Page 14 of Siren's Game

Who is she trying to fool with her ‘I’m taking a break from dating’ talk? She is head over heels for Luca already. I've seen the two of them interact when we ran into a group of players in the hallway and all of them hyped Luca up. The way Millie blushed and started giggling once we were out of earshot?

I've seen her in love. And I've seen her grow more and more insecure every single time she fell for a man. Becoming more scared to put herself out there because deep down she knew they would be leaving when the media circus became too much for them.

I've seen her wait for phone calls with a solemn look on her face, pine after her boyfriends with small smiles on her lips when she didn't quite allow herself to show happiness, because deep down, she knew it wouldn’t last.

But giggling? Full on blushing? God, it must have been high school the last time I saw her like that.

She deserves a man who makes her feel that way. And from the looks of it, Luca reciprocates those feelings. I mean it must take a lot for Asher to stoop to a point where he contacts me, the woman he apparently can't stand enough to do a movie with.

The realization settled in my gut at three in the morning. Millie deserves her happy end.

She has been on the short end of the stick for years now, used by the label to cover up my hook-up sightings, and it’s enough.

If anyone deserves a happy end, it's her. And I'll make sure that she gets one. Even if it means having to go on a date with Asher Mc-fucking-Daniels.

It's only one date. What could even happen?

"When?"

I fight the urge to punch the air and scream 'Yes!', but it's a very close call.

"Tomorrow after work." I hurry to my bag to get my phone. At four in the morning, once my resolve manifested to get Luca and her together, I came up with another plan, an even better one I might say, that I still have yet to let Asher know.

Because God knows that guy seems like an elephant in a porcelain store type of guy. We are going to need to give the two of them some space in order to let sparks fly and, hopefully, ignite.

"On a scale of one to ten, how cute do I need to look for it?" she asks with amusement tugging at her lips.

I roll that question over in my head. Telling her to go for a full ten would be too telling, telling her to go relaxed would not fit the ambience of Fantasia, so what’s a good middle ground here?

"I think you should wear that sunflower dress you showed me yesterday," I finally tell her with a nod.

That dress was really damn cute, and Millie loves it. If the combination of that doesn't make Luca swoon, I don't know what else will.

She eyes me with a suspicious, raised eyebrow, but I ignore her as I swipe on my phone screen until I find the chat with Asher.

"You’re lucky that tomorrow is vocal training," Millie snickers from behind me. "As much as I love you, I'd never go on a date all sweaty and stinky after dance rehearsal, even if it's just as moral support."

"No worries," I assure her quickly. Hell, I wouldn’t either. "Thank you, Millie, you're really saving my ass."

I scurry past her as I type to let Asher know about Millie agreeing and my plan quickly.

Kayla: Get Luca to the parking lot at four-thirty. Make up some reason for being late and let the two of them get to the restaurant by themselves.

"Alright, ladies, are you ready for another productive day?" Mike saunters into the room and throws his sports bag into a corner. I hide my phone behind my back and hurry to discreetly let it slide back into my handbag before he notices.

If there is one thing Mike is strict about, it's phone usage in his studio, and I'm not about to deal with an angry dancing instructor today.

‘What the hell do you wear for a double date that's intended for your best friend?’ I wonder as I stand in front of my wardrobe, scanning its contents.

Nothing too flashy, that's for sure. There's nobody there I need to impress and I'm not going to vocal training in a goddamn evening dress. As much as I'm itching to wear the black glitter beauty a designer sent me.

My fuzzy, creme-colored sweater catches my eye.

It's almost spring, I won't have too many chances to wear it in the near future, so I really should take all the opportunities I get.

A beige skirt falls out of my shelf when I pull it out. I look at it on the ground. Guess that's decided now, too. Good on me just throwing my stuff into there instead of properly unpacking; it makes for lovely surprises just like this.

I put both of them on and turn in the mirror. My brown hair is falling down my back in small waves, my bangs sticking in all directions since I haven't straightened it today.

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