Xavier’s POV
My heart swells with a hope I know I have no right to feel. It's foolish. Reckless- dangerous even, yet I can't bring myself to stamp it out.
Let me pretend that smile is real and meant for me. Let me believe, if only for the span of a heartbeat, that she's waving because she's looking for me. Because, to Sloane, I am her boyfriend.
Raising my gloved hand, I wave back before I can overthink it, ignoring whatever Kai’s expression might be. Sloane's smile grows just enough for me to notice as she returns the gesture, and warmth spreads through my chest with such embarrassing ease that I almost laugh at myself.
'Ours,' Moros murmurs, the word carrying a quiet satisfaction I haven't felt from him in weeks.
I shake my head faintly. 'Wow, you learned a new word.'
This time I c
