Elijah hadn't meant to fall asleep.
But he did.
Wrapped in silence and conflicting emotions, he had sat down on the edge of the hotel room couch after Luca's confession, flash drive clutched in hand—and the weight of six years had finally pulled him under.
When he woke up, the room was dim.
The sky outside had turned charcoal gray.
And Luca was still there.
Sitting in the same spot near the window. Not sleeping. Just watching.
"You stayed," Elijah murmured, blinking at the clock. 2:17 a.m.
"I wasn't sure if you wanted me gone."
"I wasn't sure either," Elijah whispered.
A long pause. Just the low hum of the city below them.
Then Elijah said it—softer than he meant to:
"Why didn't you write back when I begged you to explain?"
Luca turned slowly.
"Because I didn't want to lie."
"So you said nothing instead."
"I thought silence would protect you."
Elijah's laugh was bitter. "It didn't. It destroyed me."
---
Flashback – Six Years Ago
The first night after Luca disappeared, Elijah didn't cry.
He waited.
Convinced there'd be a knock. A message. A voice in the dark saying, "It was a mistake. I'm back."
But it never came.
Not that night.
Not ever.
So Elijah screamed into his pillow until his throat went raw.
Until his body curled into itself.
Until love turned to ash.
---
Present – Hotel Room 1212
Elijah sat up straighter, the blanket slipping off his shoulders.
"What do I do with this?" he asked, lifting the flash drive. "Go to the police? The media?"
"No," Luca said. "You're not ready for what they'll dig up. This isn't just about me or your father. It goes deeper. Names, bank accounts, blackmail... people who will make you disappear if they think you're a threat."
"So you want me to do nothing?"
"I want you to wait," Luca said. "Let me finish what I started. I'll end it for both of us."
"No." Elijah stood. "We end it together."
Luca looked at him—truly looked.
Elijah Reyes: hardened, hurt, and yet somehow, still full of fight.
"You've changed," he said softly.
"You changed me."
A long, thick silence filled the room.
Luca stepped closer.
So did Elijah.
And suddenly, the inches between them were heavy with memories.
With rooftop kisses.
With whispered promises.
With lies dressed as protection.
"Elijah…" Luca breathed.
But Elijah leaned in first.
Not a kiss. Just a breath apart.
Their foreheads touched.
And for a moment, both of them closed their eyes.
The world faded.
The past paused.
And it was just them again.
---
Luca's POV – Internal Monologue
I don't deserve him.
I never did.
But if he lets me… I'll spend the rest of my life making up for what I destroyed.
---
Suddenly – A Buzzing Phone
The moment shattered.
Luca stepped back and pulled out his phone.
Unknown Number. Again.
> We told you to walk away, Luca.
Now it's his turn to suffer.
Luca paled.
Elijah noticed immediately. "What is it?"
Luca didn't answer.
Because suddenly, the hotel room door exploded inward.
Wood shattered. Elijah barely had time to move before a masked figure stormed in with a baton, heading straight for him.
"ELIJAH!"
Luca lunged. Grabbed the attacker. Slammed him against the wall.
But another man burst through—gun in hand.
"Down! On the floor!" he barked.
"Don't hurt him!" Luca shouted.
Elijah stood frozen, heart pounding in his ears.
And then—
BANG!
A shot was fired.
Glass exploded.
Luca tackled Elijah to the floor.
And the world spun into chaos.
---
Minutes Later – Sirens in the Distance
The attackers were gone.
Security alarms blared. Hotel staff screamed. Sirens howled in the distance.
Luca was bleeding.
A shallow graze across his arm. Elijah hovered over him, hands trembling.
"You're hurt."
"It's nothing."
"You took a bullet for me."
"I said I'd protect you."
Elijah stared at him.
And something inside cracked again—not from pain… but from fear.
Because for the first time since their reunion, Elijah realized something:
> He wasn't ready to lose Luca again.
Not like this.
Not to silence.
Not to blood.
Not when he finally started to believe him.
---