Page 15 of My Accidental Valentine

But before we can continue, the rest of the group returns to the sofa, laughter and chatter filling the space around us as they settle back in. Adam looks at me, his expression unreadable, just before Chara turns off the lights.

Disappointment blooms inside me, sharp and bitter. I was so close.

When the movie starts, I try to focus, but my mind refuses to cooperate. I loveThe Lord of the Rings—I’ve seen it so many times I could probably recite the lines—but tonight, I’m stuck in my head, analyzing the conversation Adam and Ijust had and overthinking everything that I said. My gaze keeps drifting to Adam, sitting right next to me, unmoving, focused on the screen. But there’s a tension in the way he sits, like his stillness is forced and his mind is elsewhere.

The minutes crawl by, each scene dragging as I wait for the credits to roll. When the movie finally ends and the lights flicker on, everyone stretches and starts moving around, pouring drinks and grabbing more food. I stay where I am, my gaze flicking to Adam, hoping—half expecting—him to stay, to pick up where we left off. But he doesn’t.

Instead, he stands and joins Peter at the snack table. I watch them talk as the dull ache grows, spreading through me like a quiet void.

As Chara and Millie refill their wine glasses, Tina connects her phone to the speakers, and a slow song I don’t recognize starts playing—probably from one of her old movie playlists. The soft melody fills the room, and I can feel the tears welling up, uninvited and ready to spill.

I watch as Amira takes Tina’s hand, guiding her to the open space by the snack table. They sway together in a quiet embrace, and I sit there for what feels like minutes, just watching them—blinking hard to clear the tears blurring my vision.

“Hey, peppermint,” Millie says as she flops onto the floor beside me. “You okay?”

“Yup.” I say, lowering my voice. “You?”

“Yeah… I saw you two talking.”

“It didn’t work,” I say, cutting her off before she can get her hopes up. The emptiness in my chest keeps spreading. “Itried, but I don’t think he wants to talk to me. I told him I’m sorry and that I don’t even remember what I did.”

“What did he say?” Millie asks.

“Nothing.” I shrug. “Fuck, I’m sorry, Millie. I didn’t mean to turn your birthday into my pity party.”

Millie slips an arm around me and presses a soft kiss to my temple. “It’s okay, baby,” she whispers. “You did good—it’s enough that you apologized.”

“I think I kissed him that night,” I admit, the embarrassment burning through me.

“Yeah, I figured,” Millie says gently. “Even if you did, you probably just read the signals wrong. So stop imagining you did something terrible—because I know that’s where your mind always goes. You didn’t. I’m sure of it.”

I sigh and let it all sink in. The sadness I feel is crushing—because I’ve just realized I’m still so in love with Adam, and he probably can’t stand me. But even through the pain, I’m grateful for Millie, who doesn’t try to fix anything or force me to talk—she just stays by my side. And that’s enough.

The doorbell rings, and Millie and I exchange surprised looks.

“Who’s that?” I ask as she shrugs.

Before either of us can move, Chara rushes past us into the hallway.

“Is that Sean?” I frown, glancing at Millie, who looks just as puzzled as I am.

We follow Chara into the hallway, and when she opens the door, there he is—Sean, standing on the threshold with amassive bouquet. He’s so tall he has to duck slightly to avoid hitting his head on the doorframe.

He kisses Chara quickly before stepping inside and handing the bouquet to Millie.

“Happy birthday, Millie,” he says, pulling her into a hug.

“You made it!” Millie beams, her smile wide.

“Couldn’t miss all the fun,” Sean says with a warm smile. Then he glances at me. “Hey, Sammy, what’s with the sour face? Not happy to see me?”

I let out a chuckle. “Sorry,” I say. “I’m happy to see you—I’m just the only sober one here while everybody’s getting hammered.”

Sean laughs and pulls me into a quick hug. “Don’t worry—I brought a ton of gummy worms just for you. You can get a sugar rush so big, it’ll feel better than alcohol.”

True to his word, he pulls a heavy paper bag out of his backpack and hands it to me.

I stare at him, blinking. “Is this seriously for me?”

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