“Don’t play dumb, Lucia. I saw that kiss.” She leaned against the bar, her smirk practically glowing under the neon lights.
Heat crept up my neck. “It wasn’t a big deal.”
“Oh sure, just a casual kiss with one of the most famous drivers in the world, with no cameras around, might I add,” she teased, throwing back her shot with practiced ease.
I sipped my drink, the tart sweetness doing little to cool the fire in my chest. “It’s complicated.”
“Complicated, my ass.” Nicola set her glass down with a dramatic clink. “You like him. Hedefinitelylikes you. So what’s the problem?”
“The problem,” I said, lowering my voice, “is that this whole thing started as fake.”
Nicola waved a dismissive hand. “Yeah, and now it’s not fake. Congratulations, you’ve graduated to the real deal.”
I gave her a pointed look. “It’s not that simple.”
“Why not?” she asked, genuinely curious.
“Because,” I said, glancing at Alexander across the room. He caught my eye and sent me a quick, heart-stopping smile. “He’s…a lot. And I’m just?—”
“A catch,” Nicola interrupted firmly. “You’re hot, you’re the kindest person I have ever met, you’re an amazing mother. If anything, he’s lucky to have you.”
I sighed, swirling my drink. “What if it’s all too much? The media, traveling, the…everything. It’s not just about me…it’s about Gianna too.”
Nicola softened, her teasing demeanor giving way to something more serious. “Look, I get it. You’ve got more to think about than most people. But that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve this, Lucia. You deserve to be happy.”
Her words hit me hard, cutting through the noise in my head.
“And,” she added, her smirk returning, “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Alexander looks at you like you hung the moon. I say, stop overthinking and enjoy it.”
I laughed, despite myself. “You make it sound so easy.”
“Maybe it is,” she said with a shrug. “Or maybe you’re just scared it’s real.”
I didn’t have an answer to that, so I just sipped my drink and watched as Alexander made his way across the room, his eyes locked on mine.
Nicola leaned in, her voice low and conspiratorial. “He’s coming over here. I’m gonna disappear and leave you to it.”
Before I could protest, Nicola smirked, gave me a playful wink, and disappeared into the pulsing crowd. I barely had time to process her words before Alexander appeared, his tall frame cutting through the throng of people with ease.
“Hey,” he said, his voice soft but clear despite the pounding music around us.
“Hey,” I replied, my pulse quickening at the sight of him.
His gaze searched mine, his brows drawing together slightly. “Everything okay?”
I nodded quickly, setting my drink on the nearest high-top table. “Yeah. Just girl talk.”
“Should I be worried?” he teased, his smile warm and easy, the kind that made my knees feel a little weak.
“Not at all.” I stepped closer, the space between us growing smaller. “Nicola’s just…blunt.”
“Mm-hm,” he hummed, his gaze dropping to my lips like a magnet.
“What?” I asked, suddenly self-conscious under his scrutiny. My fingers brushed my hair back instinctively, even though nothing was out of place.
“You look so beautiful,” he said, the words soft but weighted, cutting straight through the haze of noise and lights around us.
The words were simple but hit me like a punch to the chest. It shouldn’t have taken me by surprise—Alexander had always been the type to give compliments freely, unapologetically honest about how he felt and who he cared about. But the way he said it now, low and earnest, felt different.
