LOGINThird person povA black car, moving too fast, screeched to a stop twenty feet from where the girls sat on the curb. The driver’s side door flew outward and a man practically threw himself out of the vehicle.Calix.His eyes were blazing with barely contained fury. He didn’t bother with exchanging pleasantries or questioning the officers. His stride closed the distance between him and the girls immediately.Naomi was the first he reached. He hauled her against his chest in a crushing embrace that knocked the breath from her lungs. The relief radiating from his grip was almost physical, a trembling that vibrated through the expensive fabric of his suit jacket.“Naomi,” he breathed, his voice a low, gravelly sound, rough with unshed fear. He pulled back, holding her face in his large hands, his thumbs sweeping across her cheeks, checking for injury. His hands gripped her shoulders, firm, grounding, checking her face, her arms, her legs like he expected blood to appear if he looked long
Third person povThe sirens started as a distant wail, like somewhere very far away.Naomi barely registered them at first. She had stopped trembling, but her muscles felt strangely disconnected from her mind.Her ears were still ringing. Not from the gunshot—though that echoed somewhere in her bones—but from the way her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was trying to climb out of her chest. Her hands shook as she tightened her grip around Harper, who was pressed into her side, trembling so violently.Jace stood a few steps away.He stood still as a statue, shoulders squared. There was blood smeared across the knuckles of his right hand but he didn't appear to notice. His jaw was clenched, his face unreadable. The gun was gone—holstered, secured, Naomi didn’t even know when—but the image of it was burned into her mind.She swallowed hard.It made sense, she told herself. Of course it did. His father owned the biggest private security agency in the country. Jace had grown up a
Naomi's povThe rooftop felt like it was breathing.That was the only way I could explain it—the way the night air pulsed with laughter, music, flashing phone lights, the hum of too many emotions packed into one place. My chest felt light, like if I didn't anchor myself to something solid, I might actually drift off into the sky.“Okay, smile again,” Anna said, shoving her phone in my face for what could have been the millionth time. “No, not that smile. The happy one.”“I am happy,” I protested, but I smiled anyway, softer this time, and the camera clicked.“Give us prom queen energy,” Priscilla added dramatically, waving her hands like she was directing a music video.“I literally just got asked to prom,” I chuckled. “Let’s not start crowning me yet.”Too late.The girls erupted again—dramatic cheers, teasing. Someone whistled. Someone else started chanting my name like I just won an award I didn’t apply for.I glanced to my left.Jace was leaning against the low railing at the edge
Naomi's povThe stairs ended abruptly on a small landing that opened onto the rooftop. I stepped off the top riser and froze.I stopped breathing.The rooftop glows.The air was still, quiet, and magical. It was a private, smaller section, probably a terrace attached to a restaurant, and it was entirely transformed. Everywhere I looked, delicate, warm fairy lights were strung—over the railing, across a low arch, woven through the greenery in planters. The soft music seemed to be coming from speakers hidden in the plants. A single, elegantly set small table sat near the edge, its white linen catching the glow.But I barely registered any of it. My eyes locked on the figure standing near the railing, overlooking the sparkling, breathtaking chaos of the city skyline.It was Jace.He was waiting for me.My breath hitched in my throat, a sharp, almost physical pain. I hadn’t known I was going to see him again, especially not after the narrow escape this morning. He was dressed simply, but
Naomi's pov“Oh, God, no, Naomi, that neckline is all wrong. It’s a hangout, not a wake.”Anna’s voice was too loud, too bright. I shifted uncomfortably on the stool, feeling like a doll being dressed for a particularly intense tea party.“I liked the gray sweater,” I mumbled, watching my reflection in the mirror as Anna held up a cute, off-the-shoulder, black dress. It was definitely more ‘date-night’ than ‘pizza-and-a-movie.’Priscilla, perched on the counter with a makeup brush, sighed dramatically. “Honey, the gray sweater says, ‘I’m here to wash your plates.’ The black dress says, ‘Hello, gorgeous, and maybe pour me a flute of champagne.’ We’re going for the latter, obviously.”“But we’re just getting ice cream and maybe watching a terrible rom-com, right?” I pressed, looking from Priscilla to Anna, who was currently wrestling with a tube of mascara. My friends had been acting strangely since I got back. Hyper-efficient, overly enthusiastic, and sudden, synchronized silences whe
Naomi's povI parked the car and killed the engine. Before I could unbuckle, Sarah wrenched my door open.“There she is!” she announced, eyes wide. “Finally! What took you so long?!”“I was driving?” I said. “Like… I literally told you that this morning.”Sarah waved that off. “Irrelevant. Today is girls’ night emergency edition.”“Emergency for who?” I asked in confusion.“For you,” Priscilla said.“For us,” Anna added.“No time, no time, no time!” Sarah declared, grabbing my wrist with a surprising amount of strength. “You’re wasting precious minutes! Move!”She practically dragged me out of the car. I threw a weak glance back at Harper, who was watching the scene unfold with wide, captivated eyes.“Just follow me inside, Harper. Please,” I managed to yell over Sarah’s frantic instructions.Inside the foyer, Sarah stopped dramatically and turned to Harper. “Okay. Let’s do this properly. Introduce us, Naomi. But make it snappy.”I blinked, finally pulling my arm free as we all steppe







