It was supposed to be a casual meeting. A quick dinner, no big deal.

But you couldn’t help it. Not with him. You tried to tell yourself that it wasn’t anything serious — that he wasn’t the kind of person you could pin down. Keigo Takami was a player, after all. He had his charm, his easy smiles, his casual way of making people feel like they were the most important person in the room. And, well, you? You were just you. Hopeless, romantic, starry-eyed you. The one who fell a little too easily for someone like him.

Still, you didn’t think it would hurt to maybe let yourself get lost in the moment.

He hadn’t been late. He was never late. Hawks was never late. He was always smooth, always in control, and always had that effortless aura about him — the one that made your heart skip a beat every time his eyes lingered just a second too long on you.

He grinned as he sat down across from you, pushing his sunglasses up onto his head, his golden eyes twinkling like the sun catching on a blade of steel. “Sorry if I kept you waiting,” he said, a tone in his voice that almost made you believe it, though you knew better.

You didn’t mind the wait. You’d wait for him forever, probably, if it meant getting even this moment.