Page 103 of Fall Into Me

“Sure did, baby.”

“You’re so dramatic,” I mumbled, but honestly, the thought of a midday siesta kind of spoke to my soul right now.

With a final reassurance that I was okay and settling on Tuesday next week for our next dinner date on account of Mom’sdoctor’s appointment, Fane pulled into the designated vendor parking.

“Now,” I said, trying to slip back into myCali: Tour Guide of Darlingpersona while swatting his hand away like the world’s most annoying fly every time he tried to tuck some hair behind my ear. “I need you to focus.”

“I am focusing.”

“No, you’re not.” I swatted his hand away again. “The purpose ofthistour is so that you can meet the people of the town,notas someone trying to infiltrate their sacred space.”

“That sounds super sexual.” He leaned in, his lips quirking into a mischievous grin. “Sacred space?”

“Fane!”I whined.

“Cali!” he whined back, his smile so stupidly handsome I had to hold my hand up in between us to stop my view. “You need to stop.”

“Why?” He tried to look around my hand, and I just matched his movements.

“Because you’re…making this hard. I can’t focus when you’re—”

“Smiling at you?”

“Yes.”

“Being nice?”

“Yes.”

“Professing my love for you?”

I groaned and covered my face with my hands instead. “Stop saying that. It’s—”

“Confusing?” His tone softened, a thread of seriousness weaving through his teasing.

“Fane,please—”

“Okay, fine.” He lifted his hands in mock surrender. “But even though I am looking forward to our day, you should knowI made up my mind about the fate of this town before I even arrived.”

I literally felt my face fall. My heart skipped over itself, the feeling was like my chest caved in a little as the weight of his words settled over me. “W-what?”

“I was never going to let anything happen to your town, baby.” His voice was steady, unshakable, as if the statement should have been the most obvious thing in the world.

Before I could find the words—or the breath—to respond, he was already out of the car. He circled around to my side, opening the door with a smile that should have eased the tightness in my chest but only made it worse. His hand was warm and firm as he helped me out, leading me into the swirl of townspeople and straight to Mags’s tent.

I wasso fucking confused.

It wasn’t new—being at a loss when it came to Fane—but it didn’t make it any easier. I tried to focus on the people at the festival, speaking with them and thanking them for their thoughts and that they were so glad I was okay when they heard about the accident.

Fane, on the other hand, slipped into the rhythm of the festival like he belonged there. He poured beers at Mags’s tent with the kind of ease that made my stomach twist. It wasn’t surprising. He may not have always loved working at Heavenly Horns, but he’d always been good at it. The sight of him laughing and chatting with the locals felt…wrong. Like he was seamlessly inserting himself into a place I wasn’t sure he had the right to be.

The more the day ticked by, the more I couldn’t shake that feeling, that sinking dread.

I’d come into this with a plan, a clear idea of how today would go. How I’d show him the heart of Darling, how I’d prove this town wasn’t just a mark on a map but a living, breathing community worth preserving. That plan was in tatters now.

All the headway I’d made in seeing his actions and his words sync up felt like all half-truths I’d conjured up in my head. Like things I’d convinced myself of because I wanted to believe in him so badly.

How naïve I’d been.

---