Noah
The tuxedo shop was filled with the scent of fresh fabric, leather polish, and the weight of money I’d rather not spend.
I fiddled with the collar of the jacket they’d just fitted me in, rolling my shoulders while the tailor adjusted the sleeves. It was black, slim cut, and classic. I looked like someone I could almost mistake for a stranger.
Liam whistled from across the room. “Wow, Walsh. You look like you’ve got a trust fund and a secret poker game going on.”
I rolled my eyes and shot a glance at Adonis, who lounged against a bench, arms crossed and looking way too satisfied for someone not in the hot seat.
“Seriously, why are you two even here?” I muttered.
“Support,” Liam replied.
“Entertainment,” Adonis chimed in. “Plus, Lillian made me promise to make sure you don’t bail and show up in a hoodie.”
I gave him a dry look. “I’m not a wild animal.”
“No, but you are a creature of habit. And black tactical gear doesn’t exactly scream gala masquerade.”
He had a point.
The tailor nodded and stepped back, giving me the green light to move. I walked toward the mirror slowly. The man staring back didn’t resemble the soldier, the shadow, the asset. He looked... real. Present.
And that threw me off a bit.
“Aurora keeps asking about you and Liz,” Adonis said suddenly, taking a seat. “She says she misses her ‘mission princess’ and the guy with the motorcycle.” His smile softened, catching me off guard. “She even asked if Liz would wear a tiara to her next tea party.”
A little tug pulled at my heart. “She’s a good kid.”
“She’s our kid,” he replied, pride weaving through his words. “She’s the bright spot this life has given us.”
I nodded slowly. “She still doesn’t know?”
“About what her parents used to be?” He shook his head. “Not yet. Someday. For now, she just thinks Lillian works at a nonprofit and I’m too boring to explain.”
“Smart kid.”
“Terrifyingly so.”
We lingered in silence for a moment.
Then Liam leaned in with a half-grin. “So, big fancy gala. Ridiculous dress code. Liz on your arm. What’s the plan here, man?”
“There’s no plan.”
“Come on,” Adonis said calmly, “that’s bull.”
I sighed, diverting my gaze from the mirror. “She’s been used her whole life. As a weapon, a symbol, leverage. I just... want her to feel like she’s more than that.”
They both paused, absorbing my words.
Liam broke the silence first.
“You want her to feel like a person.”
I nodded once.
“She deserves a night where she doesn’t have to think about every move she makes. Just a girl in a dress who gets to feel—”
“Loved?” Adonis interjected, far too casually.
I froze.
Liam’s eyebrows shot up.
“Well, damn.”
“It’s not—” I started, but their expressions told me they weren’t buying it.
“Yeah, that’s not your ‘I’m just being protective’ voice,” Liam said. “That’s your ‘I’ve already fallen and I’m annoyed about it’ voice.”
I ran a hand through my hair, feeling cornered and irritated.
“It doesn’t matter what it is.”
“Oh, but it does,” Adonis insisted. “She’s not glass, Noah. But she’s not a ghost either. If you’re falling for her, just say it. Let her see it.”
I looked down at my hands. Knuckles scarred. Fingers steady. They didn’t shake when I held a gun. But they trembled when she touched me.
“I don’t want to ruin her,” I said quietly.
Adonis’s tone softened this time.
“You won’t. If anything, she’ll ruin you. And that might be the best thing that ever happens to you.”
The tailor returned to measure the cuffs again, blissfully unaware of the heaviness in the air. Liam stood up, grinning.
“Well, boys, it looks like we’ve got a gala, a plan, and a brooding lead who’s totally in denial about being in love. I’m calling this a win.”
Adonis chuckled softly. “Just make sure your mask doesn’t fall off, Romeo.”
I didn’t reply.
Because deep down…
I wasn’t worried about the mask.
I was worried about what she’d see when it came off.
I found myself lingering by the shop window as the tailor carefully tucked the tuxedo into a sleek black garment bag.
Outside, the sky was deepening into night, and the warm glow of city lights began to flicker to life.
It wasn’t even late yet, but the day felt achingly long without her voice to fill the silence.
I pulled out my phone, my thumb hovering over Liz’s name for longer than I’d care to admit. I wasn’t calling because I missed her, not really. I just… needed to double-check the details for the gala.
Yeah, that was it. I hit call.
It rang once, twice, and then—“Noah?”
Her voice was soft and curious, as if she hadn’t anticipated hearing from me tonight, and I could almost picture her smiling.
I swallowed hard. “Hey.”
Liam, still perched on a bench behind me, leaned over to Adonis and whispered theatrically, “He used his soft voice.”
Adonis nodded with a serious expression. “That’s the ‘I miss you but I’d rather jump off a cliff than admit it’ tone.”
I turned away from them, trying to focus.
“I didn’t catch you at a bad time, did I?” I asked.
“No, I just got home a little while ago,” she replied, her voice wrapping around me with a warmth I didn’t deserve. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Just got fitted for the tux.”
“Ooh,” she teased. “Should I be worried you'll outshine me?”
“Never.”
“Aw,” she said, and I could hear the smile in her voice. “You almost sound like you missed me.”
Liam gasped dramatically behind me, and I shot him an irritated glance without turning around.
Liz chuckled softly. “Tell Liam I heard that.”
“Tell her I said she’s right!” Liam called out. “He was grumpy all day. A mere shadow of his former emotionally repressed self.”
“I’m hanging up,” I muttered into the phone, though I didn’t really want to.
“No, you’re not,” Liz replied, her laughter still dancing in the air.
Adonis chimed in, casually flipping through cufflink sets on the counter. “He actually straightened his collar twice, like he was nervous. It was adorable.”
“I swear, I will burn this store down,” I said deadpan.
“You’d still miss her,” Liam shot back.
I sighed, pressing my fingers to the bridge of my nose.
“I just wanted to make sure you’re okay. And that you’re not… stressing about the gala.”
She paused for a moment, then replied softly,
“I’m okay. It helps knowing you’ll be there.”
Her words stirred something deep within me, something slow and warm and a little terrifying.
“Well,” I said quietly, “I’ll be there.”
“I know.”
Even though I couldn’t see her, I could feel it—the calm that enveloped us, the gravity of our connection.
“I’ll let you go,” I said reluctantly.
“Okay. Goodnight, Noah.”
“Goodnight, Liz.”
I ended the call, lowering my phone slowly, my jaw tight with the weight of all the things I left unsaid.
Liam clapped a hand on my shoulder. “So, you gonna admit it yet?”
“Admit what?”
“That she’s your entire emotional downfall and you’re secretly into the idea of holding hands in the dark and dancing under chandeliers.”
Adonis smirked. “You’re already hers. The rest is just paperwork.”
I shook my head, but I didn’t argue. Because if I let myself really think about it—
They might just be right.