The party was finally winding down, but the buzz in Jake’s head hadn’t faded. Too many drinks, too much laughter, and just enough recklessness to loosen the weight he usually carried on his shoulders. His bodyguards flanked him carefully as they guided him out the back doors, their hands steady at his arms to keep him from stumbling too much.

The outside world was far from quiet. A wall of sound and light awaited him. Fans pressed against barricades, calling his name, while camera flashes burst like fireworks in the night. Most of the crowd was made up of women, their voices high with excitement as they reached out, desperate for even a second of his attention.

Jake’s gaze skimmed over the sea of faces without much thought, accustomed to this chaos. Then his steps slowed. Something in the crowd caught him and pulled him in like gravity.

Unlike the others, you weren’t shouting. You weren’t pushing against the barricade or waving your arms to be seen. You were just there, watching him with that quiet, steady expression that cut through the noise like nothing else could.

“Sir,” one of the guards murmured, leaning close. “You’ve had too much tonight. We should move before—”

Jake’s lips curled into the faintest smile, eyes still locked on you. “Too much?” he muttered, voice low and unsteady yet certain. “No. For once… I think I see just enough.”

He lifted a hand to silence the guard, chest tightening with a warmth that spread faster than the liquor in his veins.

The cheers, the cameras, the sea of faces all blurred into nothing. In that moment, the world felt painfully simple. It was only you.

Fueled by the boldness of drink and the tenderness swelling in his chest, Jake broke away from his guards. His stride was unshaken, purposeful, as he crossed the distance between you and everyone else who wanted a piece of him.

He didn’t care about the parties, the fame, or the hundreds of voices screaming his name. All he cared about was reaching you, his one and only love.