OldWonds
366 Words
“You went through her things.”
Lucas didn’t deny it.
They stood too close in the hallway, the air thick with unsaid words. Emilia’s anger trembled on the edge of something far less controlled.
“She asked me to,” Lucas said.
“When?” Emilia demanded. “When did you decide I wasn’t needed anymore?”
His jaw tightened. “That’s not what happened.”
“Then tell me,” she said. “Because it feels like you stepped into my place.”
Lucas’s eyes darkened. “You left it empty.”
The words struck deep.
“You stayed,” Emilia said bitterly. “Congratulations.”
“I stayed because someone had to,” he snapped. “Because I loved her. And because I loved you.”
The confession sucked the air from the room.
Her breath hitched. “Don’t.”
“I never stopped,” he said, voice low. “Not even when you walked away.”
Silence pulsed between them, heavy and electric.
“You should have come with me,” she whispered.
Lucas laughed softly, but there was no humor in it. “And watched you realize you didn’t need me?”
Her eyes burned. “You decided that for me.”
He stepped closer.
So close she could feel the heat of his body, the tension held tightly in his shoulders.
That night, she found him in the kitchen, hands braced on the counter, head bowed.
“You can’t sleep,” she said.
“No.”
The word vibrated with restraint.
“I miss you,” she admitted, barely louder than a breath.
Lucas turned. His gaze dropped to her mouth, lingered. His hand lifted, stopping inches from her cheek.
“Emilia,” he said hoarsely. “If I touch you—”
“Then don’t,” she whispered. “Or do.”
The choice hung between them.
His fingers brushed her waist—just once. Just enough.
Her breath shattered.
Lucas pulled back sharply, jaw clenched. “This changes nothing.”
“No,” she said, heart racing. “It just makes everything harder.”
Thunder rolled outside.
And this time, neither of them pretended not to feel it.
- Writer
