Alice

“Did you space out again?” Lance asked, staring straight at me. It was obvious he’d noticed my sudden silence. I didn’t even know how long I’d been looking at him. Maybe just a few seconds but it felt much longer than that.

“What are you doing here again?” I asked, forcing my voice to stay calm even though my heart was pounding. I still couldn’t fully process that he was here—inside my apartment, on the very night of my birthday.

“You gave me a duplicate of your key, and now you’re asking me why I’m here?” he said, one eyebrow raised as he continued chewing on the chocolate, looking...