Chapter Eight
Miles
A gentle jolt shook the plane, pulling me from sleep.
I blinked hard, disoriented, the low hum of engines and quiet murmurs filling my ears. My neck ached. My mouth felt dry.
Wait.
Shit.
I realized, slowly, horrifyingly... my head was resting on something warm and solid.
Not a pillow.
Not the seat.
Julian Vale.
Panic shot straight through me.
God—no—did I seriously just—?
I straightened fast, heart stuttering in my chest, and risked a quick glance sideways.
Yep.
Julian.
Asleep.
Head tilted against the seat, headphones still in place, jaw soft, mouth slack in the kind of sleep people only fell into when they were too tired to keep pretending.
His guard was down. Completely.
And I’d been drooling on his shoulder for... who knows how long.
Great. Amazing. Perfect. Did I ruin everything already?
I rubbed at my mouth and gulped. Please tell me I didn’t actually drool. God. Did he feel that? Did he know? Did he roll his eyes and let me snore on him because I’m a disaster who can’t shut up for five minutes?
I glanced again.
He was beautiful, in the way statues were—flawless, sharp-edged, untouchable. Even like this—bare, real, human—he looked like something out of a magazine spread.
But this... this version of him was different.
Not posing. Not performing.
Just breathing.
I let myself stare for a second longer, heart kicking strangely against my ribs.
So this is what he looks like when no one’s watching.
I gulped again.
Don’t be weird, Miles. Don’t make this weird.
But the warmth in my chest stayed.
I shifted in my seat carefully, trying not to wake him. God knew he’d snap at me again the second those cold eyes opened. And I’d probably deserve it.
Great. You fell asleep on Julian freaking Vale. And probably drooled on him. Fantastic, Bennett. Really nailing it.
I sighed quietly and glanced out the window, the clouds soft and endless below.
A long flight. A long week ahead.
But... maybe not as terrible as I thought.
I risked one last glance at Julian’s sleeping face.
Even when he sleeps, he looks perfect. Of course he does.
The jolt of the plane wheels hitting the runway made me sit up straight, heart thumping like I’d forgotten how to breathe for a second.
We were here.
Wherever here was—some gorgeous, distant city where the sun glinted off the wing like glass.
I peeked sideways.
Julian stirred beside me, eyes scrunching shut for half a beat before they fluttered open, sharp and cold as usual, scanning the cabin like he’d woken up in enemy territory.
Renee leaned over the seat in front of us, whispering.
“Just so you know—paparazzi might be waiting when we get out. News spread that Julian’s flying in with someone new. Stay close. Don’t freak. Smile.”
I blinked.
Wait. Paparazzi?
I wasn’t ready for that.
Cameras. Flashes. Questions. Shouted names.
They’ll all be looking at me. Staring. Wondering who the hell this nobody is walking next to Julian Vale.
My stomach knotted tight. My palms felt sweaty against my jeans.
God. What do I do with my hands? Smile? Not smile? Where do I look? What if I trip and eat shit in front of them? What if—
A shadow shifted beside me.
I glanced over—Julian was watching me.
Not kindly. Not curious. Just... watching. Like I’d grown an extra head.
“Relax,” he muttered. Barely moving his lips. Like this was just another annoyance he couldn’t be bothered with. “Keep your head down. Breathe. Walk. Don’t make it worse than it is.”
I froze.
But then I did exactly what he said.
Deep breath. Head down.
Right. I could do this. Probably.
Julian just looked away, already pulling his hood up like the world bored him to death.
But the words stayed. Anchoring me.
Maybe he wasn’t completely heartless.
We filed off the plane in a line of tired strangers, dragging carry-ons and sleep-heavy heads. My heart pounded in my chest like a drum.
Keep your head down. Breathe. Walk.
Julian’s low words echoed in my skull.
I gulped, stealing a glance at him.
Hood up. Shoulders relaxed. Face carved into that perfect, camera-ready expression—a soft, polite smile that never touched his eyes. Like slipping into a second skin.
I watched him move through the terminal like he’d done it a thousand times. Like the flashing cameras didn’t matter. Like nothing mattered.
I wanted to be like that. Cool. Untouchable.
Instead, my palms were sweating so bad I thought I’d drop my bag.
Then the noise hit.
Voices shouting.
Flashes popping.
A sea of bodies pressed behind the security rope like animals in a cage, cameras raised like weapons.
“Julian! Julian Vale! Over here—smile for us!”
“Who’s the new guy? Is that your boyfriend?”
“Miles Bennett! Hey, rookie—look this way!”
I flinched, breath catching.
But Julian kept walking.
Head high. Smile fixed. Like they weren’t even there.
I swallowed the panic down, tightened my grip on the strap of my bag, and followed him.
Lights flashed, blinding bright.
Questions flew. My name—my name—again and again.
They actually knew who I was.
I blinked hard, forcing my mouth into a smile that felt shaky but real.
For a moment... a strange little thrill zipped through my chest.
I was here. In this madness. Cameras flashing for me.
I’d dreamed of this once—being noticed. Being seen.
And even though my heart was racing and my hands were cold and Julian Vale was five steps ahead, acting like this was the most boring part of his day...
Maybe—just maybe—this was the start of something real.
Maybe I could actually do this.
We made it past the wall of cameras and shouting, the terminal swallowing us again as Renee and Lena herded us toward the waiting car.
The second the door shut behind me, my chest deflated in one long, shaky breath.
But beneath the nerves, the fear, the chaos... was excitement.
Like I’d finally stepped into the life I was meant for.