The sun had barely cleared the horizon, painting the Crescent High campus in shades of gold and amber. The morning air carried a crisp freshness, but Aria Moretti hardly noticed. Her mind was a tangled web of thoughts, spinning uncontrollably between Luca’s confession, Damian’s cryptic words, and the storm of emotions that refused to settle.
Classes passed in a blur. She tried to focus, but the moment her thoughts drifted to Damian or Luca, her pen would falter mid-sentence, her gaze would wander, and her chest would tighten. She didn’t realize how tense she’d become until she found herself alone on the balcony overlooking the school gardens during lunch, letting the wind play with her hair as she tried to sort through the chaos in her mind.
“Aria.”
Her head snapped up. Luca stood a few
