Page 166 of Sweet Obsession
“I’ve packed absolutely nothing helpful,” she declared. “Unless you think Colombian customs will appreciate three pairs of heels, a French press, and a vintage trench I found in Montmartre.”
I smiled in spite of the dread gnawing at my stomach. “You bought a trench coat in July?”
“Fashion doesn’t sweat, Luna. Fashion commits.”
I laughed, sinking into the hotel bed, watching her spin around like the girl she used to be.
Paris had done something to her. Healed the cracks. She smiled more now. Slept through the night. Ate pastries like calories were a myth. Once, she even flirted with a bartender—awkward and blushing, but alive.
I had almost started to believe that if we could just make it out of France without another ghost trailing us, maybe we could be okay.
“Are you going to miss it?” she asked, dropping beside me.
“Paris?”
She nodded, nudging her chin toward the window where the Eiffel Tower blinked in the morning haze.
I stared at it, then back at her. “I’ll miss you in it.”
She groaned. “Ugh. You’re such a romantic now. Colombia’s going to crush that out of you in a week.”
“Probably,” I said. “But thank you.”
“For what?”
“For being the one thing that didn’t fall apart.”
She rolled her eyes and pulled me into a hug. “I’m not that great. I forgot to pack my passport.”
“What?”
“I’m kidding! God. You really are jumpy.”
I didn’t laugh this time.
Because my phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
No message. Just the missed call notification. My throat dried. My body went still.
And then Gabriella’s smile froze too—her eyes locked on something past my shoulder.
I turned toward the open doorway of our suite.
There he stood.
Misha.
Hair longer, beard rougher, black shirt wrinkled, bruises still faint along his throat. A shadow that had followed me across an ocean now standing in the flesh.
The missed call was him. I knew it before I turned around.
I didn’t move.
Neither did he.
Until Gabriella said, low and dangerous, “What the hell are you doing here?” but her voice faltered, just a little. Like even she couldn’t believe the ghost had stepped into the room.
