Mira

He laughs in my ear. His warm breath raises goose bumps on my skin. I pull back slightly.

"I'm ecstatic, you mean! How did you get these tickets at the last minute?"

He clears his throat.

"I have connections."

"Okay, I'm genuinely impressed this time."

---

Unbelievable. Camille De La Lucia is standing only a dozen yards away from me. The bookstore's golden lighting surrounds her like a halo, and I'm tempted to rush over and hug her. Instead, I play it cool, but only because Elliot is holding on to my hand as if he's afraid I'll get lost or arrested for harassment.

Surprisingly, he doesn't complain when we join the line of fellow book lovers. A drastic change from the time we waited in line at Wondervale. He smiles while I admire the place and carries my novels as if they're treasure. If we weren't surrounded by so many people, I'd kiss him.

I comment on the bag belonging to the reader ahead of us, and we become instant friends. Katie and I compare our lists of favorite romance heroes before discussing the latest episode of this season of Seduced by the Duke. Elliot even offers his analysis of the show, and Katie nearly faints.

When Elliot goes to the restroom, she asks whether he has any single brothers she could meet. An alarm immediately goes off in my head, but the young woman laughs. She seems to have no idea who my companion is.

We move at a snail's pace. By the time we reach the front, we've befriended the reader in front of Katie and the one behind me, turning our pair into a foursome. Elliot takes it very well, and I feel a little guilty about spending our date fangirling with other romance fans.

"It's your turn."

He nudges me forward until I'm standing directly in front of Camille, who is seated behind a table.

"Good evening! I'm a huge fan of your novels."

I offer her a trembling hand.

The wrinkles at the corners of her eyes crinkle as she looks up at me. The moment I see her incredible outfit, which looks as if it came straight out of a pinup catalog, I fall in love with her. Her graying hair is pulled into a perfect ponytail, and her side-swept bangs brush across her forehead.

"Oh, aren't you charming!"

The novelist stands and cups my cheeks in her hands as if she were my grandmother.

Holy crap, Camille is touching me!

Would it be weird if I asked Elliot to take a picture?

Yes, probably…

So I refrain and simply breathe in the author's heavy perfume. Her crimson lipstick highlights her smile.

"Elliot, you didn't tell me your girlfriend was as pretty as a picture!"

Elliot? She knows him? Why didn't he tell me?

And wait… GIRLFRIEND?!

He clears his throat.

"Mira isn't my girlfriend," he says carefully before glancing at me.

The declaration hits me like a cold shower.

"Well, my dear, you need to sink your claws into him immediately!"

I focus on the most important point: she knows Elliot!

"I had no idea you two knew each other!"

Am I dreaming?

My companion must read the question on my face because he pinches my arm.

"Hey!" I protest.

He shrugs. I grin like an idiot because it reminds me of our first meeting. He really remembers everything.

Camille pats Elliot's cheek the way a mother would.

"He arranged this event because, according to him, you're my biggest fan."

"Seriously?"

"Ah, you didn't tell her," the novelist says.

"You organized this book signing?" I ask, stunned.

"No, I had help."

"My dear, without him, my bottom would be planted on a lounge chair somewhere in Hawaii to celebrate the release of my latest novel," Camille says with a little giggle.

"But you're here. For me?"

"It pays to have friends in high places, doesn't it?" She winks at me. "His company produced the series based on my novels that you love."

"His company?" I exclaim.

The surprises just keep coming today.

How could I have been so foolish? Elliot mentioned his streaming company before, but I never made the connection.

"Grant never actually needed my password to watch TV, did he?"

He has the nerve to shrug casually.

"No."

"Then why use my account?"

"What do you think, my dear? Love makes us do silly things," Camille interjects.

"Oh, no. We…"

"Live in the moment," he finishes for me.

"Yes, exactly! One day at a time," I explain to Camille as if that sums up every complicated second of my relationship with Elliot.

"Let me know which of you stops believing that lie first," she says, pointing at us.

I roll my eyes. She writes romances, after all. Of course she'll believe every couple is destined for a bright future. I'm not opposed to that, but I don't want to get my hopes up either. Even so, after this book signing, I'm curious to see what our next step together will be.

Elliot sets my books on the table.

"Why did you use my account if you own the entire platform?"

"I wanted to see what interested you."

It's so adorable I want to cry. For months, I thought he barely liked me, while he was watching TV through my account to feel closer to me.

I hug him tightly, and he kisses the top of my head.

"All right, move along. I still have another hundred readers to see after you two," Camille says, beckoning me closer.

In each novel, she writes her name along with a short message. People grumble in line behind us because she spends so much time with me, but she's so full of life! She never stops talking as she writes. I want to soak up as much of these interactions as possible.

When it's the next person's turn, Elliot practically drags me toward the entrance like a child.

Once we're through the doors, real snowflakes greet us.

"It's snowing!"

"We should get another few inches tonight. The weather is really strange."

I run onto the powder-covered sidewalk, then spin around trying to catch snowflakes on my tongue like a kid.

"Calm down. You're going to end up on the ground."

The words leave his lips a few seconds too late. My sneakers hit a patch of ice, and I throw out my arms but find nothing to steady myself.

Elliot rushes over at superhuman speed to catch me. Unfortunately, his boots meet the same fate on the frozen ground. We both fall in a tangle of limbs, along with our plastic bag full of books. Elliot twists to protect me and lands on his back. I fall right on top of him and hit him square in the chest. An audible breath escapes him. He hugs the bag against himself to keep the novels from falling onto the wet sidewalk.

"Ouch."

I rub my forehead, which suffered in the collision with his muscles.

"Are you okay?"

"Ask me tomorrow when my lungs start working again."

With my head resting against him, I laugh until the cold air burns my throat. He wraps his arms around me and laughs too, lying on that filthy, snow-covered sidewalk.

It was the best date ever.