The air between them had grown dense with silence, not the kind that offered comfort but the kind that clawed at the skin, demanding to be broken. Aria stood by the balcony doors of Luca's study, staring out into the moonlit garden where the shadows of olive trees swayed gently. She wrapped her arms around herself, unsure if she was shielding from the cold or from the storm swirling inside her.
Luca's presence behind her was unmistakable, his footsteps were measured, his breathing calm, yet charged with an energy that pressed against her back like invisible heat.
"You're avoiding me," his voice finally broke the silence, deep and low.
Aria turned slowly, meeting his steel-gray eyes. "Avoiding you? No. I'm… giving you space. Isn't that what you wanted?"
His jaw tightened. "What I want and what I say aren't always the same."
