Page 130 of Begin Again

The warmth in his gaze sends a shiver through me that has nothing to do with the breeze.

I roll my eyes, pretending to be unimpressed. “Lucky for you, I have a soft spot for lost causes.”

“Lost cause?” he echoes, mock-offended. “I’ll have you know, I am aninternationalman of culture now.”

“Oh yeah, Hot Shot? And what part of this trip made you cultured?”

He smirks. “The part where I drank my weight in sake and didn’t die.”

I huff a laugh, shaking my head. “Honestly, I’m still surprised you survived that night.”

He grins, nudging me with his knee. “Not just survived—thrived.”

I shake my head, but the smile stays on my lips. We sit in comfortable silence for a moment, the waves rolling in and out, the night wrapped around us like a soft, endless expanse.

Then Theo exhales dramatically. “We had a great trip,” he says, “but I’m still kind of bummed we didn’t get to see Umbra.”

I roll my eyes, shaking my head. “You and your concerts.”

“What? Ilikeconcerts,” he says, feigning offense. “And you have to admit, their shows are legendary. But then they went and canceled the entire tour, and I’ll never know what it’s like to scream my lungs out in the crowd while Ara belts out some heartbreaking anthem about love and death.”

“You aresodramatic.”

“Let me have this,” he pleads, eyes shining with laughter.

I shake my head, pretending to be exasperated. “Fine. I promise, when they go back on tour, I’ll make sure we get the VIP experience.”

His brows lift. “Have I told you today how thankful I am that you were able to even get us tickets to this show? I waited in the queue for 4 hours and couldn’t even get tickets.”

I only smile.

Because he has.

Because I could get us the best seats in the stadium without a ticket. Because my sister—who Theo has spent so much time around, who he thinks is just some stagehand for the band—is actuallyAra, the lead singer of Umbra, the reason the tour was canceled in the first place.

But he doesn’t know that.

And it’s honestly hilarious.

“Well,” I say, tucking my knees to my chest, “VIP experience or not, it’s just not safe for them to tour right now.”

Theo nods slowly, gaze flickering back to the water. “Yeah. I still can’t believe someone tried to kidnap Ara.”

My stomach twists.You have no idea.

“It’s wild,” he continues, shaking his head. “Like, what kind of crazed fan does something like that?”

The words press against my ribs, but I keep my expression neutral. He doesn’t know the truth—that it wasn’t some obsessed fan acting on impulse. That it wasplanned. He doesn’t know about the messages that she found on her bed, or the things missing from her room.

That the reason she’s coming to Shadow Grove is to hide out until they find whoever was behind it.

He doesn’t know.

And I can’t tell him.

So I just nod, letting the conversation drift, until Theo, completely unaware of what he’s just said, adds, “At least your sister’s staying in town for a while. Must be nice, having her around since the band isn’t touring anymore.”

I nearly laugh.Oh, Theo.

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