We walk along the beach for a while after that.
No arguing.
No tension.
Just quiet.
The kind of quiet that feels comfortable instead of awkward.
Eventually Luca reaches for my hand.
Our fingers intertwine naturally now, like we've done this a hundred times before.
"You're still thinking," he says.
"I always am."
"What about?"
"You."
"That's concerning."
I smile slightly.
"You're worth studying."
He chuckles quietly.
"That might be the nicest insult I've ever heard."
We walk a few more steps before I stop suddenly.
Luca turns toward me immediately.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Then why did you stop?"
I hesitate.
Because this moment feels important.
Like one of those rare seconds where the entire world seems to pause.
Have you ever experienced that moment when everything else fades away?
When the noise of the world disappears and there's only one clear image left?
That's what this feels like.
Luca standing in front of me with the ocean behind him, moonlight catching in his dark hair.
"Luca," I say quietly.
"Yeah?"
"Are we doing this?"
"Doing what?"
"This."
I gesture between us.
"This… us."
For a moment he just watches me.
Then he steps closer.
Close enough that I can feel the warmth of him even in the cold ocean air.
"I thought we already were," he says softly.
My heart stumbles slightly.
"So we're… together?"
He studies my face for a second longer.
Then he answers simply.
"Yeah."
And when he kisses me again-slow, certain, like it's something he's finally decided-
I realize something dangerous.
For the first time since meeting him… I'm not afraid of where this could go.
I'm afraid of what will happen if it ends.