AVELA’S POV
The silence on the phone stretched too long. My fingers gripped the edge of my desk, knuckles white.
Then, finally, Lucas sighed. “Go to dinner with me tonight, Avela.”
I blinked, stunned. “Dinner?”
“There’s something I need to tell you,” he said quietly.
My brows furrowed. “What is it? Why can’t you just tell me now?”
He hesitated, and when he spoke again, his voice was low and certain. “Because I need to see you. I want to look you in the eyes when I tell you this. So please, Avela… will you go out with me tonight?”
I didn’t answer right away. My heart was beating too fast, and not just from confusion. There was something in his tone—something calm but heavy—that made my chest tighten.
Lucas wasn’t like Cameron. He never raised his voice, never pushed, never played mi
