"Gianna! We have been looking for you…"
Gianna listened with a thin smile as Athena barreled into her, arms wrapping tight, looking both relieved and sad at the same time.
Gianna welcomed the embrace, allowed herself to lean into it for a second longer than necessary, even as her eyes lifted past Athena's shoulder and landed on Noah.
He stood a short distance away, exactly where she had told him to stop, leaning against the sleek line of his car with the lazy ease of someone entirely comfortable in his own skin, unbothered by the curious glances her friends were throwing at him.
She had texted him in haste, impulsively, not expecting him to come in record time. She had thought—assumed, really—that her friends would already be away from the club's premises when he arrived.
It would have made the move quieter. Seamless. Less dramatic.
Nevertheless…
"Sorry…" she murmured when Athena finally loosened her grip enough to let her breathe. "I didn't want the questions…"
