LILLY POV
If yesterday felt like a dream, then today was the fog after it.
I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, brushing my hair slower than usual. My fingers paused mid-stroke as my mind drifted back to last night—to the way Luca had looked at me, to the weight of his confession.
He said he was in love with me.
And somehow, I believed him.
Not because he was Luca Demon, the billionaire's son with the world at his feet. But because, in that moment, he hadn't been any of that. He'd just been a boy—afraid, honest, and holding his heart out in both hands.
I pressed a palm against my chest. The memory of his words lived there now.
"I'm in love with you."
It echoed over and over, like a rhythm I couldn't unhear.
I barely noticed when my little brother, Liam, called my name from the kitchen. Mum had made a full breakfast again. I guessed she was still celebrating the Legacy Grant. A part of me was too. But this new, fragile something blooming with Luca... it had me off balance in a way school never did.
After dressing, I tucked my poetry journal into my bag and made my way out. I needed to see him. Not because he said those words—but because I felt them too.
---
LUCA POV
For once, I didn't feel the need to armor up.
No sharp words. No sarcastic smirks. No hiding behind my name or car or confidence.
Today, I just wanted to see her.
I parked the Bugatti under the shade near the poetry wing and leaned back in my seat, watching the student path. The windows were down. The world felt clearer somehow.
When I saw her step out of the building—sunlight catching in her hair, poetry journal tucked against her chest—I smiled without thinking.
She spotted me a moment later, and a smile tugged at her lips too.
"Hey," I called as she walked over.
"You waiting for me?"
"Always."
She laughed quietly, eyes shining. "That was smooth."
"I've been practicing."
I opened the passenger door and she slid in without hesitation.
For the first time, everything between us felt... easy.
---
LILLY POV
We didn't go far.
Luca drove us to the edge of campus where a small overlook caught the breeze and a view of the town below. It was quiet, away from the noise, from our names and our worlds.
We sat on the hood of his car, watching clouds move slow across the sky. The wind brushed my cheek like a whisper.
"I thought I'd be more scared," I admitted.
He looked at me. "Of what?"
"Of you. Of this. But… I'm not."
His voice dropped soft. "I don't want to rush you."
"You're not."
He reached for my hand. His thumb brushed mine.
"I meant what I said last night," he whispered. "Every word."
I nodded, eyes locked on his. "I know. That's what scares me in the best way."
He smiled. "Then I'll keep saying it. Every day, if I have to."
I let out a soft laugh. "You'll get tired of me."
"Never."
---
LUCA POV
I leaned in slowly—not for a kiss this time, but just to rest my forehead against hers.
"I've had everything handed to me," I murmured. "Except this. Except you. You're the only thing I ever had to earn."
She pressed her hand to my chest.
"You don't have to earn me," she whispered. "Just don't lie to me. Don't pretend with me."
"Never."
And in that quiet moment, we weren't a grant student and a billionaire's son.
We were just two people, finally brave enough to stop running.
We sat there for a long while. Talking about nothing and everything. She told me about her mum's joy, about Liam's cheeky grin when she walked in the house last night. I told her about my mum's excitement, about Elena asking if Lilly was going to start coming over more often.
Then she said something that stunned me.
"You know... I think I'm starting to like this version of you."
I blinked. "This version?"
"The one who doesn't always have to prove he's better than the world."
I tilted my head. "I didn't know that was who I was."
She smiled sadly. "Sometimes... the people who feel the most invisible shout the loudest."
I stared at her. No girl had ever spoken to me like that. No filter. No tiptoeing.
Only Lilly.
Always Lilly.
And I knew then—I'd never be the same.
---
LILLY POV
Later, when he dropped me off in front of the main library, he didn't lean in for a kiss.
He didn't need to.
We shared something deeper—an understanding, a spark rooted not in passion, but in trust.
"Call me if you need anything," he said.
"I will."
"I mean it. Anything."
I nodded. "I know."
He watched me walk away.
And for the first time in a long time, I didn't feel like the girl from nowhere.
I felt like someone who mattered.