Kayla pov
Cole and I walked back into the ballroom together, and I felt the shift immediately, heads turning, conversations pausing mid-sentence, the same whispers that had followed me all night now sharpening into something more curious.
Cole didn't seem to notice. Or if he did, he didn't care, his pace steady beside me, unhurried, like walking into a room full of people speculating about us was nothing at all.
I wished I could borrow some of that indifference.
"There you two are," the host announced from the small stage at the front of the ballroom, drawing everyone's attention before I had to think too hard about what my face was doing. "If I could ask everyone to gather round, it's time for our annual toast."
The crowd shifted, clustering loosely near the stage. Cole peeled away t
