(TORREN) Remy and Lennox were moving to Long Island before the wedding.
They’d bought a house and had been renovating it since the engagement.
The week after I first met Theron Kane, they invited me over to celebrate again.
I headed there after class, half-hoping he’d show up.
He didn’t.
Just their friends and Henry with his latest girlfriend, Marisa.
I didn’t ask Remy if Theo was coming, that would’ve been too obvious, but after a couple of hours, I gave up hoping.
Theron Kane was the most intimidating person I’d ever met.
Everything about him, the way he stared without looking away, how he held himself, was daunting.
He had this insane confidence, knew exactly how attractive he was.
I couldn’t imagine anyone saying no to him.
He was tall, imposing.
Everything about him screamed adult, older than I’d expected, which made him ten times more intimidating.
But conversation with him hadn’t been stale.
It was easy.
Natural.
In the days after we met, I told Maya, my roommate and best friend, all about it.
She listened to my obsessive rant over and over again, always eager for gossip.
The Kanes were like celebrities.
One of the most influential families around.
Wealth from real estate going back generations.
When a family of millionaires produces three stunning adult males, everyone takes notice.
They were constantly in the media, mostly trying to keep to themselves.
I’d been around Remy and Lennox’s crowd my whole life.
But Theo?
I couldn’t wrap my head around it being him.
The man I’d heard about for years, the one everyone sang praises to, had been hitting on me.
On me.
I stepped out onto the patio for a smoke, the whole encounter flashing before my eyes again.
Henry walked out with a drink, his signature grin plastered in place.
“Young Torren, how are you?” “Good.
You?” He shrugged with a grimace.
“Marisa is turning into a pain.
I shouldn’t have brought her.” I chuckled.
“Are you hiding?” “Yeah.
Lennox’s love nest and a perfect brother getting married—she’s getting ideas.” He reached for my vape and took a drag without asking.
“She’s imagining the ring on her finger.” Henry looked like Theo, making it easy to recognize them as brothers.
Same dark-brown eyes, same coffee-colored hair.
But their laughs were different.
Henry’s was loud with mocking snorts.
Theo’s laughs, like his smiles, seemed controlled, designed specifically for each person and situation.
I didn’t know what his real laugh sounded like.
“She’s probably asked Remy about the carats by now,” Henry said, handing back my vape.
“Do you have a girlfriend, Torren?” “Nah.
Just started college.
Bad idea.” “It is.
Enjoy your youth.
Mess around.
Then get tied down.” He sounded more serious than I’d ever heard him.
“It’s not easy to date.
People are always after the name or the money.
Lennox is lucky he found your sister.” I hadn’t thought about that.
It must have been a pain to date as a Kane.
“Is that why your brother won’t settle down?” Immediate regret washed over me as the catlike smirk grew on his face.
“No, Theo is just a lost cause.” He kept staring.
My cheeks burned.
“What?” “Why are you asking me about Theo?” “I’m not asking you about him.
Just one question,” I clarified, but his smile didn’t waver.
“You better be careful around him, young Torren.
Theo has a way of pulling people in, even when they don’t want to be.” My eyes dropped to my lap.
“He asked me about you tonight.” I glanced back up.
Henry chuckled.
I knew it was bait, but I couldn’t help it.
“Why?” “He asked if you were here.” I bit my lip, knowing he wanted me to keep pushing.
“He’s not coming?” His satisfied grin answered before he did.
“Workaholic.” He widened his eyes.
“Don’t you want to know what else he said?” “Looks like you’re dying to tell me.” “He said I could give you his number if you asked about him.” He lowered his voice, leaning closer even though we were alone.
“I promise I won’t tell the happy couple.” I understood why it needed to be hushed.
Theo being interested in me was scandalous.
I took another drag.
“You already have my number.
You could have just given it to him.” “Yeah, but he said it doesn’t count that way.” It felt like falling into a game I didn’t want to play.
“I don’t mind if he has my number.” He laughed.
“I knew it.” Henry pulled out his phone, and my stomach dropped.
“It’s not like that.
You’re my brother-in-law, and you have my number.
He can have it too.
It doesn’t have to be a secret.” “Mm-hm.” He scrolled before putting it away.
I stared at his pocket.
“Did you just send it?” My heart was in my throat.
“Mm-hm,” he said, smiling, tone mocking.
“Don’t worry, I can keep a secret,” he winked.
“There’s no secret to keep.” My phone chimed.
A beat of silence.
“Mm-hm,” Henry said, standing.
“Remember what I told you.
Don’t get into this thinking you have the upper hand.
Theo is clever, he’ll see you coming a mile away.” He walked back inside.
“I’m not getting into anything,” I called after him, but he just gave me a look.
I pulled out my phone.
One new text from an unknown number.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: Miss Me?
Shit.
Shit.
Shit.
I had no idea what to say back.
I wanted to sound witty and interesting.
I kept looking at the text, rubbing my knuckles softly on the underside of my nose.
I opened the chat and stared at it some more.
Sebastian knew I had read it, so I had to reply.
Why was he even texting me in the first place?
What could I say to that?
I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea.
It wasn’t as if something could ever happen between us, but at the same time, I didn’t want him to lose interest.
It was just harmless flirting for a little while, and then we would both move past it.
I didn’t even know how you were supposed to flirt with a man, a thirty-four-year-old man at that.
ME: Working late?
My heart drummed in my chest as I pressed send.
That was casual enough, not acknowledging the implication of his question without killing the conversation.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: Always Now what?
I looked down at the screen, racking my brain for something to ask him.
UNKNOWN: Want to keep me company?
I blinked, confused.
ME: How?
I looked around, half-expecting to see him standing behind me.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: Tell me what you are doing right now, or about your day.
I smiled, biting down on my lip.
ME: I’m texting you.
I was out on the terrace smoking with Henry.
He was telling me about his relationship woes UNKNOWN NUMBER: How about earlier?
ME: I went to class and the gym then straight here I’m sleeping over UNKNOWN NUMBER: now I’m really sorry I missed it I chuckled and shook my head.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: tell me something about yourself.
something I don’t know yet Heat crept up my neck as I stared at the words.
It wasn’t an unreasonable request, but it unsettled me.
I wasn’t even sure what I was doing here.
And something about me?
What could possibly be interesting about my life compared to Theron’s?
ME: I like sailing UNKNOWN NUMBER: really?
see?
We do have something in common I like sailing too.
I bit my lip, stifling a smile.
It felt like cheating.
I already knew that about him.
During my time gossiping with Maya, we had undergone some cyberstalking.
There were a bunch of pictures of him on boats.
It wasn’t a lie, though.
I did actually like it.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: we could sail sometime we have a boat in the Hamptons ME for the wedding?
UNKNOWN NUMBER : hopefully before that I exhaled loudly.
He wasn’t exactly subtle, but it was almost as if he were just trying to be friendly too.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: I have to get back to work, darling, but I’ll see you soon thanks for the company He was definitely flirting.
My face was hot, and my heart was hammering in my chest.
I saved his number in my phone before replying.
Now the screen read Theo Kane.
My face was hot, my heart hammering.
It was just harmless flirting for a little while.
Then we’d both move past it.
That’s what I told myself, anyway.