Page 138 of Can't Always Get What You Want

Karl follows my gaze, squinting across the crowd. “What—the blonde?”

Yes the blonde, dipshit!

I can’t take my eyes off her.

Red dress. Red lips. Pouty mouth. Perfect posture.

Looks bored as fuck.

She’s beautiful. Seriously so fucking gorgeous.

“Isn’t he dating Giselle?” I ask, frowning. Do that annoying thing where I tap my friend on the shoulder when he ignores me so he’ll answer my question. “That TikTok influencer or whatever?”

My heart stutters as I glance at her again, willing myself to stop staring like some freak.

One full beat.

Then another.

I am…

She’s so…

I shift my stance, tugging at the collar of my shirt, suddenly aware of how suffocating it feels. The room is cool, but my skin is on fire. My pulse thrums against my throat like it’s trying to get out.

I suck in a breath. Shaky. Shallow. Like I’ve just resurfaced after being underwater too long.

Holy shit.

She’s not just pretty.

She’sspellbinding.

Karl huffs out a laugh. “He was dating her. Past tense. Giselle dumped him right before tonight. Didn’t you hear?”

No. Why would I have heard? I have no idea what the inside gossip is—but someday, I would love to be in the know.

“So, who is she?”

I follow my friend, weaving through the crowd to find our table. “That’s his sister.”

My heart speeds up again, this time from something else: hope. “That’s hissister?”

“Yeah.” Karl nods his head offhandedly. “But when it comes to Nova, Gio is a massive prick.” He shrugs. “Don’t get your hopes up.”

My heart sinks.

Nova.

I repeat the name quietly on my tongue testing to see if it burns. It doesn’t.

It tastes sweet.

Karl finds our seats at a table two rows back from the main stage, and I take the chair that gives me a clear line of sight to her. Not that I’m trying to be obvious or anything. I sit, subtly angling my body, pretending to listen to the small talk around me while my eyes keep drifting back across the room.

She’s radiant. Effortlessly so.

Nova looks everywhere but directly at the crowd, her focus flicking between her wine glass and her brother, who keeps leaning in to speak to the people at his table.

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