The ride home from the park with Ethan was quiet but full of an unspoken sweetness. Every time Serena replayed the way he had looked at her under the fading sunset, her heart fluttered. She kept her hand on the car door handle even after he'd parked in front of her house, reluctant to move. Ethan leaned slightly across the seat, his voice soft but teasing.
"Don't look so guilty—it's not like I'm kidnapping you."
She laughed nervously, brushing her hair back. "I just… don't feel like saying goodnight yet."
Ethan tilted his head, eyes gleaming. "Then don't. Goodnights are overrated anyway."
Her chest tightened with a mix of excitement and nerves. Finally, after a lingering smile that felt like a promise, Serena slipped out of the car. Ethan waited until she reached the door, then drove off slowly, headlights fading into the night.
Inside, warmth hit her immediately. The smell of her mom's lavender tea drifted through the air, along with the chatter of her friends in the living room. Serena paused in the hallway, listening.
"Chloe, stop!" Jade's voice rang out, followed by laughter.
"Stop what?" Chloe countered with mock innocence. "I'm just saying, if this baby turns out anything like you, Jade, we're doomed. The kid will be bossy by day two."
Maya snorted. "She's not wrong."
Jade rolled her eyes and swatted at Chloe's shoulder, but she was smiling. Her hands instinctively rested over her small bump, protective and proud. "For your information, my baby is going to be sweet. And I hope she's a girl."
Serena entered just as Chloe gasped dramatically. "A girl? Poor thing! Can you imagine a mini-Jade running around telling us all what to do?"
That earned her a cushion tossed in her direction, which she caught with a grin.
"Maybe she'll be more like me," Serena said, sliding into the couch beside Jade. "Quiet, patient, elegant…"
Jade arched a brow. "Elegant? Since when?"
Everyone burst into laughter, and even Serena couldn't help but laugh at herself. For a moment, the house felt like a cocoon—safe, filled with love and teasing that wrapped around her heart.
Her mom appeared from the kitchen, carrying two mugs of tea. "What's all this noise?" she asked, though the faint smile on her lips betrayed her amusement.
"Just Chloe making fun of my future daughter," Jade huffed, crossing her arms.
Her mom chuckled, setting the mugs down. "Well, if she's anything like you, Jade, then she'll be strong. That's what matters."
Jade's eyes softened, and Serena noticed her grip on her stomach tighten slightly, as if she were holding on to that hope with everything in her.
Conversation flowed easily after that, ranging from baby names to which of them would make the worst babysitter. Serena mostly listened, her gaze drifting between her mom and her friends. She wanted to freeze this moment—the laughter, the teasing, the way the room felt alive.
But later, when the others had gone to bed and the house was quiet, that familiar restlessness returned. She lay on her bed staring at the ceiling, Ethan's smile haunting her thoughts, but underneath it was something else. A tug. A pull she couldn't explain.
By the time she slipped out the front door for some fresh air, the night was thick and cool. The streetlights cast long shadows across the sidewalk, and the world seemed hushed, as though holding its breath. Serena wrapped her arms around herself and started walking, not sure why she couldn't just sit still.
Her footsteps echoed faintly. A breeze rustled the trees. And then—she wasn't alone.
She knew it before she saw him. The prickling at the back of her neck, the shift in the air—Dante.
He stepped from the shadows as though he had always been there, waiting. His suit jacket was unbuttoned, his tie loosened, but he carried himself with the same controlled authority. Dark eyes caught hers, unreadable yet piercing.
"Serena." His voice rolled low and smooth, the kind of voice that could unsettle even in a whisper.
Her breath caught. "You again…"
He smiled faintly, the kind of smile that never reached the eyes. "You say that as though you didn't expect me."
"I didn't." She tried to keep her voice steady, but there was no denying the way her heart pounded.
He fell into step beside her, as though it were the most natural thing in the world. Together, they walked down the quiet street, the night stretching out around them.
"Why are you always showing up like this?" Serena asked finally, frustration creeping in.
"Maybe it's coincidence." His tone was light, but she caught the glimmer of amusement. "Or maybe I just enjoy the way you look when you're caught off guard."
Her cheeks warmed despite herself. "That's… creepy."
"Honest," he countered smoothly. "Besides, I told you at the restaurant—I'd be seeing you again."
Her steps faltered slightly at the memory of that note, the mysterious handwriting that had felt more like a warning than a promise.
She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "What do you even do? You dress like some corporate big shot, but you show up at night in random places like this. Who are you?"
For the first time, Dante's gaze softened, though only slightly. He looked ahead, hands tucked casually in his pockets.
"I run businesses," he said evenly. "International contracts, security consulting… let's just say I'm very good at solving problems."
It was a lie—she could feel it in her bones—but it was delivered so smoothly that for a heartbeat she almost believed him.
"Security?" she repeated skeptically. "That explains why you look like you walked out of a mobster movie."
He chuckled, low and deep. "Mobsters don't usually walk beautiful women home, Serena."
Her breath hitched, and she turned away quickly, focusing on the pavement. "Don't flatter me."
"Why not? You deserve to be flattered. I don't say things I don't mean."
Silence stretched between them, thick and complicated. She wanted to tell him to leave her alone, to demand why he seemed so interested in her. And yet… there was something about the way he carried himself, the way his presence filled the night, that kept her walking beside him.
Finally, she whispered, "Why me?"
Dante's expression shifted, a shadow flickering across his face. For a moment, she thought he might actually tell her the truth. Instead, he leaned closer, his voice low.
"Because you remind me of someone I once knew."
Her chest tightened. "Who?"
But he only smiled faintly, pulling back. "That's a story for another night."
When they reached the corner near her house, he stopped. She turned to face him, conflicted emotions swirling inside her—fear, curiosity, something she couldn't name.
"Go home, Serena," he said softly, but there was command in his tone. "And don't walk alone so late again."
Before she could respond, he stepped back into the shadows, disappearing as suddenly as he had appeared.
Serena stood there for a long moment, staring into the darkness, her pulse still racing. When she finally turned toward her house, her thoughts were tangled and restless.
Ethan made her feel safe. Dante made her feel… something else entirely. Something dangerous.
And she hated that part of her didn't want it to stop.