Page 47 of Before Dawn

I thought back to the times I’d seen him. He had. Every single time. It fit him, though. There was this quiet control about him, something steady and unshaken, even in the way he dressed. But here, in this photo, that control was tempered by something untamed. Barefoot in the sand, the ocean behind him like it was his to command—he looked like he belonged to another world.

God, he was sexy. But not in some polished, Hollywood way. No, this was something raw, almost mythical. The kind of allure that felt unreachable.

The second post was entirely different, but just as magnetic. Mikkel at his company’s opening, sharp in an all-white suit. His honey-brown eyes locked on the camera, confident, unreadable. Power radiated from him—unshaken, untouchable. The proud set of his shoulders, the ghost of a smirk, the ease in his stance.Look away if you dare.

I swallowed.

He looked like he could own the world if he wanted to.

And with seventy million followers, maybe he already did.

Why was I reacting like this?

Ishouldhave been overthinking. Normally, I’d be dissecting every detail, every like, every possible meaning. But I wasn’t. I was just letting the moment exist.

And why the hell was I overthinking the fact that Iwasn’toverthinking?

I huffed, shaking my head, and scrolled back to the first photo. Then the second. Then the first again. My fingers hovered over the edges of my phone, my gaze tracing every inch of him, every hint of the life he lived.

Ridiculous. It was ridiculous, the amount of time I spent staring. But I couldn’t stop.

A restless, electric thrill zipped through me—the kind I hadn’t felt in ages.

With a deep breath, I tapped thefollow backbutton.

The screen shifted, registering the action.

I stared at the bolded text.What did I just do?

What if that was a mistake? What if it made me look too eager? Should I have waited longer? Played it cool?

Before I could spiral, a new notification popped up.

A message.

From him.

My pulse leapt.

I froze, my eyes locked on the tiny preview of his words.

What did it say? Should I open it now? Wait? Did the timing even matter?

Stop. Just open it.

With trembling fingers, I tapped the notification. My heart slammed against my ribs as the message unfolded.

@mikkelsuarezofficial:Good morning, Red. I hope I didn’t scare you off with the liking spree. I couldn’t resist.

I sat there, fingers hovering over the keyboard, fighting the urge to overthink. I typed, deleted. Typed again. Deleted.

God, why was this so hard?

Finally, I settled on something simple. Something that wouldn’t make me sound like I was trying too hard.

Me:Good morning! I don’t mind at all.

I hit send and tossed my phone onto the bed, exhaling.Distraction. I need a distraction.

---