I leave the party before I end up doing something stupid.
Which, considering my track record, feels like a very responsible decision.
The music is still thundering behind me as I step out onto the front lawn, the noise muffled slightly once the door swings shut. The cool night air hits my face immediately, and I take a slow breath, trying to let some of the tension drain from my chest.
Inside that house there are too many people, too many eyes, too many reasons for things to go wrong.
And standing there watching Evan talk to Autumn had pushed me dangerously close to doing something I would definitely regret later.
Footsteps sound behind me.
I don't have to turn around to know who it is.
"Luca."
Her voice stops me halfway down the driveway.
I run a hand through my hair and turn slowly.
Autumn is standing a few feet away, the porch light casting soft shadows across her face. She looks frustrated, but there's something else in her expression too. Concern. Worry.
"What?" I ask.
"You didn't tell me you got into another fight."
I shrug slightly.
"It wasn't important."
Her eyebrows pull together immediately.
"That's not the point."
I sigh quietly.
"Why do you care so much?" I ask, more tired than defensive now.
She stares at me like the answer should be obvious.
"Because I care about you."
The words land harder than I expect.
For a moment I don't know what to say.
Most people don't say things like that to me.
Most people don't stick around long enough to mean them.
"Autumn-"
"You keep pushing people away," she continues, her voice softer now but still firm. "And I'm trying really hard to understand why."
The truth sits right there, balanced on the edge of my tongue.
If I tell her everything, this whole situation changes.
She might walk away.
And honestly… maybe she should.
So instead I shake my head slightly.
"You don't want to get involved in my problems."
Her eyes narrow immediately.
"Too late," she says.
And somehow the certainty in her voice makes my chest feel tighter than any fight ever could.