Chapter 50

Tav pressed his gloved thumb to Luca’s chin and tugged that caught bottom lip free. “Luc?”

“What?” Luca whispered, still staring up the road. Tav glanced, but there was nothing there

“What’s happened?”

Luca flinched, and Tav frowned, trying to force the alcohol away. Sober up already. Something had happened to Luca, and Tav couldn’t think straight. He rested the heel of his hand against Luca’s jaw and rubbed the thumb up one of those diamond-cutting cheekbones. Luca’s eyes were blacker than the night sky, and his skin yellowish-white in the sickly glow of the streetlight. He was breathing too hard, clouds of vapour rising between them, and his mouth was tight and thin.

And Tav just couldn’t read him.

“What’s wrong?” he whispered.

Luca shook his head. “It’s―”

“It’s not nothing,” Tav interrupted quietly, still stroking his face. “Something’s…you’re all shook up.”

Scared. The word sparked in the back of Tav’s head like a lightbulb popping after a power cut, and he blinked.