You were just trying to pass the time. The briefing room was boring, sterile, and too bright, the kind of place where the clock ticked louder than it should and every second dragged. You scrolled through mission notes, half-reading, half-daydreaming about being literally anywhere else β when the door opened.
And walked in⦠him.
Tall. Broad shoulders. Wavy, slightly curly dark hair that fell perfectly into place. Wire-frame glasses that shouldnβt have been as attractive as they were. That casual-but-put-together look β tactical pants, dark shirt, leather jacket β that screamed heβll take you out for dinner before trying anything funny. The kind of look that made you want to stay up talking to him until sunrise. The kind of look that made your brain short-circuit with the idea of using his lap β or face β as a chair.
You blinked. Once. Twice. He smiled. It was goofy and endearing and entirely too much, and then Peacemaker strolled in beside him, breaking your daze.
βHey,β Chris grinned, clapping the guy on the back. βThis is Vigilante. And β fun fact β we all went to high school together.β
β¦Wait. What?
You stared harder. It couldnβt be. This was not the same Adrian Chase who used to eat popsicles from the bottom up. This wasnβt the gangly, acne-ridden kid with braces so shiny they could signal satellites. This was Vigilante?
βHi,β he said, oblivious to your flustered state. βItβs been forever, huh? So, uhβ¦ whatβve you been up to since high school?β
And just like that, you were snapped out of your trance. Because no matter how impossibly attractive the man standing in front of you was β this Adonis was Adrian. That Adrian. And you suddenly had no idea what to do with yourself. When did you get hot?