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[Alma

You played, you lost, Arcadi.]

[Vadim

Arcadi? So, I’m not your king anymore?]

[Alma

A king wouldn’t have abandoned

his betrothed like that…]

[Vadim

My “betrothed”?]

I instantly regret my boldness. Vadim might want me all to himself, but he hasn’t promised me anything. Except maybe this secret that binds us.

[Vadim

I know you so well, Lancaster. You’re panicking right now.]

The audacity of this man…

[Vadim

Just know that I love it.]

He’s playing with me. He’s turning this into a game. And I smile, unable to hate him for it.

My longing for him gnaws at me over the following days. It's dumb, but now that I've rediscovered the boy I loved, I'm more afraid than ever of losing him a second time.

To take my mind off things, I arrange to meet Niels at our favorite restaurant, right in the heart of the Marais district. I tie my hair back, then throw on some boyfriend jeans and my neon pink Sézane sweater. Lily crashes into my room to inspect me and vetoes my Adidas sneakers. I put on her pointy, silver ankle boots just to get her off my back and go to meet my favorite guy.

“Wow, this sweater is blinding me. I love it!” Niels exclaims as he greets me at the metro exit. “And those shoes! Are you trying to seduce me? Disco is going to make a comeback thanks to you! You’re trying to get me to switch teams, is that it?”

“No, just a little input from Lily, that’s all.”

“Seriously, your sister has a gift! What must I look like next to you, with my donut-print sweatshirt? Tell Lily I plan on using her services for my next date.”

“Perfect, maybe that will convince her to make it her career.”

“Speaking of which, I went to the photo shoot you told me about. I think I made a good impression. And the casting director was hot, which doesn’t hurt…” He fans himself with one hand and fakes a swoon.

“I’ve got some other suggestions. Actually, I prepared a whole list for you.”

“Alma, what would I do without you? Come on, let’s go crazy—dinner is on me!”

“Oh, well there’s a two-hundred-eighty-euro tasting menu that just caught my eye.”

“Server! One children’s menu, please, and then straight home, brush your teeth, and into bed!” he calls out.

We’re giggling like kids when, at the other end of the elegant room, my eyes rest on a gaze that twists my insides. Thinking I must be dreaming, I lower my head and take a second to compose myself, then look back toward my target.

That gaze again.

Those perfect, gray, expressive eyes, set in that breathtakingly handsome face. Vadim is right there, about ten feet away from me, sitting across from a pretty brunette.