Chapter 5 - The Reunion of Strangers

Lucia followed Letty through the restaurant’s doors, her heart pounding so loudly it drowned out the soft music playing inside. The room was warm and lively, filled with chatter, clinking glasses, and bursts of laughter.

Dozens of eyes flickered toward them. For a split second, Lucia froze, panic clawing up her throat. Are they staring at me? Do they know?

But then cheers rang out.

“Ivor! You finally showed up!”

“Hey, Beauty God’s here!”

“Man, took you long enough!”

Lucia blinked. What…? They’re… happy to see me?

Letty grinned and nudged her side. “See? I told you, everyone missed you. Now don’t just stand there looking dumb—come on!”

Dragged along, Lucia sat at a long table where a group of young men and women had already gathered. Their faces were unfamiliar, yet they all looked at her like she was someone important, someone they knew.

A boy with messy brown hair leaned across the table, smirking. “Still got that perfect skin, huh, Ivor? What’s your secret? Selling your soul to the beauty gods?”

The table erupted with laughter.

Lucia forced an awkward smile, scratching her cheek. “Uh… good genes, I guess?”

That earned another wave of chuckles. Relief washed through her—at least she hadn’t said something completely wrong.

Still, she couldn’t relax. Every laugh, every glance made her skin prickle. And worse—her nose was betraying her again.

A swirl of scents hit her: musky cologne, warm vanilla, sharp alcohol… but underneath all of it was something deeper. Something primal. The boy with messy brown hair smelled… heavy, like storm-soaked earth. The girl beside him carried a soft, sweet scent, almost like honey.

Lucia’s throat tightened. What is this? Why does it feel like I can sense… them? Their moods? Their… presence?

Her hands curled into fists under the table. She was spiraling again—until Letty broke the moment.

“So, Ivor,” Letty said with a sly smile, resting her chin on her palm. “Don’t tell me you forgot about tonight’s highlight.”

Lucia blinked. “Highlight?”

Before she could ask further—

The restaurant door creaked open.

Every voice hushed. Heads turned.

Lucia felt it before she saw him—the air shifted, thickened, like the atmosphere itself bent around the presence that walked in. Her nose caught it instantly, a sharp, commanding scent she couldn’t name but couldn’t escape. Her chest tightened. Her skin burned.

Then she saw him.

A tall figure stepped through the door, his dark hair falling slightly over sharp eyes that scanned the room with effortless dominance. People straightened unconsciously in their seats as if gravity itself demanded respect.

And then—

Those eyes landed on her.

Lucia’s breath stopped.

A smile, slow and knowing, curved across his lips.

“Ivor,” he said, voice smooth but heavy with something unspoken. “Long time no see.”

Her heart lurched. Her body reacted before her brain could catch up—heat flooded her veins, her pulse raced wildly.

And with that same unbearable tightness in her chest, one word screamed in her mind:

> Ian.

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