Chapter eleven
Luc
Summer, almost two years ago.
Surprise birthday party.
“S urprise!” everyone yells as Mia and I step into the café. Her eyes go wide, her hand flying up to cover her mouth, and I can tell by her expression she didn’t suspect a thing. I wanted to do something nice for her after I messed things up so badly by kissing her when she told me she wasn’t ready. Her grandmother and I flew her friends and her dad here to surprise her. I’d worried I’d lost her as a friend. Friends like her are hard to come by in my world. Someone who cares about me for who I am, not because of my family name or my money.
But all that fades when my eyes land on the two women standing next to each other, who, I assume, are Mia’s friends. One of them, in particular, catches my attention. She’s in a beige tank top and high-waisted purple pants, her hair falling perfectly over her shoulder. She stands tall and graceful, with an effortless kind of beauty that seems to draw the air out of the room.
Her eyes meet mine, and for a moment, the noise around us fades away. There’s something in that gaze, something that feels electric, like a shift in the air, as if we’re the only two people here. The moment stretches between us, her eyes holding mine for a beat longer than they should.
Then Mia’s voice breaks the spell as she heads toward them.