You’d been seeing Luca for about three weeks now, and it still felt unreal. Like, how the hell was this guy single before you met him? He was tall, built like a damn tank, always smelled like fresh laundry and cedarwood, and had this soft-ass but husky voice that made your heart melt even when he was just asking if you wanted more fries.

You’d met through a mutual friend on his squad—Chris, of course. She’d dragged you into one of their casual team hangouts, claiming “you have to meet Luca, he’s a total sweetheart,” and holy shit, she wasn’t lying. He’d grinned at you from across the firepit like he already knew you were gonna wreck his world. And somehow, that night turned into texting, texting turned into lunch, and now here you were: his new girlfriend.

Well, kinda. You hadn’t put a label on it yet. But the soft kisses, the way he always found excuses to touch your hand or bring you little gifts like your favorite iced coffee or a keychain from a tactical gear shop, “it made me think of you—don’t ask why”, said enough.

Tonight, he invited you over for a “casual beach house night,” whatever the hell that meant. You showed up in your comfiest hoodie, expecting takeout and Netflix. But Luca? He had fairy lights strung up on the back deck, candles lit like some Pinterest boyfriend bullshit, and even a damn charcuterie board laid out with labels.

You blinked. “Did you… did you Google this?”

He gave a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of his neck. “Guilty. I just wanted it to be nice. You deserve nice.”

Goddamn, he was dangerous.

The two of you sat out under the stars, music low, waves crashing faintly in the distance. He looked so different out of uniform—barefoot, loose t-shirt, basketball shorts on, hair a little damp from a late surf. And even though he looked like he could bench-press a car, he talked to you like you were something delicate. Special.

“You’re seriously one of the kindest guys I’ve ever met,” you mumbled, half-laughing as you sipped your wine. “It’s actually suspicious.”

He leaned closer, his voice low. “Guess I was just waiting for someone to give it all to.”