Page 107 of Spotlight Hearts

“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.”

THIRTY-THREE

KAI

We avoided everything for over two days.

Just Luca’s parents’ house, long mornings in bed, lazy afternoons by the pool, and nights where we locked the bedroom door and forgot the rest of the world existed. It felt like breathing for the first time in months.

But nothing stays hidden forever.

On the third morning, while Luca and I are still tangled up in the sheets trading slow kisses, the doorbell rings.

Luca groans against my mouth. “Ignore it.”

It rings again. Then again. Persistent. His parents should be home, at least they said they had no plans for today. Maybe it is one of their friends.

Beth’s voice floats up from downstairs. “Luca, honey? Tasha’s here.”

Luca’s head drops to my shoulder with a defeated sigh. “Of course she is.”

We drag ourselves out of bed, throw on clothes, and head downstairs. Tasha is waiting in the living room, looking exhausted but determined, phone clutched in her hand.

She doesn’t waste time.

“Harry wants a call. Now. The leak blew up bigger than we thought. Fans are splitting—some think it’s proof you’re fake, others think Whitney’s the victim. The label is getting heat. He needs damage control.”

Luca crosses his arms. “We told him we’re done with the scripted stuff.”

Tasha sighs. “He knows. But he’s panicking. He wants you two to stage something public…a romantic dinner, a kiss caught on camera, something that screams ‘this is real.’ He says it’s the only way to shut down the backlash.”

I feel Luca tense beside me. My own stomach twists. We just spent two perfect days pretending none of this existed. Now it’s crashing back in.

Luca looks at me. I meet his eyes. We don’t need words. The look we share says everything.

Luca turns back to Tasha.

“Put him on speaker.”

She dials. Harry picks up on the second ring, voice clipped.

“Finally. Look, the narrative is slipping. We need to prove this isn’t fake. A staged scene. Dinner, walk on the beach, whatever. Make it look real. Fans are turning on us.”

Luca’s voice is calm but final. “No.”