I am never as reckless as I am when Tristan’s around.
He has always been the one person who forces me out of my comfort zone into the unexpected, the uncertain.
My life is built on certainty, working where I went to school and buying a home minutes from the one in which I grew up. It’s not simply a matter of familiarity that keeps me close. I love this town. I adore my family and friends. Helping students is my passion. I’ve built something solid here. Something good.
But Tristan is different.
He took the most devastating thing that could happen to a kid—losing his sister and having parents who couldn’t help navigate the grief—and soldiered on. He lived every day without losing the energy and creativity of his mischievous nature. He battled through a career that few could even dream of.
He tookrisks.
I never thought of myself as someone who settled, but with Tristan in front of me, I wonder if I have.
“I haven’t stopped thinking about our kiss,” I admit, before I can convince myself to shut up.
His brows lift, but he doesn’t look smug. “Is that so?”
I swallow. “Have you?”
“What do you think?”
“I think I want you to come over tonight.”
My directness takes us both by surprise. Although a one-night stand is uncharacteristic of me, there’s no regret.
Tristan’s eyes darken. “I want that, too.”
Before I can talk myself out of taking the leap, I whisper conspiratorially, “You leave first. Meet me at my place in ten minutes?”
He doesn’t even answer. Tristan goes to the living room and makes some vague reference to early morning practice.
“Thanks for tonight, Toby. Nice meeting everyone,” Tristan says casually. “See you around, Ligaya.”
I mumble something while tidying up a table.
“Now that your special guest is gone, are you joining us?” Toby asks, eyebrow raised.
My friends are in the middle of a chaotic charades competition. Kai is bent over laughing while Anna mimes aggressively, holding an invisible fishing rod like she’s trying to wrangle a sea monster.
“I’m good,” I state nonchalantly, dusting my hands on my jeans and avoiding eye contact. “I’ll refill the punch.”
“We’ve moved on to bourbon,” Toby says, already holding up a glass. “Pour yourself one.”
“I’m actually exhausted,” I say with a half-smile, fluffing a couch pillow that definitely doesn’t need fluffing. “I’ll tidy up and get going.”
“Do you have an early morning practice, too?” Anna teases, wiggling her brows.
“What? No, of course not.”
Kai releases a mocking “Yeah, right!” while tossing popcorn into his mouth and missing half of it.
I slump down onto the sofa, arms crossed over my chest as I sink into the couch. They’re right. I’m about as subtle as a flashing Las Vegas sign.
“He’s really into you,” Toby states, looking at me over the rim of his glass.
“For a one-night stand, I guess. I’m not mad about it,” I confirm, tracing a loose thread on the pillow I’m hugging. My voice is calm, but inside me is a tempest of need and restraint, excitement and doubt.
“What are you waiting for?” Toby asks. He jumps off the couch, grabs my coat, and pulls me to my feet.
