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“Yeah,” I answered, pulling my hand back.

Greeting gestures weren’t my thing, and I usually tried to avoid shaking hands with people.

Jonah retrieved a flyer from his back pocket and unfolded it. HIDINGS – Photography, Painting, and Light by Alex Winter, Lucien Gilliéron, and Kilian da Silva was printed on it. “I thought ‘light’ meant pictures or something.”

The guy was cute—so innocent yet so open-minded. The way he looked at me with his doe eyes was somehow heartwarming. Lucien grinned widely, and his expression told me that he absolutely adored the guy.

“There’s a light show,” Lucien explained, sliding his arm around Jonah’s waist.

“Lu,” Jonah muttered.

“Oh, right, sorry.”

Lucien released him and flashed an even wider grin. It was clear that he’d love nothing more than to pounce on Jonah right there and then.

“When’s your light show?” Jonah asked. “The flyer doesn’t list a time.”

“Not until about eight,” I replied. “Alex couldn’t be here earlier, so we pushed it back.”

It was only seven, and I was already wondering how to pass time. I wasn’t the type to chat about art with people, but with Lucien or Alex, it was a different story.

I’d known Alex for a long time, and when Greta asked me if I wanted to contribute something to the exhibition, I was in right away. For things like this, I was even willing to give up a day off to set everything up during the day. Sebastian had helped me but had to leave for the theater since there was a performance that night.

The gallery was gradually filling up, and at half past seven, Greta was going to give a speech. She’d asked me earlier for my resume, but I’d just directed her to the theater’s website and didn’t think much of it after that.

Wasn’t it enough to just introduce myself as a lighting designer?

An older couple approached us, clearly impressed by Lucien’s painting. The fact that the artist was standing right there made it even more intriguing, and Lucien was soon surrounded by their admiration.

I gave Jonah a nod, signaling that I was done here. On my way to the back room, I finished my drink, set the glass on an empty tray, and disappeared into the restroom, where I took my time. I wasn’t in a rush to get back. I just wanted to do the light show and take the gallery’s lighting to the next level.

As I stepped out of the restroom, I stopped in the doorway to glance at a text. Yaël, my sister, was apologizing for the 56th time for not being able to make it tonight and asking if we could meet up on Monday.

As a cellist, she had similar hours to mine, so we often got the chance to grab lunch together. I agreed to meet on Monday, and she responded with a kiss emoji.

“I want to see a picture!” she texted.

I opened the camera app, snapped a quick shot of the gallery, and sent it to her. Yaël wasn’t particularly picky about pictures—she just wanted to get a feel for the atmosphere. Once the photo was sent, I opened it in the photo app for a closer look because something in it had caught my attention.

The picture wasn’t great, but it showed two of Alex’s photographs and a crowd of people. I didn’t know any of them, but … there was Dominic in the picture.

My gaze shifted from the screen to the crowd. And yes, there he was. In the flesh.

What the hell is he doing here?

He was wearing a black jacket and blue jeans, and his slicked-back hair suited him perfectly. I also thought the three-day beard was attractive. He stood alongside a guy with blond hair tied up in a bun and a man in a suit, who was holding a glass of water in front of one of Lucien’s paintings.

The way he was interacting with the two surprised me. I had never seen Dominic so loose and relaxed. Usually, it looked like he had a stick up his ass, as if he was governed by some kind of pressure. He had a confidence that he completely kept hidden from me, because as sexy as the gruff guy was, it felt like he was always playing a role.

And he was a really good actor.

I would’ve loved to know what made him so strict with himself.

But above all … who were the two guys he was smiling at so effortlessly and irresistibly?

Torn between whether I should approach him and risk upsetting his mood, I stood in the safe back room, watching him for what felt like five minutes, until Alex appeared in my line of sight, greeting me with a hearty laugh.

“Kilian! Hey!” he said, giving me a high-five. “How’s it going? Ready for the big show?”