Page 1 of The Odds of Happily Ever After
sophomore year
chapter one
luna
Ate
Have a safe flight, Lu. Enjoy first class and text us as soon as you land.
Lonzo
YOU FLEW FIRST CLASS? Jason’s the man!
Take care, Ate L!
Dragging my suitcasebehind me, I scanned my surroundings and tried not to appear too anxious.
I had been in this airport one year ago. That day marked many firsts for me—my first time on a plane, being away from my country, traveling alone . . . and my first time seeing my older sister since she moved six years earlier. Despite the thirty hours I’d spent traveling, my exhaustion and body aches faded as soon as I heard Ate call my name.
This time, I’d flown seven hours in a first-class cabin, compliments of Ate’s boyfriend Jason. I would have traded itfor an economy seat if it meant my sister would be waiting to welcome me again.
As I stepped out into the arrival hall to a sea of unfamiliar faces, my doubts and fears came at me all at once. I had always lived with at least one family member a wall away, if not in the same room. Moving across the globe hadn’t scared me this much because I’d known Ate would be here.
Now I was completely, utterly on my own.
My nerves pulled tighter as my eyes darted across the room, searching for something to focus on, anything familiar that could be my anchor. But I was an hour away from Sterling, and my friends were in class. Aside from Ate, who was in the US for only one more day, my family was in Manila.
I took a deep breath, trying to slow down my racing heart.
Get yourself together, Luna. You’ve got this. One thing at a time.
Pushing my shoulders back, I scanned the signs and found the arrow for the bus stop. I was about to follow it when I felt the weight of someone’s gaze. Was someone judging me for looking helpless?
My stomach churned. I told myself to ignore whoever it was, but my head turned to the left anyway.
I froze.
Of all the people I could have predicted seeing here, Gabe Martins was nowhere on that list.
He strode toward me, his blue-gray eyes staring me down.
Clouds hinting at incoming rain. That’s what they’d always reminded me of.
Rainy days were always my favorites. They meant having a break from the heat, trading in my iced drinks for a hot one, and getting comfy on the sofa. Cozy, happy things.
The total opposite of the words I’d choose to describe the man standing in front of me.
One of Gabe’s thick brows winged up, breaking my daze. I unstuck my tongue from the roof of my mouth. “What are you doing here?”
“I was in the area,” he said.
“I didn’t know you hung out around the Charleston Airport.”
“I had an errand.”
What errand?—
My eyes widened as the pieces clicked into place. Sterling was an hour away from Charleston, and unless Gabe had a meeting in the city, he wouldn’t have any other reason to be here. “Did Ate send you here?” I asked, horrified.
