Prologue: Teenage Dream
Brooklyn summers smelled like hot asphalt and distant rain; the air thick with the weight of something neither boy had the words for. The rooftop of the Moretti family’s apartment building was their kingdom; high above the streets, above the world, above everything that tried to pull them apart. Up there, the city noise faded into a low hum, and the sky stretched out like a promise, even if the stars were drowned out by the glow of streetlights and neon signs.
Luca sat on the edge of the roof, his boots dangling over the side, a cigarette balanced between two fingers. The smoke curled up into the night, disappearing into the heavy air. He was seventeen, but he already carried the weight of a name that meant loyalty, blood, and an unshakable future.
His black hair was messy, falling into his green eyes, which were dark and restless, always scanning, always calculating. The leather jacket he wore was too big for him, a hand-me-down from Enzo, his oldest brother, and it smelled like smoke.
Caleb sat beside him, his arms draped over his knees, his gaze fixed on the faint stars barely visible past the city lights. His deep brown skin glowed under the dim rooftop light, and his blue eyes, bright and sharp, like the edge of a knife, seemed to see everything. His hair was braided into neat rows, the ends brushing against the back of his neck, and his hoodie was frayed at the cuffs, the kind of thing he’d had for years and refused to throw away.
“You ever think about leaving?” Luca’s voice was rough, quieter than usual, like he was afraid to say the words out loud.
Caleb smirked, reaching for the cigarette. “Yeah,” he said, taking a slow drag. “Every damn day. My dad keeps threatening to throw me out, so I might just race him to the punch and run off.”
Luca huffed a quiet laugh, the sound barely escaping his lips. “You could always come and leave with us. You know Enzo wouldn’t mind.”
Caleb exhaled, watching the smoke disappear into the night. “I can’t.”
They both knew the truth in that. Caleb had always been different from the other kids who hovered around Luca’s world. He could slip into it, understood its rules, but he never let it sink into his bones. Luca had no choice; it was his birthright. Caleb? Caleb could still walk away.
But he hadn’t. Not yet.
“You don’t have to be like them,” Caleb said after a long silence, his voice soft but firm. “You could leave.”
Luca didn’t answer right away. He could lie, say he’d thought about it, but the Moretti name wasn’t something you abandoned. It was in his blood, in the weight of his brother’s hand on his shoulder, in the way people looked at him, expecting him to grow into something sharp-edged and dangerous.
He flicked the ash off his cigarette and stared at the glowing tip. “And go where?” he finally said, his voice low. “This is all I know.”
Caleb turned his head, his eyes searching Luca’s face. “You know more than you think,” he said. “You’re not your family, Luca. You’re not your dad. You’re not Enzo. You’re… you.”
Luca’s chest tightened at the words. He wanted to believe them, wanted to believe that he could be something other than what he was born into. But it wasn’t that simple. Nothing ever was.
“Let’s just have one night,” Luca said instead, his voice barely above a whisper. “No thinking about what comes next.”
Caleb hesitated, his gaze flickering over Luca’s face. There was something there, something unspoken, that had been building between them for years. A slow-burning thing neither of them dared name.
And then, without warning, Luca leaned in and kissed him.
It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t hesitant. It was desperate, the way stolen things always were; like they both knew this moment wasn’t theirs to keep, but they were going to take it anyway. Caleb froze for a heartbeat, his cigarette slipping from his fingers and tumbling off the edge of the roof, forgotten.
Luca’s hands, rough and calloused from years of trying to prove himself, found the front of Caleb’s hoodie, clutching the fabric like it was the only thing keeping him grounded. He pulled Caleb closer, their bodies colliding with a force that felt like it had been building for years.
Caleb’s lips were warm, softer than Luca expected, but there was nothing gentle about the way they moved against his. It was messy, urgent, like they were trying to say everything they couldn’t put into words.
Caleb’s hands came up to grip Luca’s shoulders, his fingers digging in like he was afraid Luca might disappear if he let go. The kiss was all heat and hunger, a collision of two boys who had been holding back for too long.
Luca’s heart was pounding so hard he could feel it in his throat, his chest, his fingertips. He could taste the faint bitterness of the cigarette on Caleb’s lips, mixed with something sweeter, something that was just Caleb. His hands slid up to tangle in the braids at the nape of Caleb’s neck, pulling him even closer, like he could erase the space between them entirely. Caleb made a small, desperate sound in the back of his throat, and it sent a shiver down Luca’s spine.
The city below them didn’t matter. The noise of the streets, the distant wail of a siren, the weight of the Moretti name pressing down on Luca’s shoulders; none of it mattered. All that mattered was the way Caleb’s mouth moved against his, the way his hands slid down to grip Luca’s waist, pulling him in until there was no space left between them. Luca’s head was spinning, his thoughts a jumbled mess, but one thing was clear: this was the most alive he’d ever felt.
When they finally pulled apart, they were both breathless, their foreheads resting together as they tried to steady themselves. Caleb’s hands were still on Luca’s waist, his grip tight, like he was afraid to let go. Luca’s fingers were still tangled in Caleb’s hair, his chest rising and falling as he tried to catch his breath. The air between them was charged, electric, and for a moment, neither of them spoke. They just stayed like that, their breaths mingling, their hearts beating in sync.
“This is gonna end badly,” Caleb murmured, his voice shaky, like he was trying to convince himself more than Luca.
Luca swallowed hard, his fingers tightening in Caleb’s hair. “I don’t care.”
And he didn’t. Not in that moment. Because for the first time in his life, Luca felt like he was exactly where he was supposed to be. And if it all fell apart tomorrow, at least he’d have this; the memory of Caleb’s lips on his, the way his hands felt on Luca’s skin, the way the world had faded away until it was just the two of them, high above the city, where nothing could touch them.
