“Thank you for bringing me home,” I tell Lucas as he parks outside my apartment building.

“Thank you for having dinner with me,” he says, flashing me a breathtaking smile—the kind that makes me want to pounce on him.

“Congratulations on landing that role in the series,” I add, feeling proud as hell. “Though I won’t pretend I always knew you would make it, because I would be lying.” I laugh.

“Thank you for your honesty,” he smirks, pulling me into a tight hug and kissing my cheek. “Are you sure you don’t want to spend the night at my place?” he asks, his tone playful.

“That’s tempting, but I’m ready to call it a night.” I yawn.

“But it’s eleven p.m. on a Friday night, Mily.”

“So?” I arch an eyebrow, yawning again.

“We could go to the nightclub where Hansel, Charlie, and Faith are partying,” he suggests, holding up his phone. On the screen is a photo Charlie posted earlier on social media. She’s clearly having fun, laughing with Hansel, Faith, and a group of other partygoers I don’t recognize.

“I’m really, really tired, Lucas. I’ve spent the last few days doing nothing but writing, and my brain needs a break,” I sigh, closing my eyes and rubbing my temples.

“A night out would be the perfect bre—”

I interrupt, “By a break, I mean silence, rest, and procrastination.” 

“Pro-Pros-Proscatination?” He scowls, trying to repeat the word.

“Procrastination,” I correct, chuckling at his effort. “I should actually be working on my book tonight because I’m supposed to send ten new chapters to my publisher by next weekend. But I’m drained, and I really need to rest.”

“I could always help you pro—postpone your duties, Mily,” he growls huskily, wiggling his eyebrows and smiling suggestively.

I roll my eyes and shake my head before dropping a quick kiss on his cheek and opening the passenger door. “Good night, Lucas.”

“I love you,” he adds with a teasing wink.

I shoot him a heartfelt smile and close the door without replying. He blows me a kiss in return before driving off, leaving me alone in the quiet street.

As I head toward the building’s main entrance, I can’t help but broaden my smile at the news Lucas shared over dinner at our favorite restaurant—he has finally been offered a role in a professionally produced TV series, which is surprising, considering I didn’t even know he was still chasing his dream of acting. Still, he deserves it, and I couldn’t be prouder of him.

A couple of minutes later, I find myself standing in front of my apartment door, digging through my purse for my keys, which I can’t find, causing my mood to sour just like that.

“Tsk. Damn it. I can’t believe I forgot my keys,” I grumble, realizing they’re really nowhere to be found. “What am I supposed to do now? I’m not calling Hansel because it would be a waste of time, considering that he’s probably drunk as a skunk by now and wouldn’t answer his phone anyway. I could ask Lucas to come back, but I don’t want to ruin his night with my horrible mood…” I let out a frustrated sigh. “You know what? Forget it.”

I throw my hands in the air, giving up on finding a reasonable solution. Then I step back into the elevator, counting the money left in my wallet, wondering if it’s enough to afford what I have in mind.

* * *

“The world could end right now, and I wouldn’t care,” I say, slouching on the floor in front of my apartment door. I stretch my legs so I can balance the pizza box on them and open a can of beer, bringing it to my lips and welcoming the alcohol into my body.

Since I’ll be stuck here until Hansel comes back from the nightclub—or, in other words, until sunrise—I stopped by a nearby pizzeria and bought a large pizza. I also picked up six cans of beer and a few fashion magazines from a convenience store.

I know I could go to a cheap hotel, but I’m way too lazy for that. Besides, I’m in a “meh, whatever” mood tonight, and I honestly don’t care about spending the night sitting outside my own apartment. The only thing that bothers me is that the elevator is right in front of me, which means that if the doors open for any reason, whoever’s inside will see me.

Then again, my neighbors already know I’m a little unhinged, so I doubt they would be surprised by this scene. I just hope they don’t call the police or assume I’ve suddenly become homeless, though.

I put my earphones on and start playing music on my phone. While listening, I devour a generous slice of cheese pizza in seconds, because, even though I had dinner with Lucas barely two hours ago, I’m already—or still—starving. Next, I open one of the magazines and try to read it one-handed without dropping it onto my precious food—something I somehow manage to do. 

Twenty minutes later, I’m so absorbed in my own little world that I completely forget where I am.

“Emily.”

My name suddenly cuts through the air as my earphones are yanked from my ears, startling the shit out of me and making me scream. 

“Oh my gosh,” I mumble, my heart racing. 

What if it’s a serial killer who plans to murder me without leaving a trace? What if the detectives never find my body and my case ends up unsolved forever? Jeez, I really need to stop watching crime documentaries.

“Emi, what are you doing here?”

The familiar male voice triggers two reactions in me. First, I let out a long breath of relief when I realize it isn’t a serial killer. Then that relief shatters as I recognize whose voice it is, dread flooding my chest while imaginary warning sirens blare in my head, forcing me to fight the urge to scramble to my feet and run away. I’m definitely not ready to face the man staring at me in confusion.

“Emily, what are you doing here?” Andrew Keegan repeats, crouching down in front of me to meet my eyes.

Tch. Out of everyone who could have found me tonight, it had to be Andrew. 

To make things worse, he isn’t alone—a beautiful girl stands behind him, watching me with an amused expression on her flawless face.

“Are you drunk?” Andrew asks, cupping my face with his cold hands.

“What? No,” I reply immediately, offended.

“Then why are you sitting outside your apartment with a bunch of food around you?” He gestures at the pizza on my lap and the beers beside me. “Why don’t you just go inside?”

“Because a war between leprechauns and gremlins is happening in my bedroom right now,” I snort, rolling my eyes.

“Seriously, Emily. Why are you here?” Andrew insists, clearly unimpressed.

“I forgot my keys, and Hansel is at the nightclub with Faith and Charlie,” I reply flatly, hoping that’s enough for him to leave me alone.

“Why don’t you go to a hotel? You can’t spend the night here alone because it’s too dangerous.” He scowls, gesturing toward the empty corridor.

“Why don’t you mind your own business?” I snap, shoving my earphones back into my ears.

To my absolute irritation, he snatches them away again. “Don’t be stubborn, Emily. Come on; let’s go to my place.”

“Yeah, right,” I scoff, taking a sip of my beer.

“You’re not spending the night alone.”

“I’ll be fine. Besides, you have company.” I point toward the woman waiting patiently nearby.

“Oh, hi, Emily. It’s me, Mia.” She waves, stepping closer.

I frown, trying to remember where I’ve seen her before. I mean, I have seen her before… right? Otherwise, why would she be greeting me so casually?

Andrew notices my hesitation and clarifies, “You met Mia at the restaurant. You know, when your friend stood you up and I saved you from a lonely night.”

“Mia,” I exclaim, looking up at her with a smile. “It’s nice to see you again,” I lie, because no, it really isn’t.

“Come on. Pack your food and let’s go to my apartment.” Andrew reaches for my pizza.

I slap his hand away with all my strength, making him recoil. 

He complains, “Ouch, Emily. Why did you do that?”

Glaring daggers, I hiss, “No one touches my pizza. I already told you I’m going to be fine. Just go enjoy your night with Mia and chase the wind.” I shoo him away.

“What?” He tilts his head, his lips curling into an amused smile.

“Just go.” I push him back.

He rises to his feet but hesitates, his gaze still fixed on me.

“I said go,” I demand, my tone firm.

Andrew frowns at me for a few seconds before stepping into the elevator with Mia, who gives me a soft smile and a small wave. 

I wave back while mentally cursing her and giving her the finger. I know I’m being unfair, as she has been nothing but sweet to me. Still, at the end of the day, she’s Andrew’s date, and that bothers me more than I want to admit.

As the elevator doors close and my first love disappears from view, my mind drifts back to the day he kissed me, sending a shiver down my spine. I haven’t seen him since—until tonight, that is. Almost a month has passed, and yet I still can’t forget the way he made me feel, no matter how hard I try not to think about the man who somehow manages to drive me crazy every time we cross paths.

“At least I won’t have to worry about Andrew anymore. He’s spending the night with that beautiful woman, and I’m pretty sure he barely remembers I exist by now,” I mumble before shrugging and slipping my earphones back in. I turn up the volume on my phone, determined to stop dwelling on the fact that a tiny, traitorous part of me wished Keegan would ditch her and come rescue me again, just like he did at the restaurant.

I resume eating the pizza and drinking my beers, flipping through the magazines and folding the pages that feature outfits I want to buy the next time I go shopping with Charlie and Faith.

I’m completely lost in my thoughts when I suddenly feel someone sit down beside me. Needless to say, I immediately turn toward the stranger, wide-eyed. But the moment Andrew’s mischievous smile greets me, I scowl and shriek, “What the hell, Andrew? What are you doing?”

“Shh, Emi,” he whispers. “Do you want your neighbors calling the cops on us?”

Before I can react, he lifts the pizza box off my lap and drapes a blanket over both of us, placing the food back on top once he’s done.

“What are you doing?” I repeat, trying to make sense of what’s happening. “Where’s Mia?” I glance around instinctively, searching for her.

“I sent her home because I’m spending the night with you,” he declares casually, pressing the side of his body against mine.

I gasp, “You did what?” To say that I’m dumbfounded would be an understatement.

“I can’t leave you alone because it’s too dangerous.” He grabs my beer and takes a sip without asking. “Since you don’t want to come to my place, I don’t have much choice but to stay here until Hansel shows up.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I scoff.

“Why are you so mad?” he asks, batting his eyelashes innocently. “Did I say something wrong? Oh, I know! You must be on your period. Or maybe you’re cranky because you haven’t had sex in a while,” he teases, clearly enjoying himself.

“Do you want to die?” I threaten, locking eyes with him and raising my fist.

At this rate, I might be the one committing a freaking murder tonight.

* * *