Chapter 7: A Steady Hand
487 Words
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Chapter 7: A Steady Hand
Eli’s POV
The days passed in a blur.
Eli didn’t cry. He refused to.
But the ache in his chest refused to fade, lingering like a dull bruise that wouldn’t heal. He still went through the motions of his daily life—working, texting Mason, pretending he was fine.
Except he wasn’t.
And the only person who seemed to see through it all was Lucian.
It wasn’t that Lucian hovered or pushed him to talk. He was just… there.
At first, Eli had expected it to feel suffocating. But instead, it was the opposite.
Lucian’s presence was quiet but grounding. If Eli needed space, he gave it. If Eli needed company, he was there.
Like now.
They were sitting on the rooftop of Lucian’s apartment building, the city lights stretching endlessly in front of them. The night air was crisp, and Eli pulled his jacket tighter around himself.
Lucian noticed. Without a word, he shrugged off his own coat and draped it over Eli’s shoulders.
Eli stiffened. “I didn’t ask for this.”
Lucian leaned back against the railing, completely unbothered. “I know.”
Eli scowled, but there was no real heat behind it. He adjusted the coat around him, sighing. “…Thanks.”
Lucian smirked slightly. “You’re welcome.”
For a while, they sat in silence.
It was a comfortable silence, the kind that didn’t demand to be filled. Eli had never realized how much he needed that—someone who didn’t expect him to have all the answers right away.
“Lucian.”
Lucian hummed in acknowledgment, but he didn’t rush him to speak.
Eli hesitated before finally whispering, “Why are you doing this?”
Lucian turned to him, his golden eyes sharp yet soft. “Because I meant what I said.”
Eli swallowed.
Lucian’s gaze didn’t waver. “I won’t reject you, Eli. Even if you don’t choose me, even if you decide you want nothing to do with me—I won’t push you away.”
Eli’s fingers clenched in the fabric of Lucian’s coat. “Even if I’m broken?”
Lucian’s voice was steady. Certain. “You’re not broken.”
Eli let out a shaky breath.
And for the first time in days, the weight on his chest felt just a little lighter.
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Kieran’s POV (Short Scene Teaser)
Kieran hadn’t spoken to Eli since that night.
Not because he didn’t want to.
But because he didn’t know how.
He had spent the past few days wrestling with emotions he didn’t even know he was capable of. Regret. Frustration. Guilt. Jealousy.
Lucian had been by Eli’s side this entire time. And every second that passed, Kieran could feel Eli slipping further away.
His chest burned.
For the first time in his life, Kieran realized—he might have lost something before he even had the chance to fight for it.
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- Writer
