And then there was the way he was looking at her.
Warm.Adoring.
It made the hairs on her arms prickle.
Riya cleared her throat.“Well?”
“Oh, yeah,” said Kian shyly, tugging at a lock of his dyed-blond hair. “Sorry, I got distracted. Has anyone ever told you that you smell like flowers? Like—like jasmine, I think.”
Jasmine?
“Sorry, that came off creepy,” Kian went on quickly. “It’s just, I wanted to apologize.”
“I’m not the one you need to apologize to,” she said, brisk. “Now if you’ll excuse me—”
Kian laughed, too easily, as he took a step closer.
“Totallyget that, Queen. Happy to apologize to your friend, too. But it’s clear I upset you. So I wanted to say I’m sorry. I really hope we can start over.”
Riya stared. “Start over?”
Kian beamed.
Then, from behind his back, he produced a massive, slightly wilted bouquet—petunias so dark they looked black, like the night sky pressed into petals.
These were the ones from the flower beds at the front of the school, the ones Riya would stop to admire when she had a spare minute.
He must have pickedevery single one.
And he’d done it forher.
Riya suddenly felt dizzy.
This wasn’t just a crush—was it? No onenormalwent from taunts in the hallway to giant bouquets overnight. It didn’t add up. Unless...
Unless this was her fault. Unless her magic had somehow missed Andrew and Mel and hit Kian instead.
Buthow? How could she have messed it upthisbadly? It made no sense. Love magic wasn’t supposed to work likethis.And it wasn’t supposed to be one-sided. That was kind of the whole point.
So why? Why was he fixated onher?
“Riya Khan,” Kian suddenly announced, his voice carrying across the hall like a megaphone. “I know we don’t really know each other, but I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind. Your strength. Your sense of justice. Your irresistible coldness—I just knew my feelings would only keep growing.”
He thrust the gargantuan bouquet toward her. Riya took a step back, pressed against the lockers.
Other students were gawking now, pointing and gasping at the spectacle that could only be described as a deranged courtship ritual.
But before she could grapple with her embarrassment, Riya’s gaze swept through the crowd until it landed onMel.
Mouth agape. Cheeks flushed. And coming toallthe wrong conclusions.
“RiRi...?”Mel mouthed.
All the while, Kian was staring at Riya, smiling like he’d found something precious and perfect. Something he wouldneverlet go.
“Riya Khan,” he proclaimed, with all the conviction of a lovestruck prince.
His eyes met hers, and Riya’s heart stuttered as they flashed moltengold.
