The headline broke before Adrien woke up.
It lit up his phone in a dozen different notifications, each one louder than the last.
AGRESTE REINVENTS HIMSELF WITH ROCKSTAR COLLABORATIONMYSTERY GUITARIST UNMASKED — FASHION'S NEW MUSE?CHEMISTRY ON THE RUNWAY SPARKS RUMORS
Adrien lay still, staring at the ceiling, his chest tight. He hadn't needed to open the articles to know what they'd say. He already knew how narratives were built—how easily moments were rewritten into something palatable.
Something sellable.
His phone buzzed again. This time, it wasn't a headline.
Luka: You okay?
Adrien stared at the screen longer than necessary. He typed, deleted, typed again.
Adrien: They're already spinning it.Luka: Yeah. I figured.Adrien: I didn't tell them anything. I swear.
The typing dots appeared. Disappeared.
Luka: I know.
Adrien exhaled shakily. He hadn't realized how badly he'd needed that.
The meeting was already in progress when Adrien arrived.
Gabriel sat at the head of the table, composed as ever. Nathalie stood beside him. A PR consultant Adrien didn't recognize smiled like this was a gift.
"We need to get ahead of this," the consultant said. "The chemistry is undeniable. People are invested."
"I didn't agree to be a storyline," Adrien said.
Gabriel folded his hands. "You don't need to agree. You need to cooperate."
Adrien's jaw tightened. "Luka isn't part of this industry."
"That makes him useful," Gabriel replied calmly. "Authenticity sells."
The word landed like a slap.
"We'll announce a series of public appearances," Nathalie added. "Carefully controlled. No speculation. No statements outside approved channels."
Adrien's voice came out quieter than he intended. "You're talking about him like he's not a person."
Gabriel finally looked annoyed. "And you're talking like you've forgotten what you are."
Silence followed.
Adrien stood.
"No," he said. "I remember."
He left before anyone could stop him.
Luka had been tuning his guitar when the message came through.
Adrien: Can we meet? Somewhere quiet.
He didn't hesitate.
They met on the edge of the city, where Paris softened into shadow and riverlight. The studio Luka used was barely more than a converted warehouse—cold floors, warm lamps, music scrawled into every corner.
Adrien stood near the door, hands clenched, like he wasn't sure he was allowed to take up space.
"I'm sorry," he said immediately. "They're pushing a narrative. I'm trying to stop it."
Luka set the guitar down carefully. "I figured they would."
"That doesn't make it okay."
"No," Luka agreed. "It doesn't."
The quiet stretched between them, heavy and charged.
"They want to control everything," Adrien continued. "What I say. Who I'm seen with. What this is allowed to be."
"And what do you want?" Luka asked.
Adrien looked at him then, really looked—eyes sharp with fear and something dangerously close to hope.
"I want—" He stopped, breath hitching. "I want something real."
Luka stepped closer before he could overthink it. "Then don't let them turn it into noise."
Adrien laughed softly, broken. "I don't know how."
Luka reached out, fingers brushing Adrien's wrist—tentative, grounding. The contact sent a jolt through both of them.
"Then we figure it out," Luka said. "Together."
Adrien leaned in before the fear could catch up. The space between them vanished, breath mingling, hearts pounding—
Adrien's phone rang.
They froze.
The screen lit up between them.
GABRIEL
Adrien swallowed hard.
Luka stepped back, pain flashing across his face before he masked it. "You should take that."
Adrien hesitated, then nodded. "I'm sorry."
The call connected. Whatever Gabriel said on the other end drained the color from Adrien's face.
When he hung up, his voice was barely steady. "They're announcing a relationship."
Luka's chest tightened. "With you and me?"
Adrien shook his head.
"With someone else."
Silence crashed down around them.
Luka forced a breath. "I can't be a secret."
"I know," Adrien whispered. "I would never ask you to be."
"Then this stops," Luka said gently, firmly. "Before it turns into something that breaks us."
Adrien nodded, eyes shining. "Okay."
But when he turned to leave, Luka knew.
Some things don't break cleanly.They splinter.