The Edge of Us (Sienna)

I wasn’t used to this.

Not the hand-holding. Not the constant checking in. Not the way he looked at me—like I was something he wanted to protect, something he wanted to keep.

And I definitely wasn’t used to the kissing.

Because Luca kissed like he meant it.

Like every touch, every movement, was a promise.

It should have scared me.

It did scare me.

But right now, standing under the streetlights, our fingers still intertwined, I wasn’t thinking about fear.

I was thinking about him.

“Do you want to go for a drive?” he asked, voice low.

I should have said no. It was late. My father would kill me if he found out.

But the thought of going back inside—to the walls, the expectations, the rules—felt suffocating.

So I nodded. “Okay.”

Luca didn’t say anything. He just squeezed my hand and led me to his car.

We drove in comfortable silence, the hum of the engine filling the space between us. Luca’s hand rested on the gear shift, close enough that I could reach out and touch him if I wanted.

I wanted to.

But I didn’t.

Instead, I stared out the window, watching the lights blur past.

“You don’t have to talk,” he said, breaking the silence. “But I need to know you’re okay.”

I swallowed. “I’m fine.”

He didn’t buy it. I could tell by the way his jaw tightened.

“Sienna.”

I sighed, leaning my head back against the seat. “It’s just my dad.”

His grip on the steering wheel flexed. “Did he—”

“No,” I cut in quickly. “It’s nothing like that. He just… expects a lot.”

Luca nodded like he understood, but I wasn’t sure he really did.

His house was warm. His family was safe.

Mine wasn’t like that.

Mine was cold and calculated, a place where affection was earned, not freely given.

Luca turned onto a quiet road, pulling up beside a small overlook. The town stretched out below us, a sea of twinkling lights.

He shut off the engine and turned to me. “Do you want to get out?”

I hesitated, then nodded.

The night air was crisp, the scent of pine and distant rain filling my lungs. I wrapped my arms around myself, shivering slightly.

Luca noticed. Without a word, he shrugged off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders.

I looked up at him. “You don’t have to do that.”

He smirked. “I don’t have to do anything.”

My lips parted, but no words came out.

I didn’t know how to do this—whatever this was.

I wasn’t used to people taking care of me.

And Luca… he did it so effortlessly.

“Tell me what you’re thinking,” he murmured.

I exhaled shakily. “I don’t know how to do this.”

His brows furrowed. “Do what?”

“Let someone in.”

Something in his expression softened.

“You don’t have to,” he said simply. “Not all at once.”

I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “You make it seem easy.”

He let out a breathy laugh. “It’s not.”

I turned to him fully, the space between us suddenly feeling too small, too charged.

And then, before I could second-guess it, I leaned in.

Luca’s breath hitched.

“Sienna…”

I pressed a hand to his chest. “Tell me to stop.”

He didn’t.

He couldn’t.

Instead, his hands found my waist, fingers tightening. “You’re going to ruin me,” he murmured.

I smiled—because he was ruining me too.

And then I kissed him.