“Morning,” she says, her voice calm, but I can tell she’s still watching me.
I smile—calm, light, as if nothing happened at all.
“Morning,” I reply easily, sliding into the chair across from her.
She doesn’t push immediately, but after a few moments, she asks—soft, but direct enough to leave no room for avoidance:
“You, okay? You seemed a little… off last night.”
I offer a small, measured smile, the kind that’s practiced enough to seem easy.
“I’m fine,” I say. “Just needed a good night’s sleep. That’s all.”
I watch her face closely—there’s still a flicker of doubt in her eyes—but she doesn’t argue. She just nods once, accepting it on the surface, and returns to her coffee.
“Glad to hear it,” she says lightly.
And just like that, everything stays where it belongs—neatly tucked away.
* * *
We step out of the hotel together, the spring air sharp against my skin.
Adriana chats easily beside me, something about the meetings ahead, but I barely register her words.
Because then I see him.
Dorian.
Leaning casually against the sleek black car parked just outside the entrance—no driver in sight.
He’s not wearing a suit today. Just a black jacket, soft but sharp, thrown over a white polo T-shirt and dark jeans that fit too well.
His hair falls loose around his face, brushing his shoulders—dark, unruly in the morning light.
And God, he’s still unfairly attractive. Dangerous. Magnetic.
And infuriatingly calm—like he owns every space he walks into.
Our eyes meet—just for a second.
But it’s enough.
More than enough.
Everything tightens inside me, sharp and sudden.
He looks composed—too composed for a man who’s shaken every part of me.
And yet, there’s something else in his gaze. Something quiet. Something I’m not ready to face.
I feel it in the way his eyes hold mine. In the quiet pull I’ve been pretending doesn’t exist.
Adriana says something again—light and casual—but her words blur around me. Because all I can see is him. Standing there like a storm I thought I’d already outrun.
I square my shoulders, forcing myself to stand tall. To look untouched.
But inside?
