Chapter 10: Ghosts in His Silence
428 Words
I didn’t sleep that night.
Marissa’s words played on repeat in my head—You’re not the first girl he’s played.
I tried to reason with myself. Luca wasn’t the type to overshare. Maybe he wasn’t lying—maybe he just hadn’t told me everything yet. But still, a whisper of doubt had settled in my chest, and it wouldn’t go away.
By morning, I was exhausted. My phone buzzed.
Luca: “Meet me after class. You pick the spot.”
I didn’t answer right away. I went through my day half-distracted, turning over questions in my mind. Who was Aly? Why hadn’t he mentioned her? Were they still… something?
When we finally met in the quiet corner of the park near campus, Luca looked tired too. Rumpled hoodie, dark circles under his eyes. As if maybe he hadn’t slept either.
“Hey,” he said softly.
“Hey.”
He studied my face. “Something’s wrong.”
I didn’t know how to ease into it, so I didn’t.
“Who’s Aly?”
His expression didn’t change at first. Then his jaw tightened just slightly. “Marissa?”
I nodded.
He cursed under his breath and looked away, raking a hand through his hair.
“She’s my ex. We dated last year. It was messy.” A pause. “It ended.”
“Are you still talking?”
“Sometimes. She checks in. But it’s not what Marissa’s making it out to be.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about her?”
He looked at me then, eyes sharper than usual. “Because I didn’t want her ghost in this thing with you. I didn’t want her name in your head every time you looked at me.”
I swallowed hard. “That’s not fair.”
“No, it’s not,” he admitted. “But I was scared. You make me want to be better, Emma. But I’m not used to explaining myself to anyone. Especially not someone who actually matters.”
The words hung in the air, heavy and raw.
“You matter,” he said again, quieter this time.
My heart ached, caught between the truth and my fear. Between trusting him and protecting myself.
“I don’t want lies, Luca.”
“You won’t get them,” he said, stepping closer. “But I can’t promise to be perfect.”
“I don’t want perfect,” I whispered. “Just real.”
And he pulled me into his arms.
And I let him.
Even though I knew ghosts never really stayed buried for long.
- Writer
