We stared at each other across fifteen feet that felt like miles.
He looked thinner. Tired. The cut above his eyebrow was healing, a faint scar already forming.
Mirror image.
"Sorry," he said quietly. "Didn't know you were still here."
"Theo."
"Congratulations on the win." He turned to leave.
"Wait." The word tore out of me. "Please."
He stopped. He didn't turn around.
"I..." Everything I needed to say jammed in my throat. "I made a mistake."
His shoulders tensed. "You made your choice."
"I was wrong."
"Luca." He finally turned. His eyes held nothing—no hope, no anger, just exhaustion. "You got what you wanted. The contract, the captaincy, the perfect closeted life. Don't... don't mess with my head just because you feel guilty."
"It’s not guilt." I stepped closer. "It’s—"
"What? What is it?" His voice cracked. "Because from where I’m standing, you made it pretty clear that I was a distraction. A mistake. Something you couldn't afford."
"I was scared."
"And you aren't now?"
Honest answer. "I’m terrified."
He laughed, bitter. "Great. That’s great, Luca. You’re terrified, so you ended it. And now you’re still terrified, so—what? We get back together and you hide me better? I’m not interested in being your secret again."
"I don't want you to be a secret."
Silence.
Theo stared at me like I’d spoken a language he didn't understand.
"I signed the contract," I continued. The words came faster now, desperate. "I got everything I thought I wanted. And it’s... it’s empty. Meaningless. Because you aren't..." I stopped. "Because I love you."
His breath caught audibly.
"I love you," I repeated, and saying it again felt like breaking through ice. "And I’ve been dying for weeks without you. Watching you dim. Knowing I did that. And then seeing you get hit, and thinking..." My voice broke. "All I could think was that I wasted weeks being afraid when I could have been with you."
Theo’s eyes shone with tears he refused to let fall. "You can't just... you can't say that now. After everything."
"I know."
"You called me a mistake."
"I was wrong."
"You chose the contract."
"I chose wrong." I closed the distance between us. "Theo, I don't know how to do this. Don't know how to be public, how to come out, how to... but I want to try. If you’ll let me. If I haven't..."
