Chapter 4 — No Turning Back
775 Words
Adrian couldn’t focus.
Not on work.
Not on meetings.
Not even on the numbers right in front of him.
Everything blurred into one thing—
Luca.
That moment.
That almost.
“You’re distracted.”
Adrian blinked, pulling himself back to the present.
Across the table, Daniel—his business partner—watched him carefully, fingers steepled like he was already piecing something together.
“I’m fine,” Adrian said smoothly.
Automatic.
Controlled.
A lie.
Daniel didn’t look convinced. “You’ve checked your phone six times in the last ten minutes.”
Adrian stilled.
Damn.
“I’m expecting something important.”
Daniel leaned back slightly, studying him. “More important than this deal?”
Adrian met his gaze, calm and sharp. “Yes.”
That was enough.
Daniel nodded slowly, but the look didn’t leave his eyes.
Suspicion.
Quiet, but present.
By the time the meeting ended, Adrian was already on edge.
Not because of the deal.
Not because of Daniel.
But because of something worse—
Silence.
Luca hadn’t reached out.
No message.
No call.
Nothing.
And that—
That was new.
Adrian told himself it didn’t matter.
That it was better this way.
That whatever this was… it could end before it even began.
Clean.
Simple.
Safe.
So why did it feel like something was missing?
Night came too quickly.
The city lit up again, alive in a way Adrian couldn’t ignore.
He stood by the window of his penthouse, drink in hand, staring out at the endless lights below.
Trying not to think.
Trying not to—
A knock.
Soft.
Unexpected.
Adrian’s grip on the glass tightened.
He wasn’t expecting anyone.
Didn’t want anyone.
Another knock.
This time, slower.
Intentional.
Adrian exhaled once, steadying himself, then crossed the room.
Each step felt heavier than it should.
Like instinct was already warning him.
Like part of him already knew—
The door opened.
And there he was.
Luca.
No words.
Not at first.
Just silence.
Thick.
Electric.
Luca leaned casually against the doorframe, like he hadn’t just walked back into Adrian’s life like nothing had happened.
Like he hadn’t left things unfinished.
Unresolved.
Unbearable.
“You didn’t answer,” Luca said finally.
Adrian’s expression hardened. “You didn’t call.”
A pause.
Then—
A small smile.
“Fair.”
They stood there for a moment longer.
Neither moving.
Neither backing down.
“Why are you here?” Adrian asked.
But this time—
It didn’t sound like rejection.
It sounded like something else.
Something closer to… anticipation.
Luca pushed off the frame and stepped inside without waiting for permission.
Bold.
Familiar.
Dangerous.
“I wanted to see something,” he said.
Adrian shut the door behind him, slower this time.
“See what?”
Luca turned to face him fully now.
Closer than before.
Always closer.
“If you’d still look at me the same way.”
Adrian’s breath caught—just slightly.
“Which way is that?”
Luca didn’t answer immediately.
He stepped forward.
One step.
Then another.
Until they were standing there again—
Too close.
Always too close.
“Like you’re trying not to want me,” Luca said quietly.
That did it.
Something snapped.
Clean.
Sharp.
Final.
Adrian moved.
Fast.
Closing the distance in a second, his hand gripping Luca’s shirt, pulling him closer—
This time—
There was no hesitation.
No interruption.
No second thoughts.
And then—
He kissed him.
It wasn’t soft.
It wasn’t careful.
It was everything they’d been holding back—weeks of control, tension, denial—
Gone.
In one moment.
Luca froze—just for a second.
Then responded.
Just as intense.
Just as reckless.
His hand came up, gripping Adrian’s wrist, grounding, pulling, keeping him there.
Like he wasn’t letting him run this time.
Like there was no escape anymore.
The world disappeared.
No city.
No rules.
No consequences.
Just heat.
Breath.
And something dangerously close to losing control completely.
Adrian pulled back first.
Barely.
Just enough to breathe.
But not enough to break away.
Their foreheads almost touched.
Their breaths uneven.
Eyes locked.
“That was a mistake,” Adrian said.
But his voice—
Wasn’t convincing.
Luca’s lips curved slightly, breath still unsteady.
“Then why are you still holding me?”
Adrian stilled.
Because he was.
Still gripping him.
Still too close.
Still not letting go.
Silence.
Heavy.
Real.
“This doesn’t happen again,” Adrian added.
A rule.
A boundary.
A lie.
Luca didn’t argue.
Didn’t push.
Didn’t even move away.
He just looked at him.
That same look—
But deeper now.
Certain.
“Yeah,” Luca said quietly.
“We’ll see about that.”
- Writer
