Rain's Pov
As I stepped out of Lexi’s hotel room, I still felt the ghost of her lips on mine.
She kissed me.
I rubbed my face with both hands, trying to shake off the whirlwind of thoughts racing through my head. What the hell just happened? Was it the alcohol? Of course, it was. It had to be. Lexi was drunk—completely out of it. She didn’t mean it.
But I’ll remember.
I needed to push it out of my mind.
With a deep breath, I continued down the hall toward my own room. My fingers were already reaching for my key card when I noticed someone standing just a few feet away.
I froze.
Kaisha.
For a moment, it felt like the air had been sucked out of the hallway.
She wasn’t looking at me, not really. She was just… standing there, as if she had been lost in thought. But it didn’t matter. Her presence alone was enough to unravel me.
Of all the people. Of all the places.
Why here? Why now?
My grip on the key card tightened. What is she doing here? Was she waiting for me? No, that couldn’t be it. That didn’t make sense. She wanted nothing to do with me anymore—she made that painfully clear.
I glanced at the door beside mine.
Is her room… next to mine?
I let out a breathless laugh, but there was nothing funny about it. Of course. Of course, this would happen. The universe must really enjoy messing with me.
I should go inside. I should pretend I didn’t see her. I should walk past her like she’s just another person in this hotel.
But she’s not just another person.
She’s Kaisha.
And no matter how much I try to erase her from my mind, no matter how many times I tell myself to move on—here she is, standing right next to me, like some cruel reminder that forgetting her was never going to be that easy.
I decided to go straight to my room and ignore her. That was the plan. That was the only logical thing to do.
As I walked, I repeated it in my head like a mantra.
Just keep walking.
Don’t look.
Don’t react.
She doesn’t matter anymore.
Near.
Nearer.
I could feel the heat of her presence before I even reached her. My body was tense, my pulse uneven, but I kept my expression neutral. Cool. Keep it cool, Rain.
Focus.
Don’t let her win.
Focus.
You can do this, Rain.
I was talking to myself in my head, forcing my body to obey my mind. She doesn’t exist. She’s just another person standing in the hallway. She’s not Kaisha. She’s not the woman I used to—
She noticed me.
But I didn’t falter.
I looked straight ahead, eyes locked onto my hotel room door as if it were my salvation. Just a few more steps. Almost there.
