Dinner is perfect—plates of patatas bravas with something called jamón ibérico and the best olives I've ever tasted.Camilla orders a bottle of rosé and insists we toast to the future and the both of us chasing our dreams, together.
"To you, Camilla," I say, raising my glass, "for being the kind of friend who literally drags people out of their comfort zones and somehow makes it feel like the best decision they've ever made."
“And to you, Nora," she counters, "for letting me inject myself into her life and claiming her as my best friend a year ago now."
We clink glasses as the sun sets over the Mediterranean, painting everything in shades of gold and pink.
By the time we're walking through the old town toward the launch venue, I'm feeling relaxed and happy in a way I haven't in months.The glass of rosé probably helped, but mostly it's just being here with Camilla, away from London and work and all the complicated feelings I've been carrying.
"So the launch is at this gorgeous gallery space," Camilla explains as we navigate the narrow cobblestone streets.
"Elena Vázquez—is kinda a big deal then?"
"She's basically Spanish fashion royalty.Started with nothing, built an empire, and somehow manages to be both incredibly successful and genuinely lovely."
Camilla adjusts her clutch.
"I still can't believe she approved my campaign concept.Like what?"
We're passing a small bar when I notice the crowd spilling out onto the street.The energy is electric, with people pressed against the windows trying to see inside.
"What's going on here?"I ask one of the women waiting near the entrance.
"Luiza Garcia is playing tonight," she explains in English with a thick Spanish accent, eyes bright with excitement."She's Spain's golden girl—you know her music, no?"
I shake my head, and the woman looks at me like I've just admitted to never hearing of the Beatles.
"Ah!She's incredible.A proper singer-songwriter, not just another pop star.This is her last show in Spain before she goes big."
"Come on," Camilla says, tugging my arm."We need to get to the launch.Elena's expecting us."
But as we start to move past the crowd, music drifts out through the open doors—a haunting guitar melody that makes something in my chest tighten.Through the press of bodies, I catch a glimpse of the stage inside, where a woman with dark hair introduces herself and her band then starts singing into a microphone.
Her voice is angelic but that’s not what catches my attention.
It’s the person behind her, slightly in shadow, a guitarist whose silhouette makes my heart stop.
From this distance, with the dim bar lighting and the crowd blocking my view, it could be anyone.
It could be no one.
But something in the way he holds his shoulders, the way he leans into his guitar, makes every nerve in my body scream recognition.
"Nora?"Camilla's voice seems to come from very far away."You okay?"
A group of women near the bar's entrance starts pushing forward, calling out to the guitarist, and for a split second, he looks up from his guitar.
The light catches his face, and I swear?—
"Nora, seriously, we need to go."
Camilla follows my gaze toward the bar.
"What's wrong?"
Fate couldn't be that cruel, could it?
CHAPTER4
