CHAPTER SIXTY THREE
"Thank you,” I whisper. “For remembering.”
Awkwardness rushes in just as quickly. I step back, clearing my throat, suddenly hyperaware of myself. Blake runs a hand through his hair, nervous now, his smile uncertain.
And then—
My mom walks in.
She stops short, eyes flicking between us, clearly sensing something she’s walked in on.
"Oh,” she says casually, though her tone carries curiosity. “Am I interrupting something?”
Heat floods my face. “No,” I say quickly. “Nothing at all.”
Blake straightens, polite and composed again. “I was just giving Melissa her birthday gift.”
My mom smiles, amused, but she lets it go. The tension dissolves into something lighter, safer.
Still, as I sit back down, my heart doesn’t slow.
Because for a brief, dangerous moment… it almo
