She’d moved on like she hadn’t set my world on fire with one look.
Meanwhile, I fell under her spell—hook, line, sinker—like a pirate lured by a siren’s call.
I was so desperate that I cornered a nearly drunk Josh at his own party and demanded he tell me her name, alongside whatever else he possibly knew about the mysterious girl who caught my eye.
Once I found out, my obsession began taking root deep in my core.
The little minx bought real estate in my mind and parked herself front and center until she clutched my undivided attention in the palms of her hands. Every second, every minute, every hour in the day and night.
Since we had mutual friends, we ran in the same circles and I saw her often in many social settings. Like tonight. Gabriela was always a ball of energy and the life of the party. An extrovert through and through.
Whereas I was quieter by nature, struggling to find the confidence to approach her, afraid of rejection.
She had a tendency to go through men like tissues, and I wanted to be treated like more than her conquests. I wanted to mattermorethan those fuckers. And I wanted her to crave my presence the same way I craved to be in hers.
“Maybe I will,” I finally answered Shaun when a small ruckus that erupted on our right pulled me out of my reverie.
“Tonight. Do it.” He took a swig of his drink and clapped my back. “I’ll see you in a bit, all right?”
Before I could say anything else, he moved into the thick crowd, his attention fixated on a girl with dark hair and green eyes.
My eyes automatically went back to Gabriela.
She stopped dancing and stared at a couple making out aggressively, a frown marring her pretty face.
I wondered what was on her mind.
She squared her shoulders and sashayed off the dance floor, heading towards what appeared to be the open bar on the other side of the room, further away from my needy gaze.
The urge to follow Gabriela beat at my chest like a gong. It was insane. Two decades on this Earth and I’d never felt this level of attraction for another human being until her.
Now a girl who barely acknowledged my existence ruled me.
The further Gabriela drew from my line of sight, the more my chest burned with the need to pursue her. I felt like a hunter, helplessly riveted by its prey. She was magnetic and I was enamoured.
My fingers flexed at my side before clenching into a fist when her tiny figure blended into the crowd and I could no longer see her.
Shaun was right. I had to make a move.
How long would I keep watching her from afar without doing anything?
How long would I allow my insecurity-fueled thoughts to win?
How long would I wait…before she slinked off to another target and I lost the chance to make her mine?
Taking another sip of my drink for liquid courage, I finally gave in, stalking after her.
CHAPTER 1
Moonlit Meeting
Gabriela
To say I was bored out of my mind was an understatement.
Normally, parties were my scene. Especially those Shaun Jacobsen—the captain of the school’s hockey team—hosted in his luxurious downtown Montardor penthouse located near the campus.
After a strenuous week of classes and work, some good music and a few drinks always helped me unwind.
