They were supposed to be in Rome for work.
Lena had packed cocktail dresses; Marcus had packed nothing but button-downs and intentions. It wasn’t a romantic getaway — until it became one.
On their last night, they found themselves in a rooftop bar they hadn’t planned on. The kind with low couches, amber lighting, and jazz humming through the air like a secret. And Theo — he was already there, drink in hand, reading something in French.
They shared a table. The rooftop was full, and the host had asked politely.
He was witty. Easy. The kind of handsome that wasn’t loud. His attention moved between them — equal, curious, light. Lena noticed first. The glances. The shift in energy. And Marcus… he didn’t mind.
In fact, when Theo excused himself for a moment, Marcus leaned in. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
Lena smirked. “You’d say yes?”
He shrugged. “If you said it first.”
Back at their hotel, they didn’t invite him up right away. But they lingered.
The three of them walked the cobbled streets, quieter now, moonlight catching in puddles. Theo’s hand brushed Lena’s. Just once. She didn’t pull away.
And finally, outside the hotel doors, Lena turned to him.
“We’re not from here,” she said. “This would stay here.”
Theo’s answer was a single nod. “I like being someone you only find once.”
The room was dim. High ceilings, open windows, silk sheets. Theo stood at the edge of the bed, unbuttoning his shirt slowly, watching Lena kiss Marcus — deep, warm, grounding.
Then she turned to Theo.
No words, just motion. She walked to him, placed her hands on his chest, and kissed him like she already knew how. Marcus watched from the bed, breathing deep, his eyes dark with permission.
Clothes fell away. Theo’s hands were confident but never rushed. Marcus guided them both, touching, murmuring, watching Lena fall apart between new lips and familiar hands.
She came with both their names on her tongue, body arching, hair spilling over Theo’s chest, Marcus whispering I’ve got you in her ear.
They fell asleep in a tangle. No promises. No expectations.
In the morning, Theo was gone.
But there was a note on the pillow:
“You felt like home — even somewhere else.”