"Where are you going looking like that?" Maya smirked, leaning against the doorway as Serena brushed her hair in front of the mirror.
Serena rolled her eyes, though her cheeks betrayed her with a pink glow. "Nowhere special."
"Nowhere special?" Chloe chimed in, tossing a pillow onto the bed. "You've changed your outfit three times, curled your hair twice, and you just sprayed perfume I've never even smelled before. Serena, please."
Jade clapped dramatically. "Ladies and gentlemen, our girl is going on a date!"
Serena grabbed the nearest pillow and launched it at her, but her laughter gave her away. The room filled with playful giggles, the kind that made the air lighter.
From the hallway, her mother watched quietly. She leaned against the wall, arms crossed, a small smile on her lips. For a fleeting second, her gaze softened, and the memory of Vale brushed against her heart. He would have loved this moment—seeing their daughter blush over her first love. She blinked back the thought and cleared her throat.
"Don't keep Ethan waiting too long," her mom said gently, stepping into the room.
The girls exchanged knowing looks, stifling their laughter while Serena's blush deepened.
"I'm not—" Serena began, but her mom cut her off with a raised eyebrow that said don't even try.
Minutes later, Serena walked down the street, her heart racing with every step toward their meeting spot. The late afternoon sky was painted in shades of pink and gold, the kind of sunset that made everything feel like a promise.
And then she saw him.
Ethan was already there, leaning casually against the railing near the park fountain, his hands in his pockets, his eyes searching—until they found her.
His lips curved into that familiar smile, the one that always made her knees weak.
"Hey," he said softly when she reached him, as if the whole world had narrowed down to just this moment.
Serena's breath caught. "Hey."
For a heartbeat, they simply stood there, the fountain's gentle spray in the background, the sky glowing above them, and the invisible thread between them pulling tighter.
Ethan tilted his head, eyes traveling from her shoes up to her flushed cheeks. "You look… incredible."
Serena tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, laughing nervously. "You say that like I don't normally."
"Oh, you normally do," he said, leaning closer with that mischievous grin. "But tonight… you're glowing."
Her heart fluttered, though she tried to steady it with a playful nudge. "Maybe it's just the sunset."
"Or maybe," Ethan countered, his voice low, "it's because you're with me."
Serena rolled her eyes, but her lips betrayed her with a shy smile. "You're impossible."
"Only for you."
They sat at the fountain's edge, their shoulders brushing. For a while, silence wrapped around them, but it wasn't heavy—it was comfortable. Serena let herself watch the water shimmer, listening to the soft rhythm of the fountain.
"Do you believe in love at first sight?" Ethan asked suddenly, his gaze still fixed on the water.
Serena blinked, caught off guard. Her first instinct was to laugh it off, but the seriousness in his voice made her pause. "I don't know," she admitted quietly. "It sounds… too easy. Like something from a movie."
Ethan finally looked at her, his eyes steady and unflinching. "I didn't think I did either. Until I saw you."
Her breath hitched. She wanted to look away, to hide the heat rising in her cheeks, but something in his gaze held her still.
"I'm serious, Serena," he continued. "The second you walked into my life, everything shifted. I don't know how else to explain it."
Serena swallowed hard. "That's… a lot."
"Yeah," Ethan said with a small smile. "But I don't care. Because it's true."
She searched his face, looking for cracks in his sincerity, but found none. The intensity of his words both thrilled and terrified her. Could love really be that simple? Could she let herself fall without fear?
Her mother's voice whispered again in her memory: Don't run from love at first sight out of fear.
Serena exhaled slowly, meeting his eyes. "Then maybe… I'm starting to believe it too."
The words left her lips before she could second-guess them,she knew that she doesn't believe in things like that, and Ethan's smile deepened. His hand found hers, warm and certain, and for once she didn't pull away.
The sun dipped lower, shadows stretching across the park. Neither of them noticed the figure standing just beyond the lamppost, watching.
Dark eyes followed every move, every laugh, every lingering touch. Dante's gaze was sharp, unblinking, his expression unreadable.
While Serena's heart soared, someone else had already decided her story was about to take a darker turn.