The name hits like a fist straight to the sternum.
My pulse stutters.
She bends for the ball.
And I stop breathing.
And then she looks up.
Our eyes meet.
Everything slows.
The air thickens.
Noise drops.
It’s like the earth forgets to breathe.
Stella.
Stella Cortez.
Older.
Stronger.
Fiercer.
There’s nothing soft about her now.
She doesn’t look startled.
She looks… offended.
Like fate just insulted her.
It hits me again.
This isn’t coincidence.
This is the universe laughing.
Kismet.
Serendipity.
Whatever you want to call it?—
It’s a second chance staring me straight in the face.
And she hates it.
A slow smirk tugs at my mouth before I can stop it.
Five years and she still sets my blood on fire.
She sees the smirk.
