If it weren't Selene, I would have said no. I was two steps away from collapsing on my bed after the longest day ever, but then her name flashed on my screen, followed by
"It's my birthday. I want my best girl by my side." "You're my Only Babygurl. Dress code: wine red and black. No escaping."
I groaned, phone flopping on the bed. "But I'm dead, woman…" I muttered, already reaching for the only wine-colored dress I owned, with a hanging strap. Fitted. Mildly dangerous. An hour later, I tugged my long winter coat over my shoulders, heels clicking as I walked toward the club entrance, mentally preparing to fake a social battery I didn't have.
Loud music spilled from the doors like it was alive. The bass practically punched me. I spotted Selene near the bar, glowing like always, confident, drunk on adrenaline, and the beauty that made people move out of her way. She squealed the second she saw me.
"MY WOMAN!" she yelled, launching at me."WO-!" I laughed, hugging her back tightly.
"You're late," she mock-pouted."Yes, my lady, I was exhausted as well," I shot back. With soft smile I hugged her.
"Happy birthday, My Lady~"
She grinned. "Come on. Let's get you loosened up."
We pushed through the crowd toward the bar. I sank into a high stool, exhaling like I had just fought a war. My hand curled around a cold glass, as the drink was sweet and burning. Just like this week. I was already one drink down, chatting with Selene, who was excited to introduce me to her Lawyer Boyfriend.
Selene turned just as someone hugged her from behind, spinning her slightly before placing her down. I blinked. She squealed again. "You're late, Alex! I was gonna beat you with my heel!". "You say that every time," he grinned, kissing her forehead, looking entirely unbothered. "Look who is here." He turned and waved to someone closer. That's when I saw him.
Two men stepped forward. The first had boyish charm, mischievous eyes, and the kind of smirk that spelled heartbreak for anyone under five feet away. The second?
Black shirt. Rolled sleeves. Sleeked-back hair. And those eyes.
My breath caught. No… no way. "Ella," Selene chirped, throwing an arm around my shoulder, "meet my boyfriend's 2 Besties— Hyunwoo and Sylus."
Sylus.
The guy from the flower shop. The one who stared like he'd seen ghosts… or remembered them. I blinked, trying to smile. "Flowershop guy?" I murmured under my breath. Maybe I was hallucinating. Maybe the exhaustion had won.
But those dark eyes met mine. And he smiled. Small. Controlled. But my stomach flipped anyway.
What the hell was going on? Selene was drunk, decided it was group bonding time. "Upstairs! We have a lounge. Let's GOOOO" The lounge was dimly lit, couches like clouds, music still pulsing beneath our feet. We sat him across from me, Hyunwoo tossing olives into his mouth, Alex whispering things to Selene that made her blush.
And me?
I was four shots in and constantlylocking eyes with Sylus. Like some sick magnetic thing pulling my gaze back to him again and again. It didn't help that his shirt clung to his arms like sin. Or that his voice, when he did speak, was low and slow.
Selene tugged my arm." Let's Dance. Now."
"I—"
Nope," she grabbed my hand, dragging me down to the main floor. The beat was louder here. Heavier. I felt it in my chest. I was dizzy. From alcohol. From the night. From the way I wanted to forget everything. Forget how lonely I've felt. Forget how much I missed him. Forget waiting.
Will he ever come back?
That was when Gasolina dropped. The crowd lost it. I lost it. Selene found me mid-dance, shouting lyrics as we spun, bodies rolling to the beat. Hands up. Hair loose. Drink in hand. My voice melted into the music as Selene shoved another shot between us. Tonight, I didn't want to feel. I wanted to burn.
------------
Sunday nights were meant for silence. Solitude. A glass of whiskey, muted jazz in the background, and my phone on do not disturb. But tonight? Fate laughed in my face.
"Come on, man. Selene'll kill me if you don't show," Alex tossed me a black shirt I didn't ask for. "It's her birthday. You skipping is basically breaking her heart in four different cultures."
"I didn't like emotional blackmail," I muttered, adjusting the collar of my black shirt, already hating how well it fit.
Hyunwoo emerged from the mirror, adjusting his gold chain with zero shame. "Bro, you need this night. You're walking around like a gothic villain with a dead lover buried under your floorboards."
I arched a brow. "That's oddly specific." "You're oddly depressing," he retorted back. Alex grinned. "Come on. At least pretend to be social. Drink. Stare at someone pretty. Get your blood pressure out of the 'murder' zone for a night."
I was fine, I told myself.Just tired. That's all. Not haunted. Not unraveling. Not thinking about her. But the second we walked into the club, something in me shifted.
Selene's venue of choice was upscale as hell velvet seats, chandelier lighting with golden undertones, an atmosphere thick with money, mischief, and sexual tension. Music pulsed just beneath the chest, drums playing, like a heartbeat wrapped in silk.
I scanned the room lazily. And then everything stopped. Laughter. The kind that sounded like music you'd chase in a dream but never reach.A flick of dark hair. Bangs falling over one eye. Her head tilted slightly as she leaned in, her lips brushing the rim of a glass.
Her. Ella. She was seated beside Selene, wrapped in wine-colored silk that clung to every inch of her like it had been stitched by sin itself. Her legs crossed effortlessly, thigh exposed just enough to destroy composure.
Her cheeks were flushed, her lips glossed in red, her hair pinned up in a messy twist that was already falling. I'd seen her in soft lighting before sleepy, barefoot, stained with blood and kindness.
But here? She was unreal. Alex nudged me. "You good?" No. Not even remotely. Selene spotted us after Alex hugged her and stood with a squeal before Alex pulled her into a spin and kissed her hard, his usual flair for theatrics. She shoved him away, laughing breathlessly, cheeks red. "You idiot! That was in front of everyone!" "That's the point," he grinned. "Let the world know you're mine." She turned with a blinding smile. "Sylus, Hyunwoo, meet my best friend. Ella."
Best friend?
Fucking fate.
I looked at her then. Really looked. And she looked back. There was a second maybe less where the music dulled. Everything in the background blurred. Her eyes widened. Recognition bloomed. Slowly. Softly. Like the way sunlight hits frost, melting everything in its wake. Her glass shifted slightly in her grip. Her lips parted. She knew.
"Ella, this is Sylus," Selene continued, blissfully unaware. "He's the dark, brooding one. Don't let him scare you." Too late, I thought. She'd already broken into the locked parts of me.She already had my scent trapped somewhere inside her memory, and mine was still tangled in her skin. I gave her a nod. A silent one.She didn't speak. But her eyes said enough.
Ella's POV~
The private lounge upstairs had the perfect view of the crowd below — dim lights washing over writhing bodies, the bass of the music thumping like a second pulse.I was already four shots deep, cheeks flushed, limbs light. The plush velvet couch beneath me felt like clouds, but my gaze kept straying.
To him.Sylus.
I didn't mean to. I didn't but his presence had gravity. Like some dark star I couldn't look away from. Every now and then, our eyes would lock. Just a flicker. But it burned hotter than any alcohol in my bloodstream. I lowered my gaze, pretending to scroll. That's when my fingers froze.
A post. A photo.
That goddamn account. Pain flickered. My breath hitched. I didn't even think. I just chugged my last shot like it owed me answers. "Come on!" Selene chirped, appearing like glitter and chaos, yanking me to my feet. "Dance floor's calling, babe."
I didn't protest. The buzz in my blood begged for noise. For forgetfulness. That's when Gasolina dropped, and the crowd collectively lost it. Selene dragged me into the center, our bodies moving to the beat. Twists. Hips. Rolls. Laughter in our throats. I unclipped my clutch, letting my hair fall free, curls tumbling down as the drink dissolved the last of my restraint.
I let go. Of everything
Sylus's POV ~
From the lounge balcony, I wasn't watching the dance floor.I was watching her.Ella.And I hated how obvious I was about it. She was in that wine-drenched dress, hair cascading now, spinning under lights like she belonged in chaos. I knew I should've looked away. But she moved like sin dressed in velvet. And my mind—it was a mess. She was wrecking me with every sway of her hips. "You're practically devouring her from up here," Alex muttered beside me. I didn't answer.
Hyunwoo leaned in, grinning. "Should we give you two a moment? Dim the lights? Light a candle?" "Shut up," I said in annoyance. Alex clapped my back. "Man's got it bad. Look at him, jaw clenched, arms folded, Eyes locked on her."
"I don't have anything to do with her, I am fine ," I muttered.
Hyunwoo raised a brow. "Your eyes say I'd kill for her, but your mouth says I'm fine. Pick a struggle, Sylus." "She's just-" I hesitated.
Alex cut in. "She's just what? A stranger you can't stop thinking about? A scent that stuck? A pair of eyes that have you spiraling like some dark academia poetry major?"
I gave him a glare that could've melted glass, but I hated how correct Alex was. They cackled. Before I could tell them to fuck off. Selene's voice rang through the air, sharp and drunk. "Alex! Come on, dance with meee!" Alex groaned like a dying man. "Do I have to?" Selene was firm as she gave him a stern look. "Yes, or no sex for a week!" Alex muttered, "...Fine."