The car door had shut behind Sophia with a soft thud, trapping her in a hush of leather seats and the faint scent of Nate’s cologne. He sat beside her, jacket unbuttoned now, arm lazily draped along the backrest—his fingers grazing the ends of her hair, as if by accident.
Neither spoke at first. Outside, the city pulsed with late-night neon and muffled laughter spilling from open doorways. Inside the car, there was only the steady beat of her heart—and the echo of his mother’s last curious glance when she’d hugged her goodbye.
Nate broke the silence first. “You did well tonight, you know.”
Sophia let out a dry laugh. “Well enough not to get blacklisted by your mother?”
He smirked, his thumb ghosting the back of her neck. “She likes you. Don’t let the polite questions fool you—if she ha
