It was late. The villa was still and quiet, tucked away from the rest of the world. Lando and you had been spending the evening together, just the two of you. For hours, you’d been talking, laughing, getting lost in conversation like you always did when it was just the two of you. But now, there was an uncomfortable tension hanging in the air.

He was leaning against the railing on the balcony, arms crossed, looking out into the dark, distant horizon. He had that quiet intensity about him tonight — something off. You couldn’t place it, but it was there. You could feel the pull between you, but it wasn’t the usual easy comfort you both shared.

Lando wasn’t looking at you, but you could see his jaw clenching. He seemed like he was trying to suppress something, and it made you nervous.

“You okay?” you asked, even though you weren’t sure if you really wanted to know the answer. His moods could change so quickly, so unpredictably. One moment, he was making you laugh so hard you thought you might choke; the next, he was distant, lost in his own thoughts.

He exhaled deeply, his gaze shifting to you now, the tension between you two thickening. “I don’t know,” he said with low voice. “It’s just... hard, you know?”

You knew what he meant. The distance you had been maintaining when you were around others — pretending like nothing existed between you two, even though when you were alone, everything felt different. There was always that spark when it was just the two of you. The lingering touches, the inside jokes, the way you could speak without saying a word. But when other people were around, you both kept up the act.

“Yeah, I get it,” you murmured, your own discomfort creeping up. “But it’s not easy. Not with everyone else around, not with how things are.”

Lando shifted, looking at you now, his eyes softer than before. "We can’t keep doing this, though. It’s confusing. I’m not sure what we’re doing anymore."