Chapter 32
THIRTY-TWO
LUCA
Morning comes slowly.
It’s a gray morning, but Kai is still asleep in my arms, curled against my chest like he belongs there, and that’s all I need. He’s still asleep, if his breathing is any indication, one leg thrown over mine holding me in place, while his hand rests loosely on my stomach.
The sheets are tangled around us, and the faint scent of last night’s shower and sex still clings to us both.
I press a slow kiss to the top of his head and let myself enjoy the quiet for a moment longer. I love the feeling of it. Safe. Domestic. Finally waking up in our own bubble with the whole day ahead of us, for whatever we want to do.
My phone vibrates on the nightstand, but I ignore it. No way am I moving right now. Whoever it is can wait.
It keeps buzzing.
And buzzing.
With a sigh, I reach over carefully so I don’t wake Kai and glance at the screen.
Missed calls from Tasha—six of them—and a bunch of text messages. Followed by texts from Michael and Min-ho in our group chat. I guess they can’t live without us for one day.
I swipe open the chain of texts from Tasha first, and my stomach drops.
Call me. Now. There’s been a leak of Security footage with you, Kai, and Whitney. It’s gaining traction.
I sit up slowly, detangling from Kai and leaving him sleeping on the pillow, and open the link she sent.
It’s blurry security cam footage from a neighbor’s back porch, pointed directly into our patio area.
The angle is bad, but it’s clear enough.
And it has sound. It shows the whole argument.
And the one thing the comments and headline seem to lock onto is the fact that neither Kai or I denied our relationship being fake at one point.
Shit. Is this going to make him bolt? Can we get in front of this?
I stare at the screen, jaw tight.
Someone had recorded a private, ugly moment and turned it into content. The comments are already flooding in—some calling it “proof” that Kuca was staged all along, others speculating that Whitney was the real victim, and if it was real, that I’m a terrible person that cheated on her.
My stomach twists harder.
I set the phone down and look at Kai. He’s still asleep. I love it when he looks so relaxed, and his hair is messy. It’s a side of him that not many people get to see. He slides his hand across the spot I had been laying, searching for me even in his sleep.
I don’t want any of this to touch him, and if I could protect him from it all, I would. But I know that’s not possible.
For now, though, I slide back down next to him and pull him gently against my chest again. He makes a soft, sleepy sound and nuzzles closer, arm draping over my waist.
A few minutes later, Kai stirs, blinking awake slowly. His eyes find mine, still soft with sleep.
“Morning,” he murmurs.
“Morning,” I reply, brushing my thumb across his cheek.
He notices the tension in my shoulders right away.
“What’s wrong?”
I keep my voice even. “Security footage from last night leaked. Whitney showing up. The argument. It’s starting to spread.”
Kai goes still for a second, then exhales slowly. His hand finds mine under the sheets and laces our fingers together.
“Shit,” he says quietly.
“Yeah.” That’s the same reaction I had.
I wait for him to pull away and put distance between us, but he doesn’t. He stays where he is and brushes his thumb over the back of my hand while he thinks.
“What do you want to do?” he asks after a moment.
The question alone makes something ease inside my chest. We can do this. After facing our feelings for each other, I’m pretty sure we can face the whole world.
I squeeze his hand once.
“Tell the truth where it matters,” I say. “Ignore the noise. We don’t owe anyone the full story of us.”
Kai nods slowly, thumb still moving in that steady rhythm against my skin.
“Sounds simple when you say it.”
I huff a laugh. “I’m sure it’s not. But what can any of them do?”
“Well…Harry can replace us…” Kai replies.
I roll my lips between my teeth as I hesitate asking the question that wants to come out.
“Does that matter to you? Will that change any of this?” My heart is in my throat as I wait for him to answer.
Please love me as much as I love you.
“It matters,” he says. “But not enough to make me walk away from you.”
The knot in my chest loosens.
“I’ve spent most of my life trying to hold onto things that weren’t mine to keep,” he continues. “I’m tired of that. If Harry wants to replace us, let him try. But I’m not giving this up because of him. Or because of Whitney. Or because of some blurry video.”
He squeezes my hand back.
“I want this. Us. The real version. Even if it means starting over somewhere else.”
I let out a slow breath and pull him closer, pressing my forehead to his.
“Good,” I murmur. “Because I don’t want to do any of it without you.”
Kai’s mouth curves into a small, tired smile. “Then we’re on the same page.”
We stay like that for a while, foreheads touching, breathing each other in. Our phones buzzing in the background reminds us of what the outside world wants, but it doesn’t feel as close right now.
I reach over, grab both our phones, and turn them off without looking at the screens. It’s probably the worst decision, but I just don’t want to face the real world right now. I need one day of this.
“No more today,” I say. “Let’s get away from it all for a few hours.”
Kai watches me, then nods once. “Okay.”
We don’t talk about Harry or the leak or what happens tomorrow. We just get dressed, throw on hoodies and jeans, and slip out of the house before anyone can stop us.
The drive to the coast is quiet. Windows down, music low, Kai’s hand resting on my thigh the whole way. When we finally park near a stretch of rocky beach, the ocean air hits us.
We walk along the shore for hours. And it’s heaven on earth.
No cameras. No fans. No one knowing who we are.
Just the sound of waves crashing, the crunch of pebbles under our shoes, and Kai’s shoulder bumping mine every few steps.
He stops to pick up a smooth stone, turning it over in his fingers before tossing it into the water.
I watch the way the wind catches his hair, the way his eyes squint against the sun, and feel something settle deep in my chest.
Later, we find a sheltered spot between two large rocks and sit with our backs against one of them. Kai leans into my side, head on my shoulder. I wrap an arm around him, fingers idly playing with the ends of his hair.
We don’t talk much. We don’t need to.
I kiss the top of his head. He tilts his face up and kisses me properly, tasting like salt air and the coffee we grabbed on the way. His hand slides under my hoodie, palm warm against my skin. I pull him closer until he’s half in my lap, legs tangled, our mouths moving lazy over each other.
The world outside doesn’t exist today.
It’s us, the ocean, the cry of gulls, the feel of Kai’s heartbeat against mine, and the quiet certainty that this, right here, is what I want for the rest of my life.
“We should run away, together,” I say it half-jokingly, but if he jumped at it, I would be on board to run from everything and reinvent ourselves together on some island somewhere.
Kai huffs a soft laugh against my mouth, then pulls back just enough to look at me. His eyes are steady, his smile from earlier still lingering.
“Run away?” He shakes his head, thumb brushing my jaw. “No more running. From any of it.”
He leans in again, pressing a slow kiss to the corner of my mouth.
“I’m done running,” he says quietly. “I want the whole world to know I love you and have zero doubts it’s forever.”
The words settle warm and solid in my chest, and I pull him closer, kissing him deeper.
“You’re done falling then, huh?” I say when we break apart, smiling against his lips.
“I’ve been done.”