Page 17 of Siren's Heart

“You’ll see soon enough.” Kayla laughs. She seems to be very happy about what’s going on. Kind of suspicious if you ask me. “Just trust me on this one.”

“And what if I say pretty please and give you puppy eyes?”

“Then I’m going to insist that it’s a surprise.”

“I can’t believe you’re sending me in there blindly.” I pout and narrow my eyes at her. “Something is going on.” It's not a question; it's a fact. And she doesn't even attempt to deny it.

“Just trust me.” She touches my arm and gives it a reassuring squeeze. “If it sucks, I’m paying for the cocktails we’ll drink until the evening turns fun again,” she promises and checks her watch. “Now, why don’t you go on ahead? I called us a taxi, and I’ll be right there.”

“Why aren’t you coming along?” I raise my eyebrow at her.

“Uhm, I–“ her eyes dart around the room. Wow, she’s really not great at poker face and acting casual. “I need to make a quick call.”

My eyebrow wanders even higher. She really sucks at lying. Even without knowing all of her tells, I’d know that. It’s the way she doesn’t meet my eyes and shuffles her feet while playing with her earring. But I’ll ignore it, only for today. I’m sure she has her reasons. So, I shrug.

“Alright. Don’t take too long.”

The hallways are empty as I walk through them, shoulders tense and jumping whenever the echo of my footsteps is too loud. It’s almost scarier than running into a group of people in this labyrinth. I can hear each breath I take unnaturally loud in the bare corridors.

Suddenly, my heart starts beating fast, blood rushing in my ears, and a prickly nervousness settles in my gut, the hair on my neck standing alert. I quicken my steps, and the sound of my heels echoing against the bare walls doesn’t really help with settling the nerves. Finally, I reach the door and step outside, flinching when the sunlight blinds me. The air is nice and cool, and I lean my back against the wall with closed eyes, letting it fill my lungs.

When my eyes are used to the sunlight, I scan the parking lot for the taxi Kayla talked about, but all I see are the various black-tinted cars and limousines that staff and players use to come here without being seen by the paparazzi. Looks like it isn’t here yet. So, I lean my head back against the cool wall, look at the sky, and wait. And wait. It’s a lovely shade of orange as the sun is setting, painting the few clouds a fiery red as the evening turns into night.

A glance at my watch tells me it has only been three minutes since I came out here, but I'm starting to get antsy. My fingers drum against the wall in an attempt to let out the nervousness, but it’s not enough. Lifting myself off the wall, I start to pace. Left to right, and I’m still trying to find out who we’re meeting. Right to left, and I wonder where Kayla is.

The door opens behind me, and I jump, ready to tear into Kayla for making me wait. But it's not Kayla. It's Luca.

My muscles turn to stone, and for a second, I forget how to breathe.

His emerald eyes widen, only for a fraction of a second, before his face breaks into a sheepish smile that lights up his whole face and makes my heart beat loud enough to almost drown out his voice.

"Hi there," he says, not breaking our eye contact, his voice cracking in the middle of his greeting. It sounds just as adorable as the shriek he let loose yesterday as I passed them during their training, and Asher tackled him to the ground.

His eyes wander over my whole body, leaving a trail of goosebumps on my skin. "Wow, you look great."

My heart starts to beat even faster, and the corners of my mouth lift into a small smile. A tingle spreads in my gut, and fuzzy caterpillars have announced to my stomach that they’re home. I'm so grateful Kayla told me to wear this dress today.

"Thank you."

I take the liberty to do the same, taking in each fold of his clothes, each freckle and shadow visible in this fiery-golden evening light.

Until now, I've only seen him in his sports clothes, baggy shirts, and jogging pants. But regular jeans and a simple black t-shirt clinging to his body give him a completely different vibe. Straight from ‘the star athlete in high school who has mad golden retriever energy' to 'bad boy who's dangerous because he's charming as fuck and your mother would love to have him as son-in-law.’

My smile widens on its own when our eyes meet again, and his cheeks turn red. His pupils flash to the side before returning to mine, and he clears his throat.

"I'm… uhh, Luca, by the way." He extends his hand, but I’m frozen like a statue. My eyes are glued to the cute dimples on his cheeks that his smile reveals, the pale freckles on his face, and the small laugh lines at the corner of his eyes. From this close, I can see that there are golden spots in his otherwise moss-green eyes, that dance in the evening light.

Suddenly, a car honks almost right next to us, and it wakes me up like from hypnosis. I subtly turn my head and blink a few times to shake off the dream-like feeling.

"Millie," I finally answer him, a warm flush rising to my cheeks as I offer him my hand. His is so warm and soft. And big. It encases mine with ease, and even though we're almost at eye level with me wearing platform heels, I feel tiny. His touch sends sparks through my whole body. Not daring to look at his face, I gaze at the collar of his shirt.

"I know," he chuckles warmly, not letting go of my hand. His voice feels like a gentle caress of warm summer wind. More softly, he adds, "Of course, I know."

When he lets go of my hand, it feels unnaturally cold, incomplete, and uncomfortable, like it was meant to be in his. I stare at it in disbelief.

Yeah, I found Luca hot. Yeah, my eyes automatically find him whenever he’s in sight, and I can’t help but search for his voice in the murmur of his team. Yes, he intrigues me.

But this? I never imagined this in my wildest dreams.

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