I kept the bright, slightly tipsy smile plastered on my face as I pushed through the sweaty, packed living room. To anyone watching, I just looked like another college girl enjoying the party.
But the second I reached the archway leading to the kitchen, I intentionally let the mask drop.
Julian was standing there, casually peeling the label off a bottled beer. He looked completely out of place among the rowdy hockey players in his button-down shirt, but his eyes were constantly moving, taking in every interaction in the room.
I stopped next to him, leaning my back heavily against the wall. I let my shoulders slump, allowing the genuine, bone-deep exhaustion of the past forty-eight hours to show on my face, and let out a dramatic sigh.
Julian blinked in surprise, turning toward me. His
