"Some crushes fade. Others return when you least need them."
– Ava Carter
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Ava's Point of View
I turned at the sound of the voice.
Darien.
"Fancy running into you here," he said, smiling the same disarming smile I remembered all too well.
Darien, the heartthrob of Julianna's university. The boy every girl whispered about. The one I secretly crushed on from the first day I'd spilled juice on his shirt in the cafeteria, right until the day I had to drop out.
And here he was, standing in front of me, like two years hadn't passed.
"You remember me… right?" he asked, tilting his head, studying me.
I just stared, caught in that familiar daze, my words stuck. Why did he still make me feel like the shy eighteen-year-old freshman all over again?
"Ava…" he prompted gently, concern flickering across his face. "Are you alright?"
I blinked, finding my voice at last. "I'm fine. Darien."
His smile widened, confident now. "You do remember me after all."
Warmth spread through me, chasing away the sting of being abandoned in that ballroom. "Of course I do."
"What happened?" he asked, genuine curiosity in his tone. "You disappeared. One day you were there, and the next it was like you'd fallen off the map."
I laughed softly, trying to mask the heaviness behind it. "I didn't realize I was significant enough to be remembered by the college's heartthrob."
His laugh came easily, deep and genuine, the kind of laugh that used to make heads turn in the cafeteria. Hearing it again tugged at something buried in me.
"Is that how little you think of yourself?" he teased, raising a brow.
I shrugged, smiling despite myself. Suddenly, the gala didn't feel so suffocating. Maybe a familiar face really could soften the edges of an unfamiliar world.
"Dylan Reed, huh?" Darien said after a pause, his tone unreadable. "I never would've imagined."
The mention of Dylan made me shift uncomfortably, the sharp pinch of my heels grounding me in reality. I forced a smile, not sure how to respond.
Darien's gaze flicked to my feet, noticing the discomfort I was trying to hide. His expression softened, eyes warm with concern. "Are you okay, Ava? Really? Because if it were me, I don't think I'd be fine watching my date.... No, worse, my soon-to-be bride, walk out with another man."
His words cut deeper than I wanted them to. I masked it with a light laugh. "Are you trying to make me feel worse?"
"Not at all," he said gently, his smile returning. "I just… care."
His eyes lingered on mine, steady and sincere, and something in me warmed. Maybe some crushes really did last longer than you'd like.
---
"She was mine to protect and mine to keep. No rival would change that."
– Dylan Reed
Dylan's Point of View
The wind was sharp as I stepped out of the gala, its bite nothing compared to the storm inside me. Asher clung to me, her perfume wrapping around me like a memory I couldn't shake.
"Where's your car?" I muttered, setting her gently onto the pavement. "Call your driver. You'll be fine."
I didn't wait for her answer. My watch ticked louder than the crowd behind me. Something felt wrong.
"Dylan," she whispered, eyes brimming with longing. "Don't leave. Not again."
For one dangerous moment, I almost caved. Almost. But then my phone buzzed, breaking the spell.
Andre.
"Yeah?" I answered.
"I'm sorry, D… I can't find Ava."
My heart stopped. "What do you mean you can't find Ava?" I snapped, my voice rising an octave. "I told you to take her home!"
"I know. I'm sorry. I got distracted. I saw Elena, she wasn't supposed to be here. I…" His voice faltered.
I pinched my eyes shut, breathing hard. I couldn't even be angry. Not fully. "Fine. I'll find her."
The line went dead. Panic clawed its way into my chest. Introducing her as my fiancée had painted a target on her. If anything happened… it would be my fault.
I dialed her number, praying she'd pick up. Nothing. Switched off.
My chest tightened like a vise.
Then my phone buzzed again, this time with a video Andre forwarded.
Ava.
Leaving the gala. With someone.
Darien Crestview.
The heir of my rival's empire.
Heat surged through me, sharp and bitter.
I bolted for my car, every nerve lit with fury and fear. The drive blurred past in a haze of headlights until I pulled up in front of her house.
And there he was. Darien, standing too close to Ava, his smile easy, hers uncertain.
I stepped out before I could think, my jaw clenched. My eyes locked on her like a magnet.
Without hesitation, I closed the space, my hand wrapping around her wrist, pulling her firmly to me.
Ava gasped, wide-eyed, caught between us.
Darien's smile faded, his expression sharpening, but he didn't move. He just watched.
I didn't care. Contract or not, performance or not, every instinct in me screamed the same thing.
Mine.