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It didn’t matter if we were burned to dust.
Lucia Baldwin meant everything to us.
2
Lucia
Warmth and hope spread through my heart at the sight of my three best friends. Trevor left me waiting for over an hour at the auditorium gates. I couldn’t help but feel super self-conscious as groups of people passed me by with their friends and dates.
My anxiety vanished as soon as I saw their familiar faces.
Even though John, Rafael, and Danny wore tuxes, they easily stood apart from the rest of the crowd. They were taller than most of the guys here and if I’d allow myself to think, they were the most handsome too.
But it isn’t just that, I decided as I looked at their beautiful grinning faces.
There was something about them that set them apart from everyone else. I could never put my finger on it but since the moment my gaze fell on them, I felt an insane, inexplicable pull toward them.
“Where’s your date?” Danny asked, reaching me first. Strands of his blond hair were swept away from his broad forehead, giving him a polished look. I stared into his silvery eyes, forgetting all about Trevor.
“I don’t know,” I said with a frown. “He said he’d be here an hour ago. I tried calling him but he wouldn’t pick up.” My cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “I guess he ghosted me.”
A strong arm wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me against a hard body. “That’s his loss,” Rafael whispered in my ear.
His warm breath skimming along my neck sent a shiver through me. I looked into his warm amber eyes. Unlike Danny, he’d kept his fiery red hair loose and wild.
Swallowing hard, I tried to mask my stupid reaction to my handsome friend.
“Do you even like these kinds of loud parties?” John asked, drawing my attention to him.
My heart kicked up and beat harder as I met his intense gaze. He was the tallest of his three brothers with the broadest shoulders I’d ever seen on a guy. His dark hair fell into his piercing blue eyes, giving him a dark, sexy look that surprisingly suited him.
“You’re right,” I said with a smile. “I hate crowded places.” Stepping closer to him, I stood on my toes. Automatically, he bent lower, lending me his ear. “I hate their choice of music too.” A small giggle escaped me as if I’d just confessed to him.
John chuckled. “We can do whatever you like, Princess. We’re yours for the evening.”
I loved it when he said things like that. Even though we were friends, a part of me felt extremely possessive of them. I was already hating the way some older girls were ogling them.
They weremyfriends. No one else had the right to evenlookat them!
“This is the first time you’re here,” I said, struggling to suppress the jealousy burning in my chest. “How about I showed you around campus?”
The suggestion seemed silly because it was nighttime and the only thing worth seeing on campus was a specially designed rose garden. The place was beautiful during daytime with roses blooming in myriad colors but it was useless to go there now.
A strange look passed between John, Rafael, and Danny. They often did that, as if they were sharing a secret between themselves.
“Let’s do that, then,” said John. “We’d love to see your school.”
I couldn’t believe they were agreeing to it. How could a girl keep her heart in check when these handsome guys treated her like a real princess, agreeing to her silliest whims?
Excitement swelled inside me as I led them away from the auditorium. Loud thuds of hip-hop music followed us as we walked further away.
On most occasions, I was a meek little coward among my peers. Tonight, though, I was walking with squared shoulders and a raised chin as everyone checked out my three hot dates.
John and his brothers were a few years older than me, easily attracting the attention of the senior girls. Some of them were bold enough to call out to them but my friends didn’t even bother looking their way.
I was sure they were wondering how a dork like me could have the full attention of these handsome young men. Pure happiness bubbled inside me. I felt more beautiful than all the girls here tonight.
The crowd thinned as we moved further from the auditorium. Even the sound of music dulled here.
