CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
MASON
I should’ve left already.
That thought had been circling my head for the last twenty minutes.
And yet—
I was still here.
Still near the railing.
Still pretending I wasn’t tracking Rowan every time she shifted across the rooftop.
Jace bumped my shoulder lightly.
“You know what your problem is?”
“I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”
“You keep acting like this is theoretical.”
I frowned slightly. “What is.”
“Her.”
That answer came too fast.
Too clean.
I looked away toward the skyline.
“You’re drunk.”
“I’m correct.”
Unfortunately, that was worse.
Across the rooftop, Rowan was sitting near one of the low couches now.
Luca beside her again.
Closer this time.
Not invasive.
Comfortable.
Like they’d skipped the awkward stage completely.
That shouldn’t have bothered me.
It did anyway.
Because nothing with Rowan had ever been easy.
Everything with her felt measured.
Observed.
Like both of us were constantly standing half a step away from saying the wrong thing.
And Luca?
He just existed near her without thinking twice.
That difference was getting under my skin more than I wanted to admit.
ROWAN
Luca stole someone’s hoodie off the back of a chair and tossed it toward me.
“You look cold.”
“I’m not.”
“You literally folded into yourself.”
I glanced down.
Annoyingly, he was right.
The rooftop wind had picked up.
I pulled the hoodie on anyway.
“See?” he said. “Growth.”
“You’re very committed to commentary.”
“It’s a gift.”
I laughed slightly despite myself.
And that was dangerous.
Not because of Luca.
Because I knew who was watching.
That awareness hadn’t disappeared once tonight.
Not for a second.
Luca leaned back against the couch.
“You know he looks miserable, right?”
That made me freeze slightly.
Not visibly.
Internally.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Sure.”
I looked over finally.
Mason was near the railing still.
Drink in hand.
Expression unreadable from here.
But something about him looked… tighter than usual.
Like control was becoming effort.
That thought stayed with me longer than it should’ve.
LUCA
Okay.
Yeah.
This definitely wasn’t casual.
I wasn’t stupid.
The second Mason walked over earlier, the entire energy changed.
And Rowan?
She reacted to him before he even spoke.
That wasn’t chemistry.
That was infrastructure.
Different thing entirely.
Still—
didn’t mean I wasn’t curious.
“You guys together?” I asked casually.
That got an immediate reaction.
Too immediate.
“No.”
Fast.
Sharp.
Interesting.
“But?” I asked.
“There is no but.”
“That’s not what your face said.”
She narrowed her eyes slightly.
I grinned.
There it is.
MASON
I saw her smile at something Luca said.
Again.
And the worst part?
She looked relaxed doing it.
Jace noticed me staring immediately.
“You should probably stop watching before you accidentally confess through eye contact.”
“I’m not confessing anything.”
“Brother, you look one inconvenience away from emotional collapse.”
I exhaled slowly.
Didn’t answer.
Because movement near the couches caught my attention again.
A girl dropped into Luca’s lap out of nowhere.
Dark curls. Red lipstick. Loud laugh.
Luca laughed immediately and wrapped an arm around her waist like this happened every weekend.
Rowan looked between them with visible confusion.
Jace followed my gaze.
“Oh,” he said. “Never mind. Plot twist.”
That changed things instantly.
ROWAN
“What the hell was that?” I asked.
Luca looked genuinely confused.
“What was what.”
“The woman that just landed on you like a guided missile.”
He barked out a laugh.
“That’s Tessa.”
“That explains nothing.”
“She does that.”
“She just kissed your neck.”
“Yeah,” he replied casually. “That also happens.”
I stared at him.
“You are deeply concerning.”
“Thank you.”
Tessa finally looked over at me.
Sharp eyes.
Pretty in the dangerous kind of way.
“You’re the practice girl,” she said.
“That sounds vaguely insulting.”
“It wasn’t meant to be.”
She slid off Luca’s lap slowly but stayed close enough that her knee remained between his legs.
No shame.
No hesitation.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
TESSA
Okay.
Now this was entertaining.
Because Luca never stayed in conversations this long unless he was interested.
And the basketball guy across the rooftop?
Yeah.
He looked one bad decision away from throwing someone off the building.
I leaned toward Luca slightly.
“She’s the problem, huh?”
“She’s someone’s problem,” he replied.
Fair.
ROWAN
Tessa was impossible to ignore.
Not loud.
Worse.
Comfortable.
She leaned into Luca naturally like physical touch was just punctuation for her.
And Luca responded automatically.
Touching her thigh.
Adjusting her closer without thinking.
Easy.
Instinctive.
No overanalysis.
No tension.
No weird silence loaded with hidden meaning.
Just physical chemistry.
I looked away from them instinctively.
And somehow my eyes found Mason again.
Big mistake.
Because he was already looking at me.
Not at Luca.
At me.
That changed the entire feeling instantly.
MASON
She looked at me like she’d forgotten I was there for a second.
Then remembered all at once.
That hit harder than it should’ve.
The rooftop noise blurred again.
People moving around us.
Music changing.
None of it mattered.
Because Rowan looked unsettled now.
Not because of Luca.
Because of whatever she just realised watching him with someone else.
And somehow—
that made something ugly unclench in my chest.
Jace noticed immediately.
“Oh my God,” he said quietly. “You’re relieved.”
“I’m not.”
“You absolutely are.”
I ignored him.
But he was right.
And that annoyed me immediately.
ROWAN
Tessa stood up suddenly.
“Come dance,” she told Luca.
“Bossy.”
“You like it.”
“Unfortunately.”
He grinned and stood with her.
Then looked back at me briefly.
“You surviving over here?”
“Questionable.”
“Good answer.”
Then they disappeared into the crowd together.
Just like that.
Fast.
Physical.
Easy.
I watched them go for a second too long.
Then—
I felt him beside me before he spoke.
Mason.
Closer now.
Not touching.
Never touching.
But close enough that my body reacted instantly anyway.
“You okay?” he asked.
And somehow—
that was the softest thing he’d ever said to me.