Page 31 of Siren's Heart

"Show me your outfit again." I prop my phone up against my bathroom mirror and take a few steps back, doing a little twirl so she can see it from all sides.

I'm wearing a dark top, covered by a beige, oversized knitted sweater along with dark jeans. It's fashionable, yet comfortable and easy to move in. I've decided to leave my hair more or less alone. Messing with my curls is bound to end in disaster, and I'm not risking that today of all days. Just in case it gets in the way, I have one of my pink scrunchies around my wrist–perfect for an impromptu messy bun.

"Do the second shade you showed me just now," Kayla says resolutely after thinking about it for a moment.

I grab the little tube and spread the gloss on my lips. The gloss she picked is mostly sheer, only giving my lips a little bit of shine and sparkle along with the barest tint of pink.

"Okay, do we like it?" Grabbing the phone, I hold it in front of my face, doing kissy-lips and turning my head from left to right.

"Perfect."

I take a breath to thank her, but I freeze.

Because my door buzzes.

"What?" My eyes grow wide, and I immediately check my watch. Holy moly, when did it become just shy of six o'clock? "Fuck. Kayla." I look at her, panic written across my face. Like a wave, it just crashed over me, and my heart rate and breathing are all over the place.

"Don't, Millie," she says warningly, and I force myself to stay still for a moment and breathe. "Calm down. Take a deep breath. Everything's going to be fine. If not, call me, and I'll come get you."

"What if it's not like I imagined?" I gulp, pulling my lip between my teeth and destroying the gloss I just spread on them.

"Then the world moves on, and we'll find you another prince charming."

"Just like that? What if there isn’t one?"

"Yes, Millie. Just like that. But I’m sure you’re going to have your ‘happily ever after.’ Now go and have fun; try to ignore the rest."

"Thank you, Kayla." Tension seeps from my shoulders, and I shoot her a grateful smile.

"Always. Now go and open the door for lover boy." And without waiting for another reply, she ends the call.

Forcing myself to take a deep breath, I walk out of my bathroom. On the way to my front door, I notice my pace picking up involuntarily until I’m almost running through my apartment, steps quick, just like my heart rate.

I am so excited, yet a wave of apprehension suddenly washes over me. The way he has already wormed his way into my heart and brain seems so quick. I couldn’t tell you how many crushes I’ve already had in my life, be it on celebrities, classmates, or friends. But none of them have managed to make my heart jump like this, cheering on the butterflies doing flight shows in my stomach.

God, I just hope this isn’t a setup to have my heart broken worse than ever before.

Quickly, I answer the buzz and tell our clerk to let Luca come upstairs. Leaving my front door slightly ajar, I eye the three pairs of sneakers I’ve brought to Philadelphia with me. Simple black ones should do it, right? On a random note, is there something like fashion tutoring? I’m beginning to think I could use it.

My head whips around at the tentative knock on my door, just as I'm finished tying my second shoe securely.

"Hi there," I say cheerily and stand up with a wide smile, blushing when he steps into sight.

Fuck. He looks amazing.

He's wearing a black cotton dress shirt over a regular t-shirt of the same color, and the fit is tight against his broad shoulders. He's got his sleeves rolled up, showing off his very nice forearms. I take in his outfit until my eyes come to a stop at the bouquet in his hands. I didn’t think my face could light up any more, but apparently, I was wrong.

"Hi there," he echoes with a lazy grin that makes his eyes light up, and I tear my eyes away from the flowers to look at his face. Blood rushes into my cheeks as he steps closer, leaning in to give me a soft kiss on my cheek. When he pulls back, my face feels ablaze, and before I can help it, my fingertips come to rest on the spot where his lips touched me.

Oh, I'm so done for.

"Hi," I breathe softly, fully aware that I sound like I'm awestruck. I mean, I am, but I also sound like it. Thankfully, he ignores it and hands me the flowers instead.

"These are for you," his eyes don't meet mine, but that's okay. I can't help but stare at the bouquet. Sunflowers are one of my favorite kinds of flowers, and these are just beautiful. They're accompanied by white baby breath, daisies, and some other greens, and it's so simple yet looks so mind-blowing. "When I saw them, they reminded me of your dress."

"I love it," I whisper and finally take them from him. "Thank you."

Finally, our eyes meet, and just like before, it's like sparks ignite in the air between us. The hair on my neck rises, and I hear my pulse loudly echoing in my ear canal.

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