CHAPTER 4

~Jace Pov~

Saturday morning, and I still couldn’t get the kiss out of my head. The taste of last night hadn’t left my mouth. It was like mint and cinnamon.

And something else I couldn’t name.

She hadn’t even told me her name.

Bella.

That wasn’t even her real name.

It was something I called her since she was too stunned to tell me hers. It was just something that came to me something , haunting, and unbothered.

She’d worn this wicked little short, silky, blue dress that shifted to silver under the club lights like it knew exactly what it was doing.

A walking sin.

Not until I saw that guy the creep who didn’t understand boundaries. She’d clearly said no. Her body language screamed discomfort.

So I stepped in. I didn't think twice.

I didn’t sleep.

Not really.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her again wide eyes, shaken voice, that stupidly brave look on her face when she told that creep to back off.

And then that kiss.

Soft. Sharp. Stolen.

I ran a hand down my face.

What the hell was that?

She kissed me like I wasn’t Jace Carter.It should’ve ended there. It should have just been another night, another girl, another forgettable moment.

Except… I remembered it.

Too clearly.

I’ve kissed plenty of girls too many. It never meant anything. It wasn’t supposed to. That was the rule.

But last night…

That girl kissed me like it wasn’t a dare, or a distraction, or a headline waiting to happen. She kissed me like it mattered.

Like she wasn’t afraid of me.

Just like that.

No name. No number. No reason to ever cross paths again.

Good.

That’s good.

Right?

I exhaled sharply and dragged myself off the couch, deciding it was time to snap out of it.

It was my Saturday.

In our group, we had a rule two Saturdays a month, we rotated who hosted. No matter what chaos the world threw at us, we showed up, ate together, talked shit, made fun of each other, and stayed grounded.

My turn, unfortunately.

I threw on a pair of joggers and went for a run. Not because I was feeling particularly athletic, but because I needed to shut off my brain. The streets were quiet. Just the pounding of my feet and the question I refused to ask out loud:

Who was she?

By the time I got back, the memory of the kiss had started to fade into the background. Just another weird moment in a long list of them.

I threw myself into cooking instead.

Chopping, stirring, seasoning and burning my fingers a little because I refused to use the damn oven mitts.

Food was my thing. Not publicly, not on my “public persona” résumé, but quietly. Calmly. I cooked because it gave me control and feeding my friends was my way of showing I cared without actually saying it.

I was just setting out the plates when the door swung open.

“Bro!” Carter's voice hit before he did, dragging in like a mini tornado. “Something smells like it’s about to make me cheat on my diet.”

“You’re not on a diet,” I muttered.

“Exactly.” He winked and headed straight for the kitchen.

Marcus, Leo,Tariq and Rafael weren't far behind, all four of them laughing about some girl who poured a drink on Marcus last night. Something about a misread signal and a ruined white shirt.

We fell into rhythm eating, joking, trash talking. Just like always.

By noon, my apartment was filled with the sound of laughter, clinking glasses, and Carter digging into the pasta like he hadn’t eaten in three days.

“Bro,” he groaned. “Why aren’t you running a restaurant or something?”

“Because then I’d have to see people like you every day.”

“Touché.”

Until Marcus paused mid chew, squinting at me.

“Wait a second.”

I raised a brow. “What.”

“I just remembered something,” he said slowly, eyes narrowing. “Last night… I came over to whisper something stupid to you in the VIP booth, but you weren’t alone. You were talking to someone. A girl. I think. A blue dress maybe? Or was it silver? I was drunk.”

Carter perked up. “A girl?”

Leo grinned. “Jace was talking to someone?”

I kept eating.

“Hold up,” Marcus said, sitting up straighter. “Not just talking. You were smiling.”

I paused for half a second.

Damn Marcus and his semi functioning memory.

Tariq dropped his fork like it was breaking news. “Smiling? Like actually smiling? Not the polite one or the fake public one, but the real kind?”

“I smile all the time,” I muttered.

“False,” Rafeal said. “You smirk, you glower, you look vaguely constipated sometimes, but smiling? That’s rare, my guy.”

Tariq barked a laugh. “So who was she?”

“I don’t know,” I muttered.

That made them pause.

Marcus’s brows shot up. “You mean you don’t remember or you never knew?”

"I don't know, I didn't get her name.”

Theo looked genuinely offended. “You kissed someone and didn’t even ask her name?”

Marcus leaned forward, suddenly way too interested. “Anyone we know? Was she hot?”

I didn’t answer.

Leo squinted. “Oh my God. He’s protecting her identity. Who are you and what have you done with Jace Carter?”

“Guys—”

“Wait,” Rafael cut in, dramatic as ever. “Did she touch his heart? Did she give him a reason to live again?”

“Shut up,” I said, dragging a hand down my face. “It wasn’t like that.”

Marcus grinned. “But there was someone.”

Silence.

Then Leo slammed the table. “Holy shit. He’s blushing.”

“I’m not—”

“You totally are.” Tariq pointed a fork at me. “This is it. This is the start of your downfall. Some mystery woman’s going to bring you to your knees and we’re going to be the groomsmen at your sad little love story.”

I rolled my eyes and stood up. “I’m not discussing this with you lunatics.”

Marcus laughed. “So you’re saying there’s nothing to tell?”

I hesitated.

Then shrugged.

“Just a girl,” I said, heading to the sink.

But even as the words left my mouth, the lie settled like an itch I couldn’t scratch.

Because Bella whoever the hell she was didn’t feel like just a girl.

I’m not discussing this.” I said

But they were already spiraling throwing out theories, assigning nicknames, and planning an imaginary wedding I was apparently too emotionally damaged to attend.

Eventually, the teasing gave way to lazy banter. The kind that only existed between people who knew each other too well.

That’s when Tariq leaned back in his chair and sighed. “Speaking of women… My department’s finally bringing in new interns.”

Marcus groaned. “You’re still doing the hiring checks?”

“I have to. We had three duds in a row last year one of them tried to sell client files for crypto. So now all the IT intern lists pass by me before anyone’s onboarded.”

Leo whistled. “Tough job.”

“Necessary one. I’m not going through another summer of Gen Z chaos.” He pulled out his phone. “Gotta head out later to review the shortlists.”

I wasn’t paying attention anymore.

Not really.

And with that, everyone left one after the other calling it a night