LILLY POV
I never thought I'd be the kind of girl who had two guys waiting for her outside a classroom. And yet, when I stepped into the hall after Literature 201, both Enzo and Ethan were leaning against opposite walls, pretending they weren't watching me.
My stomach twisted.
"Hey," Enzo said first, stepping forward with an easy smile. "I saved you a seat for the poetry workshop."
"Oh—thanks," I replied, shifting my tote bag on my shoulder.
"Got you a drink too," Ethan said suddenly, holding out a chilled can of sparkling peach tea.
I blinked.
"I remembered you said it was your favorite last week," he added casually.
My eyes darted between them. Enzo's smile flickered, just slightly.
And Luca… Luca wasn't even in sight.
So why did that make the hallway feel colder?
"Thanks, Ethan," I said, accepting the tea. "That's sweet."
Enzo cleared his throat, his gaze flicking to Ethan. "We should head in before they fill the good seats."
I nodded, and the three of us began walking—me in the middle, their shoulders like silent bookends beside me. It felt like I was being pulled in two directions at once.
---
LUCA POV
"Dude," Alex said, falling into step beside me as we cut through the quad, "why are you hiding near the admin building like a divorced dad waiting for his kid's recital?"
"I'm not hiding," I muttered, eyes fixed on the poetry workshop building across the lawn.
"You could've just gone in and watched like a normal person."
"I'm giving her space."
Alex stopped walking. "Bro. You drove her to school. You sit under trees with her like you're auditioning for a teen drama. What space?"
I didn't answer. My gaze had locked onto something else—Lilly, laughing at something Ethan whispered as they walked inside.
And Enzo was there too, of course. Always.
Alex followed my eyes and gave a low whistle. "Oof. That's… painful."
I didn't deny it.
I couldn't.
---
LILLY POV
The poetry workshop was buzzing with nervous energy. Students were scattered in chairs around a low platform. The instructor encouraged people to "read something raw." Most weren't brave enough.
I hadn't planned on reading.
But as I watched Enzo scribbling quietly in his journal beside me and felt Ethan's eyes brush my face every few seconds, I suddenly wanted air. Escape.
I stood.
"I'll read something," I said, surprising even myself.
A quiet hush fell.
I took the platform, hands shaking as I opened my notebook. The words blurred for a second, but I found my focus.
> "They never see the girl behind the broomstick.
Just the echoes she leaves when she sweeps.
They never hear the voice she swallows—
Only the silence she keeps..."
When I finished, the room was quiet. Then someone started clapping—loud and slow.
It was Ethan.
Everyone joined in after that. But my eyes found only one empty seat in the back.
The one Luca never filled.
---
LUCA POV
"Wait—you didn't even go inside?" Ethan said later that night as we all sat in our usual spot behind the science wing.
Julian was reading. Alex was half-asleep. But Ethan was eyeing me closely.
"I didn't want to distract her," I said flatly.
"She killed it. She got a standing ovation."
"I know," I murmured.
"You should've seen the look on her face," Ethan continued, leaning back. "She looked… proud. And brave. And kind of beautiful."
I looked up sharply.
"What?"
Ethan shrugged, his smile casual. "I'm just saying. She's special. Anyone would be lucky to be the one beside her."
The air felt like it had thickened.
Julian looked up now, eyes flicking between us.
Alex whistled low. "Welp. There it is."
"Is there what?" I asked.
But no one answered.
---
LILLY POV
The next morning, I found Luca waiting by the tree where we used to sit.
His car was parked nearby. Bugatti, spotless as ever. He had two coffees this time.
"Hey," he said, handing me one.
I hesitated. "I thought you were avoiding me."
"I was being stupid."
He said it simply, like it was fact.
I took the cup. "You missed my reading."
"I know." His eyes were fixed on the ground. "I wanted to go. I just… I wasn't ready."
"For what?"
He looked at me, finally, and there was so much unsaid in that gaze it almost hurt to hold.
"To see you shine," he said, voice low. "And know I'm the reason I'm losing my place beside you."
My breath caught.
He looked away quickly. "But I'm happy for you. Really. You were incredible."
There were so many things I wanted to say. But none of them made it past my lips.
So I said the one thing I could.
"Thank you."
---
LUCA POV
Later that day, I saw Ethan offer to walk her to her dorm.
She said yes.
She smiled the whole way.
And I stood at the top of the library steps, watching the slow unraveling of something I never fully dared to claim.
I didn't move.
I just stood there, alone, holding my breath like it could keep everything from falling apart.