Brandon's POV
The cameras didn't stop flashing.
If anything, they flashed more intensely—hungry, greedy, alive. Casey's lips were still warm against my cheek when the shutters went wild, capturing a moment that didn't belong to me.
I stiffened, my smile freezing in place as if my face had been carved that way. I didn't look at her; I didn't need to. I could already feel it—the ripple moving through the room, the quiet excitement of a narrative forming before anyone had even typed a headline. Birthday boy reconciles with ex. Power couple reunites.
I gently but firmly pulled away, creating a careful inch of space between us. Casey only smiled wider, her fingers brushing my arm as if everything was perfectly natural. I hated how effortless she was at this.
Applause erupted following the cake-cutting, as if nothing had happened. Champagne glasses were lifted, and someone shouted a toast. The band struck a softer tune in the background. Yet inside me, something had cracked.
