- Aria -
As I shut the door behind me and dropped my keys onto the table with a clatter, the pent-up energy from the afternoon still buzzed in my veins. Jamie and Lucas's apartment had been lively—filled with laughter, their playful banter, and the smell of Lucas's infamous chili (which I think he perfected just to tease my occasional aversion to anything too spicy). I had participated in the usual friendly commotion, but in the back of my mind, a whirlpool spiraled with questions triggered by Jean-Julien's unexpected apology.
Why hadn't he shared his relationship with Maria? And how had Maria managed to keep that little nugget of information tucked away like a magician with a card up his sleeve? I had met him at the banquet, delightfully oblivious to the undercurrents swirling around me
