.
Her lips parted slightly. The rain slowed.
For a heartbeat, it felt like the universe paused too.
Then the door swung open, and someone stepped out.
Enzo.
He froze when he saw us standing so close.
Lilly stepped back, just slightly.
"Morning," Enzo said, his voice unreadable.
"Hey," Lilly replied, her tone soft.
He looked at me for a second, then nodded and kept walking.
The moment shattered.
---
LILLY POV
I watched Enzo disappear into the mist, and something twisted in my chest.
Not guilt. Just confusion.
I didn't want to hurt him. I didn't want to hurt anyone.
Luca stepped aside as we reached the stairwell.
LUCA POV
I couldn't sleep that night.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her—standing in the rain, umbrella tilted just enough to keep me dry.
The next day, I waited near the student lounge, hoping she'd show up for her shift. When she did, I pretended to be reading, but she saw right through me.
"You're lurking," she said, folding her arms.
"Am not."
"You're wearing sunglasses indoors."
I pulled them off slowly. "I'm not used to waiting."
"Well, get used to it."
And then she smirked.
That was the start of it—our strange rhythm. Every day after that, we found each other in the little corners of campus. We didn't talk about the Legacy Grant or Enzo or what I was afraid of. We just... laughed. Teased. Shared coffee.
She told me about her brother Liam. About how he wanted to be a teacher.
I told her about Julian and Ethan and how Alex once accidentally set off the fire alarm with popcorn.
We became friends. Real ones.
Not the pretend kind.
Not the surface-level banter I had with everyone else.
With her, I could breathe.
With her, I could be...
Human.
---
LILLY POV
I didn't expect to laugh again so soon.
But Luca was relentless. Not in the flirtatious, arrogant way he used to be—but in the quiet, dependable way you never expected from someone like him.
He waited for me after shifts.
He brought me tea on rainy days.
He listened.
And soon, I found myself opening up in ways I didn't even know I could. He knew about the broken washing machine at home. About how Liam pretended not to miss our dad. About how sometimes, I felt invisible.
He didn't fix it. He didn't try to.
He just stayed.
And for now, that was everything.
---
LUCA POV
Julian was the first to notice.
"You're different," he said one afternoon, watching me scroll through my phone.
"I'm evolving," I replied.
"You're texting her again, aren't you?"
I didn't answer.
Because the truth was, I didn't care if anyone knew. Not anymore.
Lilly Lorenzo had become the best part of my day.
And maybe, just maybe...
I was becoming hers too.