Chapter Twenty-One
Julian
The door clicked shut behind me, and just like that, the world went silent.
No endless chatter.
No sunshine boy trailing behind me.
No noise.
Just the hollow sound of my own breathing bouncing off the walls of my too-clean apartment.
I dropped my suitcase by the door and stood there for a moment, staring into the dimness of the living room. Everything was exactly as I left it—perfect, pristine... untouched.
But all I could think about was how quiet it was.
Too quiet.
No bark of a dog. No footsteps. No stupid Miles tripping over his shoes or humming some god-awful pop song.
I swallowed hard.
God. I missed the noise.
I missed that dumb hotel room. The curtain of sunlight in the mornings. The rumpled beds. Miles talked too much about everything and nothing, filling up every inch of air like it was his right.
I missed him.
I let out a sharp breath and dragged my hand down my face, scowling at myself.
Pathetic.
I crossed the room, flicking on the TV just to hear something other than my thoughts, but the sound didn’t fill the space the way Miles did. It felt forced. Empty.
The kitchen light blinked softly in the distance. The fridge hummed. No text from Bradley. No call from Lena.
And Victor... God, for once, blessed silence from him.
I sank onto the couch, staring at nothing.
I told myself this is what I wanted. I wanted to be alone. To be left in peace.
Then why the hell did I miss that irritating, golden retriever of a man? Why did my fingers twitch for the sound of his laugh or the way his shoulder pressed against mine on the plane?
I shook my head, jaw tightening.
It didn’t matter. The week was over. The shoot was over.
Miles Bennett was gone. And I was fine. I had to be.
Right?
...Then why did this apartment feel like a tomb?
I sank lower on the couch, glaring at the ceiling.
Stupid sunshine idiot.
****
Miles
The second I pushed open my apartment door, I was hit by light—bright, golden, familiar.
“Sunny!” I barely got the word out before sixty pounds of fluffy golden retriever came barreling at me like a missile.
“Whoa—hey, girl!” I laughed, catching her full on as she leapt into my arms, paws on my shoulders, tongue going wild against my face. “Miss me, huh?”
I staggered back but held her easily, grinning ear to ear. She was practically vibrating with joy, tail wagging like a helicopter blade ready to take off. I ruffled her ears, hugged her tight, burying my face into the soft fur behind her neck.
“Someone’s gotta stop greeting me like I’ve been gone a year every time I leave for a week,” I chuckled, finally setting her down. She immediately pranced around my legs like she couldn’t decide between licking me more or demanding her leash for a walk.
God. It felt so good to be home.
I dropped my bags by the couch, slipping off my shoes while Sunny happily nosed at my knee, whining softly. “Okay, okay,” I said, grabbing my phone. “You gotta wait. I gotta call Mom first before we do anything else or she’ll kill me.”
I flopped onto the couch, Sunny’s heavy body flopping against my side, head on my thigh like the world’s neediest pillow. My thumb hit FaceTime and a second later, my mom’s face popped up on the screen. “There he is!” she beamed. “My movie star son! You look exhausted, baby.”
I laughed, rubbing my eyes. “I am exhausted. You would not believe the week I’ve had.”
“Tell me everything.”
So I did.
The photo shoots. The chaos. The city. The managers running around like headless chickens. The awkwardness, the stress... and Julian Vale.
Of course Julian Vale.
“And... he’s not what I expected,” I admitted, scratching Sunny’s ear absently. “He’s... complicated. Grumpy as hell. Barely says more than five words without glaring. But then there were these moments. Small ones. Where he let his guard slip. And when he did... he was real. I saw him.”
Mom smiled on the screen. “Sounds like you liked him.”
I sighed, sinking into the cushions. “I don’t know if ‘liked’ is the right word. Maybe. Maybe too much. I just... I kinda miss him.”
Her brows lifted. “Already?”
I laughed, sheepish. “I know. That’s weird, right? He’s probably glad to be free of me and my endless chattering.”
Sunny licked my knee as if to disagree.
“But I miss him,” I said again, quieter this time, rubbing at the back of my neck. “I miss the hotel room. The late-night talks. Even his scowling. It was... nice. Being around him.”
My mom’s smile turned knowing. “Maybe it’s not weird at all, sweetheart.”
I shook my head, heart doing a strange, light flip I didn’t want to examine too closely. “Yeah,” I muttered. “Maybe.”
Sunny let out a soft huff against my leg, warm and comforting.
And for the first time since getting home... I kinda wished I was back in Florence.