Vivienne's POV
Maya approved of him in eleven minutes.
I know the exact duration because I had been watching the clock above the bar at Celeste with the specific attention of someone running an unofficial experiment. Maya's approval timeline for new people was something I had observed across twelve years of friendship and had come to understand as a reliable diagnostic instrument. Fast approval meant charm had landed before scrutiny had mobilised. Slow approval meant the scrutiny was doing its job.
Eleven minutes was fast.
Louis had arrived at our table at Celeste with the same easy confidence he brought to every room, kissed Maya's hand which made her laugh before she had decided to, told Lyla within the first two minutes that her shoes were extraordinary in a way that suggested he ac
