5. Something (Lexi POV)

As I stood before my full-length mirror, adjusting the elegant ballet-inspired dress, Moro, my best friend and roommate, sat on my bed, scrolling through her phone.

 "I don't know, Moro. When I first met him, there was something off. But when I saw him again, it was like he was a completely different person. Maybe I was just having an off day or something."

Moro looked up and grinned, her eyes shining with enthusiasm. "Girl, it's about time you jumped back into the dating pool. Besides, think of it this way. If one guy as hot as him is into you, just imagine your other choices! You could be dating royalty next!"

I chuckled, brushing a stray curl behind my ear. "Wow, you have such a refreshing approach to love," I said, sarcasm tinting my voice.

"Hey, you're too young to tie yourself down," Moro advised earnestly. "Don't end up like my parents, okay? Allow yourself to experience life from different angles. Live a little!"

I rolled my eyes, but a smile crept onto my face. "Thank you, life coach Moro. I'll bear that in mind."

The drive to Riverbend was filled with an odd mix of excitement and trepidation. As I parked and headed to Luke's apartment, I was startled to see Clay's door swing open.

When Clay's door swung open, I was met with an unexpected sight that made my heart racing and my thoughts scatter. He stood there, shirtless, with low-slung jeans, hugging his hips in a way that was almost sinful.

 His upper body was a sculpted marvel, the rippling muscles of his chest and arms almost intimidating in their definition. Intricate tribal tattoos adorned various parts of his flesh, curling around both arms, across his expansive chest, even snaking around his ribs on his flank.

 My eyes were drawn to a particularly striking design—a tribal wolf that seemed to prowl around his bicep and the curve of his elbow. Glistening beads of sweat clung to his skin, evidence of an intense workout, making the tattoos seem to come alive.

The air between us became charged, as if humming with a silent, magnetic frequency. When my eyes met his, the connection was so immediate, so intense, it felt like a jolt of electricity had leaped directly from his gaze into my core. 

This wasn't just the inexplicable pull I'd felt before. It was raw, visceral, and unabashedly sexual. For that split second, everything around us seemed to fade away, leaving just the two of us and this newfound tension that was impossible to ignore. 

It was as if his eyes had whispered secrets to the very depths of my soul, mysteries I wasn't sure I was ready to know. For a brief moment, he stopped, his eyes piercing through to the core of my being. With a smile that tugged at my heart, he used the towel in his hand to wipe away the sweat from his forehead.

"Oh, sorry. I've got dinner on the way. I thought I heard something out here and figured—" His eyes traveled from my face down to my outfit, clearly surprised to see me in something other than my usual NightBite t-shirt and jeans.

Before either of us could say another word, Luke's door opened. He emerged in a dark, tailored suit cut to accentuate every line and curve of his physique. The fabric could barely contain his muscular build.

"We're off to the ballet," I informed Clay, my eyes darting from him to Luke, whose expression remained unreadable. "Enjoy your dinner when it arrives."

Luke offered his arm and quickly led me to the elevator and the car waiting for us below. 

The limousine ride to the opera house felt like I'd entered another world. A surreal bubble where the outside reality momentarily paused. My eyes drifted toward Luke, seated across from me in a crisp tuxedo accentuating his already imposing figure. 

The air between us was thick with a tension I couldn't understand. I found myself inexplicably drawn to him, like I was standing on the edge of a cliff, and he was gravity itself, urging me to leap. I felt this carnal urge to pounce on him, to press my lips against his and let go. I blinked and shook my head slightly, trying to dispel these foreign thoughts.

"So, Lexi," Luke finally broke the silence. "Why were you in the building that night we ran into each other?"

I looked up, taken aback by his question. "Oh, I was delivering food to your neighbor."

"Ahh, Clay. Yeah, he's a good friend. Really nice guy," Luke said, his eyes meeting mine. Something in his tone made me suspect he wasn't being entirely genuine, but I decided not to probe.

The opera house was breathtaking, and the ballet was even more so. Dancers fluttered across the stage, every movement a brushstroke in a larger, moving painting. Yet I sensed that Luke, too, was wrestling with his focus. It was as if the beautiful spectacle before us could simply not compete with the magnetic pull neither of us could fully understand.

After the performance, we stood by my worn-out car in the Riverbend visitor's parking lot after the limo dropped us back off. The air was tinged with the lingering notes of the night's enchantment.

"Thank you for an amazing evening, Luke," I managed to say, though the words felt inadequate to capture the emotional swirl of the night.

"Would you like to come up for a drink?" he offered, his eyes searching mine.

"I'm not the kind of girl who does that on the first date," I replied, shaking my head gently.

A slight pout tugged at the corner of his mouth. "How about a goodnight kiss, then?"

It was a request I should've resisted but didn't want to. I leaned in, our lips meeting for the briefest of moments. The kiss was a paradox. Electric and disconcerting, comforting and alien, all simultaneously. 

As I pulled away, I felt both a sense of completion and a disquieting awareness that something was not quite right. 

But what that "something" was, I couldn't yet define.