The apartment was unusually still.
Hriva stood in the center of her room, barefoot on the cool wooden floor, one earring clasped between her fingers and a question tangled in her chest.
What if tonight didn't go the way she hoped?
Outside, dusk had begun its gentle descent, smearing soft indigo across the sky. Pale light filtered through the blinds, washing everything in muted calm. Her bedroom, usually her place of comfort and solitude, now felt different. Like it was holding its breath with her.
She sat down on the edge of her bed and stared at the dress laid out beside her. Pale olive green, soft at the edges, silky beneath her fingers. Not too dressy. Not too casual. Chosen carefully. Chosen for tonight.
Her phone buzzed on the nightstand.
MiraAll set here. The wine is chilling. You better show up glowing or we'll know he's treating you wrong.
Hriva smiled at the message but didn't answer yet. Her fingers hovered over the screen before she set the phone down again.
She turned to the mirror, catching sight of herself under the soft light.
Her reflection looked calm, but only on the surface.
Inside, her thoughts paced.
Jake had already met Ian, his cousin. He'd been in comfort zones, on familiar turf. But this.....this was different. Her friends weren't just guests. They were witnesses. To her past. To the quiet spaces she rarely let anyone step into. And now she was about to let Jake walk into that too.
What if he didn't fit?
What if they didn't see what she saw in him?
What if they teased too hard?
She bit her bottom lip and turned toward the closet. Her fingers drifted past several dresses before returning to the one she'd chosen. She held it up in front of her again and took a breath.
It was just dinner.
Just her closest friends.
Just the man she was beginning to fall dangerously in love with.
Hriva chuckled softly under her breath, shaking her head as she slipped the dress over her shoulders and smoothed it down her sides. The fabric whispered against her skin like a secret being kept between them.
She moved to the mirror again and pinned back one side of her hair with a golden clip, letting the rest fall loosely down her back. Her lips were soft pink, her eyeliner neat. Nothing too bold. She didn't want to feel like a version of herself she couldn't recognize.
She just wanted to be her.
But still, the nerves didn't leave.
She reached for the small perfume bottle on her dresser and dabbed a hint behind each ear. It smelled like jasmine and amber, warm, grounded, steady. A scent she had worn the night Jake first kissed her by the window.
The memory drifted over her skin like a touch.
His hand on her waist.
His voice low and certain.
You're not a moment. You're the story.
Her heart thudded softly at the thought.
She walked to the living room slowly, slipping on her flats and grabbing her jacket. She paused by the door, staring at it, hand on the handle, unmoving for a moment.
She could hear the ticking of the clock. The distant hum of traffic outside. Her own breath.
Then she heard the soft ping of her phone again.
JakeI'm outside. Take your time. No rush.
Hriva exhaled.
That message, simple as it was, cracked through her nerves like sunlight through curtains. She smiled. Not because the nerves were gone, but because now, she could carry them into the evening… knowing she wouldn't be carrying them alone.
She picked up her bag and opened the door.
The hallway smelled faintly of lemon and dust. Her footsteps echoed quietly as she walked toward the elevator. Her pulse matched each step, not fast, just present.
By the time she reached the building's entrance, she could already see Jake's truck parked at the curb. The passenger door was open. He was leaning against the side, hands tucked in his pockets, eyes searching the entryway.
And when he saw her, his smile appeared instantly. Not wide. Not loud. Just full.
Hriva stepped out into the evening light, the breeze lifting the edge of her dress as she walked.
Jake opened the door wider, his voice soft as she approached.
"There she is."
She stopped in front of him, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. "You're early."
"I wanted to see you come out."
He said it like it was nothing. Like it was normal.
But to Hriva, it wasn't. It was a reminder. That she wasn't walking into this alone.
She slid into the passenger seat and exhaled slowly.
"Ready?" he asked.
Hriva turned to him. Her smile wasn't forced. It wasn't big.
But it was real.
"As ready as I'll ever be."