I fall in step beside him, trying not to let my nerves show. Gabriel moves with that effortless confidence he always carries—like the world’s a stage, and he’s the headliner. He looks incredible in custom-tailored blue dress pants and a beige button-down that fits him like a second skin. That wild, unruly hair brushes the tops of his shoulders, somehow both elegant and carefree.
Model material for sure.
Nervously, I chew on my lip as we cross into the school gymnasium, which has been transformed with fairy lights, flowing fabric, and way more glitter than I thought possible. “I didn’t realize chaperones were allowed to bring dates to theirdaughter’s school dance,” I murmur. The words come out lighter than I feel.
Still, it’s a relief to know we’ve moved past the snag from the other night. His apology had been slow and heartfelt, and I believe him when he says the slip of Elijah’s name wasn’t where his mind was at the moment.
Gabriel’s grin widens. “Ah, well… being generous donors to the alumni association has its privileges.” He pauses and turns toward me, something warm flickering behind his eyes. “Have I mentioned how dashing you look tonight?”
The funny thing is, I actually had felt dashing when he showed up at my apartment. I’d taken my time getting ready—added an extra layer of prettiness. My lips were glossed to a perfect sparkle, my eyes lined to pop just right, and my cheeks flushed in a warm coral that made me feel… radiant. I wanted to dazzle him. I wanted him to notice.
And he had.
But now, walking across the school grounds beneath the glow of string lights and passing glances, the confidence I built earlier feels like it slipped somewhere behind us.
I’m eleven years younger than Gabriel—not ancient history, but a gap that suddenly feels wider under the gaze of parents and overgrown teenagers. Worse, I look younger than twenty-seven. A lot younger. If I wandered into the crowd on my own, no one would blink twice, assuming I was a student.
And, of course, there’s the other thing. The part that always hums underneath everything. I look more feminine than most of the guys here. More delicate. Softer in ways that make people stare a half second too long.
Gabriel must sense the spiral brewing beneath my silence because he pulls me in gently and presses a tender kiss to the corner of my brow—tender enough not to smudge the liner I’d fussed over earlier.
“YEAH… THE GAY GUYS ARE HERE!”
Well. Alrighty then.
Ana’s voice hits the room before she does, stretching around the corner like a cannon of confetti.
She barrels straight into Gabriel’s open arms. “Hi, Papi!” she squeals, standing on tiptoe to kiss his cheek with a smack of love and drama. Then she turns to me like a glittery missile.
“Noah!”
She grabs me without hesitation, dragging Emilee along, and suddenly I’m in the middle of the tightest teenage-girl-hug sandwich known to mankind.
“Mmm… your lips smellamazing,” Ana raves, pulling back just enough to grin at me—and shoot a very pointed wink in her father’s direction.
I feel the heat rise up my neck like a curtain of fire.
Perfect. I’m quite certain my cheeks now match the exact shade of my apparentlyamazing-smelling lips.
“Noah, these are our friends,” Ana announces proudly, gesturing like she’s presenting royalty. One by one, the girls step forward. “That’s Gisella, Tatiana, Jenixa, and Taylor. Girls… this gorgeous man is Papi’s boyfriend, Noah.”
I give them a soft smile. “Hi, girls.”
They all stare at me like I just walked out of Barbie’s Dream House—eyes wide, mouths slightly open, like I’m some shiny new toy they weren’t expecting at their school dance.
“Wow.” Tatiana blows out a breath. “You have gorgeous lips.”
My hand shoots up before I can stop it, tracing the shape of my Cupid’s bow. I try tucking it under my bottom lip, but—of course—it flips right back out.
“And they smell amazing!”Ana adds because of course she does. I blush so hard, my ears could probably pick up AM radio.
Yep. Definitely too much gloss. Too much shimmer. Too mucheverything. What on earth was I thinking?
“And those lashes… they’re fabulous,” Gisella gushes, eyes huge with admiration.
I shrink a little further into myself. If I could evaporate on the spot—justpoofinto thin air—now would be the perfect time.
“I wish I had his eyes,” Jenixa says, studying me with a dreamy expression. Her gaze lingers a beat too long, and I can feel the flush rising all over again.
