Chapter Nine: Luca
434 Words
I knew Rowan Cross was a problem long before Elena ever spoke his name.
Guys like him didn’t hide what they wanted.
And Rowan wanted my girlfriend.
The thought alone kept me on edge for days after the party.
Everywhere we went, I noticed him.
At games.
Across campus.
Leaning against walls with those dark eyes tracking Elena like she was prey.
It was starting to drive me insane.
Which was exactly why I nearly broke his jaw when he cornered me outside the athletic center Thursday afternoon.
Rain poured steadily around us while students rushed past without paying attention.
Rowan stood under the concrete overhang, hands shoved into his hoodie pockets like he didn’t have a care in the world.
I stopped walking immediately.
“What do you want?”
He smirked slightly.
“You look tired, Devereux.”
“Cut the crap.”
His eyes darkened.
Then he said the one thing I never expected.
“We should share her.”
Silence.
For one full second, I genuinely thought I misheard him.
Then rage exploded through me so fast my fist slammed into his jaw before I even thought about it.
Rowan staggered sideways but laughed afterward like he enjoyed it.
“You’re sick,” I snapped.
“No,” he said calmly, wiping blood from his mouth. “I’m honest.”
I grabbed his shirt violently.
“She’s not some game.”
“I know that.”
“Then stay away from her.”
Rowan’s expression changed slightly.
Less mocking.
More dangerous.
“You think I haven’t tried?”
Something cold slid down my spine.
Because he sounded serious.
Obsessed, even.
I shoved him backward.
“You touch her and I swear to God—”
“What?” Rowan interrupted quietly. “You’ll kill me?”
His dark eyes locked onto mine.
“You already look at me like you want to.”
The worst part?
He wasn’t wrong.
Rowan stepped closer despite the tension crackling between us.
“You know what scares you most?” he asked.
“That she looks back.”
The words hit like a punch.
Because I’d seen it too.
The hesitation.
The curiosity.
The dangerous pull between them.
And for the first time since meeting Rowan Cross…
I felt fear.
Real fear.
Not because I thought Elena would cheat.
But because Rowan got under people’s skin.
Slowly.
Thoroughly.
Like poison.
“She loves me,” I said firmly.
A shadow crossed Rowan’s face.
“I know.”
That answer should’ve relieved me.
Instead it somehow made everything worse.
Because he still wasn’t backing away.
- Writer
