a's

I glanced toward the staircase as though to check if Sienna was coming d

, effortless, like she hadn't just spent the last ten minutes upstairs

gly bright. "Finally

ng the stairs again. "But h

er mouth falling open in m

s, too cold, the kind of guy who thought 'smiling' was a chore. But even as I said it, I co

matically. "Ugly. Grumpy. Old man en

"Old man energy? He'

. That's

"I think you just don't want to admit you

said the unthinkable. "Did you just-no. No, Isla. Don't tell me y

ly, shaking my

s, her lips twitchin

m n

u a

and of course the heat gave me aw

usion is thinking that Zayne's attr

t sound like finding your bro

now you've been going on and on about Zayne. Every other sentence starts wi

ch. "Not like I'm planning to date him or someth

for a moment. "Good. Because my brother is off-limits,

ier than she proba

d, managing a small

h to diffuse the tension. "Good. Because I'd rather not walk in on you tw

g her words didn't st

y, unhurried, like each one carried the weight of intention. I didn't look up

oom suddenly

ugging a pillow. "Anyway, don't take him too seriously. He's been in

your mom

ow exactly what. He doesn't tell me much anymore. All I know is he se

he same Zayne she always described, c

Something d

t fleeting moment at the door, I'd caught it, his colo

ecalling. "You said

said absently,

just r

in last n

trailing past me near the alley. Although I couldn't see his face,

I think I've smelled that colo

t me, her brows kn

iled off, shrugging to hide the strange pull in my ch

ook, tapping her chin. "Y

e was in Italy un

tending an event this week. Maybe that's what

bit, staring at the staircase again. "S

k Zayne? Yourself? Oh

make it

. You're curious. T

yes. "It's ju

t like how you 'accidentally' stare

did

u d

n into her face. "I'm not

a while, it felt easy again, the way it always was with u

of hair behind her ear, "let's see if yo

ned. "

. "Come on. I need to make sure tho

ber the

hink your broth

ropped.

ucational

t sayin

ly fell over. "Fine, fine. S

y. "Mi è mancata la

t bad. Still sounds like yo

illow at he

dair. "And you'r

saying

nding this time, his phone in one hand, the other shoved casually in his pocket. He looked...effortless, tattoos trailed fr

fore settling, right on me. It was one

d I hated that my heart reacted before my mind could. Heat crawl

noticing the pause. "Yo

yes immediately. "I forgot my charger," he sai

m the shelf, and turned to leave. But before h

ly meet you, I

"You-uh-Yea

faintly.

uld you please put on your

tbeat too long. Then he left, vanishing up the stairs again

to exhale the air I hadn

th her elbow. "See?

ill staring at the s

I couldn't shake the way Zayne had looked at me, like he'd seen

strang

nting feeling