The night pressed down on them, cold and unforgiving. The music from the gym was nothing more than a distant hum now, swallowed by the silence between them.
She waited for him to say something.
Anything.
Lucifer stood there, his face unreadable, his lips slightly parted like he wanted to speak — but no words came out.
Seconds stretched into eternity, the weight of her confession suffocating them both.
Her heart pounded against her ribs. She could barely breathe.
Then, finally —
"Eliza…" His voice was quiet, careful.
And in that instant, she knew.
She knew before he even said the words.
Her worst fear had come true.
"I don't—" He swallowed hard, looking away for a second before forcing himself to meet her eyes again. "I don't want to hurt you."
Her stomach twisted painfully.
He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. "You're my best friend, Eliza. You always have been. I don't want to ruin that. I can't… I can't lose you."
A sharp, crushing pain bloomed in her chest.
Best friend.
Of course.
She had braced herself for this, convinced herself she could handle it — that she'd be okay even if he didn't love her back.
But nothing could've prepared her for the way it actually felt.
The way her whole world seemed to crack open and collapse in on itself.
Her lips parted, but no words came out. She just stared at him, trying to process what he was saying, trying not to break right there in front of him.
"You mean everything to me," Lucifer continued, his voice lower now, almost desperate. "But I—"
He stopped. Hesitated.
And that hesitation?
It destroyed her.
Because hesitation meant doubt.
Hesitation meant he never even considered the possibility of loving her back.
Her throat tightened so much it hurt.
Eliza forced a laugh, but it came out hollow and shaky. "You don't have to say more, Lucifer. I get it."
"Eliza—"
"No, seriously." She cut him off, lifting her chin, trying to keep her voice steady even though she felt like she was shattering. "I understand. You don't feel the same. It's fine."
But it wasn't fine.
It wasn't even close to fine.
Lucifer stepped forward, reaching for her — but she took a shaky step back before he could touch her. His hand froze mid-air before falling uselessly to his side.
"Eliza, please don't do this," he murmured.
Don't do what?
Feel?
Break?
Love him?
Her vision blurred with tears. She bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to taste blood.
"I think I need to be alone," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Lucifer tensed. "Eliza—"
"Please."
The word came out broken, a plea more than a demand.
He stared at her, guilt and pain flickering in his eyes, but after a moment, he nodded. Slowly.
Eliza turned around before he could see the tears falling.
She didn't run.
She didn't let herself.
She walked away — slowly, steadily — each step feeling heavier than the last.
And Lucifer?
He didn't stop her.
He just let her go.
---
Eliza didn't come to school for two days after that.
She needed space — space from him, from everything. The idea of seeing him again, pretending everything was fine, felt impossible.
She stayed curled up in her room, replaying the night over and over until it felt like she was suffocating on it.
His voice haunted her. His words echoed in her head, louder than the music that had filled the gym.
"You're my best friend."
She hated those words now.
But hiding couldn't last forever.
On the third day, she forced herself to get up. To get dressed. To go to school.
---
At school, Eliza avoided him.
She wasn't cold or cruel — she just… stayed away. Like she needed space to breathe, to exist without him for a while.
And Lucifer? He didn't chase after her.
He wanted to. Every time he saw her in the hallway, laughing quietly with Ava or sitting alone by the window, his chest tightened. He wanted to talk to her, to fix whatever had broken between them.
But he didn't.
Because he knew she wouldn't talk to him — not yet.
So he gave her the space she clearly needed.
He stayed silent.
But that didn't stop him from watching her.
And even though it hurt like hell...
To be continued....