David pushed open the hotel room door. Ethan and Leo were out cold, snoring like freight trains.
He smiled at his reflection in the mirror.
Sara's words echoed in his head.
"Don't let others write the story of your life, Mr. You only get one shot at this. Don't wake up with regrets. I'm not saying fight your parents. Maybe you can have your cake and eat it too — run your dad's company AND chase what sets your soul on fire. Just… do what makes you happy."
He exhaled.
'Why do her words feel like a warm blanket on a cold night? Time flies when I'm with her... and I'm not done yet. I want more time with her.' he thought
Ethan stirred. "David! Did you just smile? Or am I seeing things after 7 hours of sleep?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes.
David wiped the smile off his face fast. "When did you wake up?"
"When you decided to slam the door like a drama king." Ethan yawned.
He glanced at Leo, who was dead to the world. "When did Romeo come back? Thought he'd be busy playing house with his lil girlfriend."
David ignored him and looked at Leo. Ethan pounced.
"Rise and shine, sleepyhead! The sun king commands you to wake up!" He shouted right into Leo's ear.
Leo groaned and rolled over. That's when Ethan spotted it. A hickey on his neck.
His jaw dropped. "Holy smokes, Leo! Since when are you keeping secrets? Spill the tea!"
"I'm running on 2% battery here. Have mercy," Leo muttered into the pillow.
"Mercy? For what? How's my future sis-in-law? She treating you well?" Ethan wiggled his eyebrows.
Leo's voice was muffled. "She drained me dry, man."
Ethan choked on a laugh and glanced at David. He flicked him on the forehead. "Alright, let the man sleep. And I'm going back to dreamland. Don't you dare breathe loudly." David said.
Ethan wanted to ask David about last night with Sara... but he was the only one awake. So he rolled over and knocked out.
Sara was getting ready for college, hair in a messy bun, heart in a mess.
Her dad dropped her and Liam at their schools.
The moment she stepped into class, Mia pounced.
"Spill, Sara. Who was that tall, dark, and mysterious guy last night? Did something happen? Are we planning a wedding or what?" she teased.
"NO! Nothing happened. He's new in town. I was just being a good Samaritan," Sara said quickly.
Ellie slid in too. "Omg Sara, did you see him? He's hotter than July."
A pang of jealousy hit Sara out of nowhere. She shot Ellie a look.
Ellie caught it and winked at Mia behind Sara's back.
Right then the professor walked in. Sara bit her tongue.
- Days passed.
One afternoon, David, Ethan and Leo were stuck at a traffic signal.
David was zoning out when his eyes snagged on something.
Across the road. In another car. Sara.
She was in the backseat, scrolling on her phone, completely unaware. His whole face lit up.
Leo followed his gaze and nearly dropped the wheel. "Bro... why are you grinning like the Cheshire Cat? Who are you stalking?"
David didn't answer. He was too busy drinking her in.
Ethan nudged him. "Earth to David! Who's got you hypnotized?"
The light turned green.
"Follow that car," David said, voice sharp.
Leo and Ethan exchanged a look. Leo started the car.
'Perfect. We're heading to the same place anyway. Time to see how my boy handles this.' Leo thought, smirking.
Mia's car pulled into Valentine's Park. It was buzzing — kids running, couples holding hands. The name of the place wasn't helping anyone's heart rate.
Sara stepped out with Mia and Ellie.
Leo parked right next to them. David shot him a glare.
"Chill, bro. Let's kill two birds with one stone. Say hi, and maybe we get a date out of it," Leo laughed.
David's heart was doing somersaults. Before he could say a word -
Mia threw her arms around Leo and kissed his cheek. "I missed you! Did you miss me?"
David froze. "Since when do you know Sara's best friend?"
Sara was just as stunned. "You... you two?"
Mia beamed. "Meet my man, Leo. We met when I went to Canary Wharf with my cousins. Love at first coffee."
Leo pulled her closer. "And I've been wrapped around her finger ever since."
Mia blushed like crazy.
"Okay, that's enough. We've heard this love story 100 times," Ethan cut in, gagging dramatically.
"You knew?" David asked Ethan, eyebrows raised.
"He never shuts up about her. You were just too busy living in your own world to notice," Ethan shrugged.
David shook his head and looked up. Sara was already looking at him. The second their eyes met, she looked away fast.
'Not again, Sara. Get a grip. Why can't you stop staring?' she thought. David broke the silence with a soft smile. "Small world, huh? We meet again."
Sara's cheeks went red. Her heart was doing a drum solo.
Mia, Leo and Ellie did a secret thumbs-up behind their backs.
"Hey... you okay?" David asked, concern in his voice.
"Oh yeah, she's fine. Just the sun getting to her," Mia jumped in quickly, squeezing Sara's shoulder.
"Sun..." David whispered. 'Right. Not me.' he thought.
A guy's voice cut through. "Alright lovebirds, let's head in!"
Ellie ran and hugged him. "Everyone, this is my boyfriend, Edward."
"Great. More couples. My single heart," Ethan muttered.
"Come on, let's go," Mia said, linking arms with Leo.
Sara and David fell into step beside each other. Silence. But the air between them? Electric.
They tried the small games first. Edward mingled with them, friendly.
Then the girls dragged each other to the Merry-go-round.
Laughter, music, and spinning lights.
From the side, Leo nudged Edward. "Looks like we've got another lover boy on our hands."
Edward just nodded, watching David.
Because David wasn't watching the ride.
He was watching her. Sara's head thrown back, laughing, brown eyes sparkling. For a second, the whole world narrowed to just her smile. 'She looks absolutely radiant.' he thought smiling.