Chapter 7 — Mine to Lose
765 Words
Adrian shouldn’t have come.
He knew that the second he saw Luca sitting there—calm, composed, untouched by everything that was tearing through him.
And yet—
Here he was.
Standing too close. Breathing too hard. Feeling too much.
“Living your life,” Adrian repeated, his voice low.
Controlled.
But barely.
Luca didn’t look away.
Didn’t flinch.
“If that’s a problem,” he said calmly, “you can walk away.”
That should have been easy.
Simple.
Exactly what Adrian wanted.
So why didn’t he move?
Instead—
“You were with her,” Adrian said.
The words slipped out before he could stop them.
Sharp.
Possessive.
Dangerous.
Luca’s brows lifted slightly.
“That’s what this is about?”
Adrian’s jaw tightened.
“It’s not about anything.”
A beat.
Then—
Luca let out a quiet breath, shaking his head slightly.
“You really don’t hear yourself, do you?”
That tone again.
That calm, knowing tone that got under Adrian’s skin.
“I don’t owe you anything,” Luca added.
Simple.
Direct.
True.
That should have ended it.
It should have.
But something inside Adrian snapped instead.
His hand moved before his mind caught up—
Gripping Luca’s wrist.
Firm.
Unyielding.
“Come with me.”
Luca stilled.
His eyes dropped briefly to Adrian’s hand—
Then lifted again.
Something flickered there.
Not resistance.
Not exactly.
“Adrian—”
“Now.”
There was no room for argument in his voice.
No space for refusal.
For a second—
It felt like Luca might push back.
Might pull away.
Might walk out and leave Adrian standing there—
But he didn’t.
Instead—
“Fine,” Luca said quietly.
And just like that—
They were moving.
Adrian didn’t let go.
Not as he pulled him through the bar.
Not as he pushed past people.
Not even when they stepped outside into the cool night air.
Only when they were alone—
Completely alone—
Did he finally release him.
Silence.
“What the hell was that?” Luca asked.
Not angry.
But not calm either.
Adrian turned to face him, something dark in his expression now.
“You tell me.”
Luca frowned slightly. “You dragged me out like I belong to you.”
That word—
Belong.
Something dangerous flared.
“You were letting her touch you,” Adrian shot back.
Luca blinked once.
Then—
A slow, disbelieving laugh left him.
“Wow.”
Adrian didn’t find it funny.
“You don’t get to act like that,” Luca continued, stepping closer now, his voice sharper. “Not after everything you said.”
Adrian’s chest rose and fell unevenly.
“I said it was a mistake.”
“And you think I believe that?” Luca challenged.
Silence.
Because no—
He didn’t.
“Then what do you want?” Luca pressed.
The question hit hard.
Straight through whatever control Adrian had left.
What did he want?
Not this.
Not the tension.
Not the chaos.
Not the way Luca made him feel like he was losing grip on everything he’d built—
But also—
Not the idea of someone else having him.
Adrian stepped closer again.
Closing the space.
Ending the distance.
“I don’t want you with anyone else.”
The words landed.
Heavy.
Unfiltered.
Too honest.
Luca went still.
“That’s not how this works,” he said quietly.
“I don’t care.”
Another step.
Now they were close again.
Too close.
Always too close.
“You don’t get to push me away and then come back when it suits you,” Luca added.
Adrian’s voice dropped.
Lower.
Rougher.
“Then don’t let me.”
That did it.
Something shifted in Luca’s expression—
Gone was the teasing.
Gone was the distance.
Now—
There was heat.
“You’re impossible,” Luca muttered.
“And you’re still here,” Adrian replied.
A beat.
Then—
Luca grabbed his shirt.
Pulling him in this time.
Not the other way around.
The kiss wasn’t hesitant.
Wasn’t uncertain.
Wasn’t anything like the first.
It was anger.
Frustration.
Tension that had nowhere left to go.
And Adrian didn’t hold back.
Not this time.
Hands gripping. Breath uneven. Control completely gone.
This wasn’t a mistake anymore.
This was a choice.
And they were both making it.
When they finally pulled apart—
It wasn’t distance.
It wasn’t space.
It was just enough to breathe.
“This doesn’t fix anything,” Luca said.
Adrian didn’t deny it.
“I know.”
But neither of them stepped back.
- Writer
