Ivy glanced at me, eyes sparkling mischievously. “That’ll be your London heartthrob.”
“He’s not—” I whispered, but I was already blushing, already smoothing the front of my dress like a girl caught daydreaming.
Ivy grinned and nudged me toward the stairs. “Brianna, if you don’t stop overthinking for once in your life, I swear I will drag you to that ball myself.”
“I’m not overthinking,” I lied.
She raised a brow.
“Fine. I’m just a little nervous.”
“Everything will be fine.” She kissed my cheek. “Go. And just… let yourself live tonight.”
My chest tightened. “Even if people talk?”
“They will.” She shrugged. “It’s Pine Hollow. They talk if you breathe differently. But they’ll talk because they care and not because they judge.”
My throat wobbled. “And my mum…?”
Ivy’s expression softened. “Your mum would tell you to go enjoy the night. And she’d tell you that liking someone isn’t a betrayal.”
A breath I didn’t know I was holding slipped out of me.
I nodded, my pulse thudding faintly in my ears as I crossed the room. With one shaky step at a time, I pressed the entry button to buzz Oliver in. Ivy moved to unlock the door downstairs, her footsteps light but purposeful.
When the door swung open, a rush of cold air swept in first, curling around my ankles as I stood frozen in the warm glow of the living room. And then Oliver stepped inside behind Ivy, and even my own breath caught.
He looked… incredible. Far too handsome for my already fragile composure. The dark charcoal suit fit him perfectly, his wool coat brushed with snow, his hair tousled by the wind in a way that made him look softer, younger… almost breakable.
His eyes lifted and the moment they met mine, something in the space between us tightened.
His gaze travelled slowly, taking in my face, the silver-blue shimmer of my dress, the fall of my hair over my shoulders. I watched his throat work as he swallowed, watching the faint widening of his eyes. And I swear his breath hitched too.
“Brianna…” His voice dropped, low and almost stunned. “You look–” Another pause, like he couldn’t quite form the words. “You look extraordinary.”
The compliment sank into my skin like warmth against winter air. Dangerous warmth. Softening warmth. The kind that could melt resolve if I wasn’t careful.
“Thank you,” I murmured, suddenly aware of every inch of my body, every rise and fall of breath. “You look very… handsome yourself.”
He laughed–genuinely, boyishly–and the sound loosened something tight inside my chest. Something I’d been holding onto far too long.
Then he lifted his arm toward me, offering it with a hesitance that made my heart flutter.
I hesitated too.
Because taking his arm wasn’t just a gesture. It wasn’t just politeness; it was a choice. A quiet admission that whatever had been stirring between us… neither of us was imagining it.
Going with him meant more than just a walk, more than an evening. It meant letting the town see something I wasn’t ready to name. But Ivy was right, my mother was right. Joy mattered too. Eventually, I placed my hand lightly on his sleeve.
“To the ball?” he asked.
“To the ball,” I whispered.
As we stepped out of the flat and into the snow, the town hall lights glistened through the frost, golden and inviting. People would stare and they would whisper and talk. But for the first time all week, the weight didn’t feel so heavy. Because tonight,just for a few hours, I wanted to remember what it felt like to be someone more than worried, more than tired, more than afraid.
Tonight, I wanted to be someone who could walk beside Oliver Grant under the falling snow and feel–hope.
Chapter Twenty
