The charter bus smelled like a mix of leather seats, cheap air freshener, and the faint trace of breakfast sandwiches from someone who had eaten too early. I sank into my window seat, Emily on the aisle beside me, both of us too wired to sleep. Our luggage rattled in the overhead compartment as the bus started to hum down the highway toward Monaco.
"Honestly, Nola, you think you could live in a place like this?" Emily said, eyes wide as we passed glimmering villas and palm-lined streets. "I'd be crying tears of joy every day, just walking to class."
I smirked, pressing my forehead against the cool glass. "Yeah, you'd be fine for a week or two. Then the sun, the parties, the… glitz, it all gets exhausting. Trust me, I know how to survive fancy places without losing my soul."
Emily tilted her head, smirking. "You? Losing your soul? Impossible. You're practically made for this drama."
I laughed, though a small part of me tensed. Drama is one thing. Real chaos is another.
Most of our classmates were slumped in their seats, earbuds in, heads nodding as if the gentle sway of the bus was a lullaby. I envied them briefly, the ability to tune the world out. But I couldn't. My mind was already racing ahead, imagining the sparkling coastline, the warm air, and, unbidden, the possibility of something… unexpected.
I didn't have to wait long.
The roar hit first. A deep, low hum that vibrated through the glass, something primal and raw. My head snapped up just as a black blur streaked past our bus.
A car. Sleek, impossibly fast, like it had been cut out of night itself and set loose on the asphalt.
And then… our eyes met.
Sharp. Dark. Electric.
I didn't know him. I didn't know his name. But I knew…something about him screamed danger. The kind that made your skin tingle and your chest tighten, the kind that said he didn't follow rules… he rewrote them.
He gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. That fraction of a second lasted longer than it should have. My heart stumbled, and my hand instinctively clutched the edge of my seat.
Emily noticed before I could hide it. "Nola…" she whispered, nudging me. "Did… did you just see that?"
"I… I think so," I muttered, my voice flat because I couldn't find the words.
Emily leaned over, her eyes sparkling. "Oh my God, you just had your own movie moment. Like, that was straight out of a spy film. I am jealous. Jealous!"
I turned back to the window, hoping the flash of black wouldn't haunt me too much. But my stomach churned. My heart refused to calm down.
"Relax," Emily said, nudging me again. "It's probably just some rich guy showing off his car. Happens all the time in Monaco. Nothing dangerous about it."
I didn't relax. Something about him wasn't ordinary. The world outside the window had shifted, and I had no idea he'd just shifted me along with it.
For the rest of the ride, my eyes flicked to every passing car, every blur of motion, hoping, not hoping, to catch another glimpse. I didn't know his name, didn't know anything about him… but I knew my life had just tilted.
Emily noticed my distraction. "You're still staring," she said, smirking. "I knew it. I knew you'd be weak to mysterious strangers."
I rolled my eyes but didn't argue. "Maybe I was just… admiring the scenery," I said, trying to sound casual.
"Oh sure," Emily said, not buying it for a second. "The scenery with dark eyes and dangerous vibes."
I laughed quietly, though my fingers were still pressed against the window. My pulse hadn't slowed. I didn't know him, didn't know anything about him… except that he was dangerous. And somehow, impossibly, I wanted to know more.
By the time the bus finally rolled into the sparkling streets of Monaco, the sun was dipping low, painting the buildings gold and pink. My excitement was a buzzing knot in my stomach, a mix of anticipation and the inexplicable pull of that black streak, that dangerous pair of eyes.
Emily clutched her bag, bouncing slightly in her seat. "Okay, okay! Monaco, let's do this! But first, can we find pastries? I need sustenance for all this glamour and espionage…er, I mean, school trip activity."
I smiled faintly. "Lead the way, Sherlock wannabe."
She beamed. "Exactly. Now let's go conquer Monaco… or at least try not to trip over the cobblestones."
I laughed. And somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew Monaco wasn't going to be ordinary. Not with him somewhere out there.
And for the first time in a long while, I didn't mind