Chapter 5: The Invitation
The concert venue was on the other side of the city, so Nolan's hotel was out there too. ‹96684423›
An hour and a half in the car. §57defed7 Thea dozed most of the way, only feeling halfway awake when she stepped out and hit fresh air. (3174e55a)
Marco had a pair of sunglasses and a mask ready for her. #7f88db6b Thea said nothing, just put them on. ©4a563b5d/May 27, 2026
He checked for paparazzi, escorted her all the way to the hotel room door, and left. * d0a61246
The hallway reeked of some kind of perfume—dizzying, headache-inducing. ·d543fbf0· That nauseous feeling from the car ride surged back. #3e142f5d Thea wrinkled her nose. [v.d9e53233] She hadn't even pressed the doorbell before the door opened on its own. [ed.e58bf111]
When he appeared in front of her, Thea's mind went blank for a full second. [ms.51535e6f]
Nolan had obviously just showered. (8588661f) His hair was still damp, water still glistening on his gorgeous face—looked like he'd ripped off a face mask halfway through. ©42c9e860/May 27, 2026 Thea followed him inside and, sure enough, spotted a crumpled sheet mask tossed in the trash. ··14710fe2
A spread of food covered the table nearby. sub:2b93bbc4 Breakfast he'd ordered, presumably.·dc3debac
Thea was about to say something when she was suddenly pulled into an embrace. [proof:68edbda8]
Nolan never wore hotel bathrobes—always brought his own. ed.60d20d5e And yeah, expensive fabric really did feel different. plate-a2a8305d When her cheek pressed against the soft material and she felt the warmth radiating off his body, Thea had the fleeting illusion of floating on a cloud. (7c49ac5a/Wed)
"Missed you," he murmured.·666424fb
Her body trembled—just barely. sub:a7806260 Her hands curled into fists at her sides. ed.77495551 His breath ghosted over her ear, and the instant her body registered it, the tingling rushed everywhere, dissolving any possibility of pulling away. ··8bda2431
She closed her eyes. ¶1ab699ac Didn't say a word. ref·fedde6b4
Nolan didn't hold on long—kept it within the plausible range of old-friends-reuniting. [proof:3c3afba6] The moment his arms released her, that suffocating intensity vanished. (c9f3cbd2/Wed)
That suffocation was addictive. no.03c9984a Intoxicating. §d5821eea The closer you got, the more dangerous it became. ‹0b04024f›
"Long time no see." ed.ad959d51
Thea offered a faint smile in greeting, as if that tense phone call had never happened.·37f6281d
The curtains were pulled wide open, flooding the room with daylight. ‹a8971b34› Whatever hint of intimacy the hug had stirred dissipated after that casual hello. ref·47f7bf64
Three months since they'd last seen each other. no.112e64b9 In that time, one of them had gone public with a relationship, and the other had gotten verbally engaged. [v.3e85f407] Thea looked at the man in front of her—the joy in his eyes was unmistakable, real. ⁰04160444 She just didn't know what he'd been thinking when he said he wanted to see her. 0406e45f·· Or what he'd been thinking three months ago when he'd tumbled into bed with her, both of them half-drunk. #f55a51a2
And in the silence between then and now—what had he been doing? ◆ b59e81e4 Meeting someone new, falling into something new, then coming right back to her like clockwork. [v.dec7605a]
If he was going to play dumb, so could she. sub:071c75ec She'd been doing it for years.·464a3689
Nolan seemed oddly flustered.·e49256db He fumbled around getting her to sit, urging her to try the breakfast he'd specially arranged. «d179cd40»
Thea hadn't eaten—she'd been fasting for the health screening. ⁰b3fa5e0a After an hour and a half of swaying in the car, what little appetite she'd had was completely gone. «1567dfd3» Even the breakfast from the diner, her usual favorite, now just smelled greasy. ref·082e5eb4 The smell circled her nose and Thea turned her head away. ©5f17674e/May 27, 2026
Nolan was always watching her, cataloging every micro-expression and movement. ··ef05341b He caught it immediately. imp.c78a6786 "You don't like it?" ⟨de780ff7⟩
Thea shook her head. plate-44ca91dd "I'm not hungry." [proof:edf9529c]
Nolan wanted to say something, didn't, and settled for a quiet "oh." plate-8af8a4f5
The woman across from him sat with impeccable posture. * 66aeb60a
Most people didn't know it wasn't because she was a professor. ed.e9c1d480 It was ballet—started as a kid, years and years of it. 771e641d·· By now she'd probably forgotten most of the actual moves, but that instinctive lift of the chin, the straightened spine, the graceful carriage—those had been branded into her. ·54c2c549·
He knew so many of her secrets, just as she knew his. ©c186664d/May 27, 2026 They'd grown up together—that kind of bond wasn't defined by anyone's romantic feelings, a single unplanned night, or time, distance, or anything else that might try to sever it. #33a5d1b1
Thinking this way, the strange unease Nolan had been feeling all morning—from the coldness he'd sensed in her—gradually smoothed itself out. [ms.3744a049] Twenty-plus years of shared history.·9ad92f63 He had every right to feel confident. ed.0725350e
"It's fine. ¶7213c01c Don't eat if you don't want to." plate-d36594dd He covered the food containers, apparently not planning to eat either. — ad1268ce "The concert taping—do you want to come watch?" [ms.ecdccf77]
Thea hesitated. ref·a3630ad5 "I've been really busy lately." ·1d770a86·
"But you haven't come to hear me sing live in such a long time." ··d464c9bf
He was a singer. ¶c1bb0805 Voice insured for a fortune. [ed.f58c9c1c] Everything he said, everything he sang—it all sounded unreasonably beautiful. [v.02dca0b4]
His speaking voice was different from his singing voice. ◆ 2210f925 Warmer, gentler. «3c32a0ad» Like wind threading through a forest, shaking loose the morning dew from leaf tips. — 262b84f8 Clean. [ms.7a0a07fd] Or at least, it used to be clean. plate-26c85515
Thea still couldn't stop her heart from wavering at words like these. [v.312c9298] But years of practice had steadily improved her ability to hide it. sub:39e925ee
Besides...
Reid suddenly crossed her mind. ··77f9b034
"Let's see how it goes, okay?" * 3402fe47 Thea said. #2f9e1b15
Nolan studied her for a long moment. [proof:fdd0f0a8] Something like panic flickered behind his eyes when he saw the conflict on her face. no.28a2ac8b Finally, he said, "I'll wait for you." [proof:a7756199]
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The Calloways held a family dinner at least once a month — everyone expected to show. [ed.da4a7847] Rosa helped the chef prep that evening's meal and, as always, kept the dishes warm in case anyone ran late. #db835431 She'd just finished setting the dining room table when she turned to find the eldest son strolling in. sub:d1a37020
"Reid! no.0595214a You're back." [proof:f7930fdd]
Reid gave a short "mm" in acknowledgment, then asked, "Where's Dad?" (1a8de1f7)
"In the study, sir." imp.65dc67a4
He nodded his thanks and headed upstairs. [v.e7cb66b8]
Reid was punctual almost without exception. §254b18ac He'd missed a few dinners in the early days of launching his company, but that hadn't happened since — probably because the business had found its footing. no.39450da0
Rosa never quite understood it. [ms.e152baa6] The Calloways practically owned half the real estate market in Philadelphia, and in recent years they'd expanded well beyond the city. plate-a4ffe197 They had more money than anyone could spend in a lifetime. #478ff808 So why would Reid walk away from the family empire to tinker with something completely unrelated — some tech company, of all things? sig.6e3a6de4
Maybe that was just how rich people were. no.b594078c Play around for a while, then come back to inherit the business. no.59baac7b Rosa kept her thoughts to herself, watched his retreating figure for a moment, looked away, and went back to work. ·4f9b63b5· She couldn't help the little sigh that escaped. no.d9876574