Cameron and I pulled up in front of the hotel, a towering glass structure that gleamed under the afternoon sun. Cameron was already sighing like he'd been carrying the weight of the world since morning.
As we stepped out of the car, he glanced at me─then did a double take. "Wait. You're not going to change?"
"No."
He palmed his face like I'd just committed a war crime. "Adrien, for the love of─man, you are a pain in the butt."
I kept walking toward the entrance. "I'm already wearing black. What more do they want?"
"A suit that doesn't look like it came straight from a board meeting," Cameron snapped, catching up beside me. "Thank God I'm always prepared. I had clothes brought ahead for both of us."
I stopped just short of the turning door, staring at him. "You did what?"
"I knew you'd pull this crap. So yes─I picked something for you. You'll look like a human and not a corporate robot."
"I'm not changing."
"Please, man," Cameron practically begged, hands clasped like I was the god of mercy himself. "Just this once. For me. For your mother. For my freedom from The Chin."
I sighed through my nose. "Fine."
Cameron grinned like he'd just won the lottery. "Knew you had a heart in there somewhere."
We stepped inside, the lobby as elegant as expected─marble floors, glittering chandeliers, the faint scent of expensive cologne and polished wood hanging in the air.
A receptionist greeted us with a bow, and Cameron took the lead, flashing a practiced smile. "Penthouse floor. We'll change in one of the guest suites."
The elevator doors slid open. We stepped in, and he hit the button for the thirty-eighth floor.
I stood in silence as the numbers ticked upward, the tension in my shoulders growing with every floor we passed. I really need to take some nap
Cameron, of course, had the nerve to hum like this was some pre-party spa day.
I hated parties.
But I hated that annoying, matchmaking gleam in my mother's eye even more.
And I had a feeling tonight was going to be worse than usual.
****
The suite was ridiculous.
"Don't look at me like that," Cameron said as he tossed a garment bag onto one of the armchairs. "If we're going to be paraded around like show ponies, we might as well look the part."
I didn't answer. I just walked over and unzipped the bag. A sharp black tuxedo. Midnight trim. Slim fit. Not bad.
"I took a risk on the cut," he added, already halfway through unbuttoning his shirt. "Didn't want you drowning in fabric like some Victorian vampire."
I raised a brow. "Bold of you to assume I didn't want to look like a vampire."
He smirked, tossing his shirt aside and grabbing the crisp white one laid out for him. "Oh, trust me, you already do. Just... one with too much attitude."
I peeled off my blazer, then my shirt. The air was cool against my skin. A few faint scratches marked my torso from last night. I didn't remember getting them. I didn't want to remember.
"You didn't even ask who was coming tonight," Cameron said as he fixed his cuffs.
"Because I don't care."
"Even if your future wife might be in the room?" he teased.
I shot him a look. "Don't push your luck."
He laughed, shaking his head. "I live dangerously."
We finished dressing in silence after that. The tux fit like it was tailored, which it probably was. Cameron adjusted his tie in front of the mirror, then looked over his shoulder at me.
"You clean up scary good, you know that?"
I slid my watch onto my wrist. "I always do."
He chuckled and grabbed the keycard from the table. "Let's go break hearts and avoid commitment."
Right.
With that, we stepped out of the suite and walked toward the chaos waiting on the other side of the elevator doors.
We were halfway to the elevator when Cameron suddenly cursed under his breath and patted down his pockets.
"Shit," he muttered. "I forgot my phone."
I sighed. "Seriously?"
He turned, already backing toward the suite. "Yeah, yeah─go on without me. It's on the thirty-fifth floor, right? Just take the elevator down three levels. I'll catch up."
I narrowed my eyes. "You sure you didn't forget it on purpose?"
He smirked. "Would I do that to you?"
"Yes."
"Well, I didn't─this time."
I said nothing. Just turned toward the elevator, jamming the button with more force than necessary.
Behind me, I heard Cameron's voice fade as he shouted, "Try not to look like you want to kill someone, Adrien! Smile at least once before I get there!"
I wasn't exactly thrilled about this party─hell, I wasn't thrilled about being here at all. But the sooner I showed up, the sooner I could leave and tell my mother I made an appearance. That should buy me a few weeks of peace.
The elevator dinged.
I expected an empty lift. Maybe some intern or a flustered hotel staff member fumbling with a tray of overpriced drinks.
Not her.
Not her.
She stood there in a hoodie that swallowed her frame, jeans dusted in what looked like flour, and an expression like the universe had personally offended her. Defensive. Unapologetic. Wild in a way she probably thought was contained. It wasn't.
My lips curled before I could stop myself.
Well, well. Look who fate dragged in.
She didn't speak at first, just stared like I was an unwanted guest in her personal hell. She probably thought I was here to torment her again. And maybe I was. But only because she made it so damn easy.
And… interesting
She straightened when she saw me, her face doing that annoyed little twitch I remembered all too well. That twitch told me I was still under her skin.
What the hell was she doing here?
The last time I saw her, she was passed out in my car after kissing me like she needed it to breathe─and then puking all over me before I could figure out what the hell I was doing carrying her to a guest room in my house.
I should've forgotten her. I should've written her off as a drunken mistake, an impulsive mess of a night.
But no.
Instead, she was standing in front of me again─mouth tight, back stiff, arms crossedd─and it took everything in me not to let out a laugh.
She looked like she was trying to shrink into herself and stand taller at the same time. Defensive and ready for war. Love it
I stepped into the elevator, letting the silence settle. Our eyes locked.
"Hmm," I said, mostly to myself.
Her eyes narrowed. "What?"
That edge in her voice─it was addictive.
I let my gaze sweep over her─not in a hungry way. Just curious. Calculating. Amused.
"Cute."
She blinked. "What's cute?"
It wasn't her clothes. It wasn't the mess. It was her. The way she made irritation look like a full-time job. The way she stood there like I was her worst nightmare. She looked like trouble, and apparently, I didn't know how to walk away from that.
I gestured to her─hoodie, jeans, flour smudges and all. "The whole... flour chic vibe you've got going on."
Her jaw clenched. "I'm a bakery worker," she snapped, like it was some kind of insult. "This is exactly what I wear when I'm not playing dress-up for VIPs."
"Let me guess," I murmured, stepping closer. "cake girl by day, feisty party crasher by night?"
Her glare could've cut glass. "Let me guess—entitled brat all hours of the day?"
I laughed─ I…genuinely laughed. And it annoyed me that I liked her comeback more than I should have. "Well, this is fun."
"Are you always this annoying?" she muttered, crossing her arms.
"Only when I'm intrigued."
She turned away, but I could see the flush creeping up her neck.
But it didn't explain the way she was pretending we were strangers again. Like I didn't already know what her lips tasted like or the sound she made when she leaned too close.
Was she pretending?
Or did she really not remember?
That night hadn't been forgettable. Not for me.
So maybe this was her defense. Play dumb. Deny it. Pretend none of it happened and walk away clean.
"You're mouthier than I remember," I said, mostly just to see how she'd react.
She snapped back without hesitation. Same fire, same bite. I liked that.
I turned toward the elevator doors, then glanced sideways with a smirk I didn't bother hiding.
"If it isn't the little bunny who ran away," I said quietly.
She blinked. "What?"
I didn't answer.
Let her wonder what I meant. Let her sit with that.
If she remembered, she'd know.
If she didn't... she would.
"Relax, sweetheart," I said, stepping just a little closer, "I'm sure it'll come back to you eventually."
The elevator dinged.
Thirty-fifth floor.
Perfect timing.
I stepped out but turned back just enough to catch the storm still brewing behind her eyes.
"Don't go getting lost, cupcake."
I didn't know why I said that last part.
Maybe because I already was.
And somehow, it had started the moment she stumbled into my life─and puked all over it.