Chapter 80 - I will come to you

If she won't go out with me, I'll bring the date to her.

I spent the whole day setting up in my backyard, dragging out an old table and cleaning it up, stringing up lights between the trees, and making sure everything was perfect. I even managed to cook something that didn’t look half bad, despite not being the best in the kitchen. Simple pasta and garlic bread. Safe. She liked safe things.

This wasn’t about impressing her with some fancy dinner, though. It was about showing her I was serious—serious about her, about us. Maybe Celeste didn’t want to be seen with me in public, but here, behind the gate, it’s just us. No one else. No judgment.

Once everything is set, I grab my jacket and head to her house. I know she’s home. She’s probably holed up in her room, studying or avoiding me, whichever one it is today. But not tonight.

I jog up to the gate and knock. Nothing.

“Celeste!” I call out. No an