Barcelona buzzed beneath the rooftop like a living thing—humid, golden, full of laughter and motorcycles weaving through narrow streets. On the terrace, lights were strung across beams like lazy stars, music floated from an open speaker, and the air was thick with wine, perfume, and the buzz of people who wanted to be seen.

Héctor Fort didn’t want to be there.

These parties were always the same—too many people, too many phones, too many eyes pretending not to stare. But Pastor had begged him to come.

“Bro, just trust me. She’s not like the others. I’ve got a girl for you.” That sentence alone had made Héctor almost turn around. But now, Pastor was leading him through the crowd with that grin—the one he wore when he knew something others didn’t.

“She’s with Mia. You’ll see. She’s… wow.” “I’m not looking for anything,” Héctor muttered. “Yeah, yeah, just shut up and walk.” They reached the far side of the terrace, where the crowd thinned and the view stretched out over rooftops and spires. Mia stood with a girl he couldn’t quite see, laughing at something, her back turned. Long dark hair spilled down bare shoulders. Slim waist. Curves in all the right places. She moved like she wasn’t performing for anyone—just being, effortless.

Then she turned.

And everything stopped.

Héctor stared. The years collapsed.

It wasn’t just any girl.

It was Aurora Martínez.

The same girl who used to beat him at sprinting to the bakery. The one who dared him to jump in the fountains downtown. His old neighbor. The hurricane in glitter sneakers.

But she wasn’t twelve anymore.

She was stunning. Bronzed skin kissed by the Barcelona sun, hourglass body dressed in a silky champagne slip that clung just enough, and full lips curved into the kind of smile that made men weak. And those eyes—big, brown, still impossibly expressive.

She blinked, recognition hitting her the same way.

“Wait…” she said, voice catching. “Héctor?” He gave a half-smile. The kind he only used when he couldn’t hide the fact that he was impressed.

“You’ve grown,” he said, eyes running over her just a little too long.