Someone knocks on the door.

I'm catapulted across the room by my own fear. Luka locks eyes with me before opening the door and I decide to sit in a small corner.

I try my hardest to hear what they're talking about. All I hear is muted voices, hushed tones, and someone clearing their throat. I'm not sure what to do.

"I'll be down in a minute." Luka says a little loudly. I realize he's trying to end the conversation.

"C'mon, man! I just wanna see her–"

"She's not a God damn spectacle, Nino. Get the hell out of here.

"Wait– just tell me: Does she light shit on fire with her eyes?" Nino laughs and I cringe, slumping farther into the corner.

I curl into myself and try not to hear the rest of the conversation.

I fail.

Luka sighs, I can picture him rubbing his forehead.

"Just get out."

Nino struggles to muffle his laughter. "Damn, you're sensitive all of a sudden, huh? Hanging out with a girl is changing you, man–"

Luka says something I can't hear and slams the door shut.

I peek up from my hiding spot.

Luka looks embarrassed and my cheeks turn pink.

I stand up to go look out the window. All I see is a grey, broken down city.

Luka slips his hand around my waist.

His lips are at my ear and he says nothing at all.

I shut my eyes and lean my head against the window.

Luka pulls me closer.

His hands are circling my waist and his cheek is pressed against my head. "You feel incredible."

I try to chuckle, "Those are words I never thought I'd hear."

He spins me around so I'm facing him.

He leans in until our foreheads touch.

He whispers, "How are you?" and I just want to kiss every beautiful beat of this man's heart.

How are you? 3 words no one ever asks me.

"I want to get out of here."

He squeezes me against his chest and suddenly, every butterfly in the world has migrated to my stomach.

"Marinette?"

I lean back to see his face.

"Are you serious about leaving?" His fingers brush the side of my cheek as he asks this.

He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. "Do you understand the risk?"

I take a deep breath. I know that the only real risk is death.

Something I'm not afraid of... "Yes."

He nods. Drops his eyes and lowers his voice. "The troops have been coming up with some kind of attack. There's something huge going on, and I'm not sure what it is. But I do know that we need to be ready when they are."

I freeze. "What do you mean?"

"When the troops are ready to go into attack. You and I should be ready to run. It's the only way out that will give us time to disappear. Everyone will be too focused on the attack that it'll buy us some time before they notice we're missing. Or get enough people to help search for us."

"But–you mean–you'll come with me . . . ? You'd be willing to do that for me?"

A small smile forms on his lips. "There's very little I wouldn't do for you."

I ask the one question that scares me the most: "Why?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why, Luka? Why do you care? Why do you want to help  me? I don't understand–I don't know why you'd be willing to risk your life–"

He stops me by, once again, pulling me closer to him.

His mouth smiles into my skin. "You don't?"

He laughs a little and pulls back. He takes my hand and studies it.

"Do you remember in fourth grade when Camila Sanchez signed up for the school field trip too late? All the spots were filled, and she stood outside the bus, crying because she wanted to go?"

He doesn't wait for me to reply.

"I remember you got off the bus. You offered her your seat and she didn't even say thank you. I watched you standing on the sidewalk as we pulled away."

I feel my cheeks heat up.

"Do you remember in fifth grade? That week Daniella's parents nearly got a divorce? She came to school everyday without her lunch. And you offered her yours." He pauses. "As soon as that week was over, she went back to pretending you didn't even exist."

I slump down some.

"In seventh grade, Connor Michaeals was caught cheating off your math test. He kept screaming that if he failed, his father would kill him. You told the teacher that you were the one cheating off his test. You got a zero on the exam and detention for a week."

He looks up, but not at me.

"You had bruises on your arm for at least a month after that. I've always wondered where they came from."

My heart is beating fast and I feel my fingers starting to shake.

I don't know if I made this clear but Marinette has major anxiety in this story, so when her fingers start to shake, that means she's having a mini anxiety attack.

"A million times." His voice is quiet as he speaks. "I saw you do things like that a million times. But you never said a word unless it was forced out of you." He laughs. "You never asked for anything from anyone." He finally meets my eyes. "But no one ever gave you a chance."

I swallow hard and try to look away but he catches my face.

He whispers, "You have no idea how much I've thought about you. How many times I've dreamt about being this close to you."

He runs a head through his hair. Looks up. Looks down. "God, Marinette. I'd follow you anywhere. You're the only good thing in this world."

I look down but he tips my chin up.

"We have three weeks at most. I don't know if they can control the mobs for much longer."

I nod and blink.

I rest my face against his chest and pretend I'm not crying...

3 weeks.