Prologue
“Hi.”
The dim lights of the bar flickered just as a guy stepped up to the mic, the room settling into an eager hush. His presence commanded attention before he even spoke, tall and effortlessly confident, with golden tousled hair that seemed perfectly imperfect.
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
He adjusted the mic as he spoke—a deep, manly voice cutting through the stillness. The room erupted into thunderous cheers and applause, like they had been waiting for him all night. His smirk was lazy, but it hooked everyone. And as his eyes scanned the crowd, the moment lingered just long enough for hearts to race.
“I used to come up here, singing the same old. But tonight—” he chuckled softly, voice rich and low as he adjusted his seat on the barstool. “Tonight’s not about the past.”
His words hung in the air like a secret, his tone dipping lower, smoother. “Usually there’s one more person up here with me,” he revealed, voice steady and melodic, pulling everyone in deeper.
Leaning closer to the mic, his smile faltered into something more.. nostalgic. The applause faded, leaving a soft murmur of anticipation hanging in the air. Until, leaving a soft sigh on the mic, “This.. is about someone..” the song emerged like soft waters brimming on the surface.
“Someone.. that changed my life.”
Plain black AC DC tee and a brown Birkenstock. A girl walked to the end of the quad hall like some relay race win depended on her. Eyes dead ahead, narrowing in focus, lips pursed. The only time she looked away was when she wondered what time it was as her eyes darted to her watch hurriedly. And the urgency in her face? It’s like her life depends on whatever the hell she’s late for.
Meanwhile, everyone else is just.. there. All mingling in weird-ass clown suits. Some talking, some laughing—most.. are enjoying the time of their lives. Sandstone columns lined up infinitely. She grunted in frustration, tiny feet still pounding the numbered floor—when suddenly, out of nowhere, a force grabbed her from the front and dragged her out of the main hall.. into a much narrower one.
Her back somehow bumped against the cold wall, her heart raced as panic set in. Eyes wide, she darted quick glances left and right, scanning the bushes around. It was eerily silent, a stark contrast to the chaos just a few feet away. Her breath hitched, and as her gaze darted to the front, she opened her mouth to scream—
But a hand clamped down, stifling any sound.
“Listen—I need your help, ok—I’ll make it up to you later—”
She froze. That’s when her eyes locked on his—dark, piercing blue, wild with panic—just as she was. Difference is, his is more in.. urgency. Her mind scrambled to process what was happening, to trace the lines of his face—but the shadows obscured his face, making him almost unrecognizable. But she can almost hear sounds of frantic voices growing louder, closer.
Alarmed, he glanced toward the main hall. His gaze flicked back to hers, “I’m so sorry for this—” he pulled his hand away—
And his lips are on hers.
Her eyes wide in shock. For a split second, she tried to pull away, but his grip—firm, yet.. not forceful—held her in place. And strangely, it didn’t feel threatening anymore. It felt..
Divine.
She eventually closed her eyes, surrendering to the moment as the world around them blurred into nothing. His kisses are slow—hell, it wasn’t a kiss—she knows. Just a desperate cover, a ploy. She knows his eyes were open every so often—but the voodoo on this kiss was just. too. exhilarating.
The pounding footsteps outside the hallway grew deafening, voices shouting out commands, searching. They were looking for someone.
They’re looking for him.
He closed his eyes. The crowd brushed past, eyes darting in their direction but quickly averting, dismissing them as just another couple in a college hallway. Some with disgust—but none lingered. The mob of people rushed by, oblivious to the reason they stood so close—too close, now. Her breath caught in her throat as his body, somehow, pressed closer.
Strange how the kiss went more urgent than before. Strange how he felt comfortable doing this with someone he just met in the hallway—not like he hasn’t done worse things with a stranger but—still. Strange, but they give in to the moment, to this moment. To each other.
Maybe it’s the lips. Maybe it’s the bouncing.. soft curly hair. Maybe it’s the way his fingers glides on her brown glazed skin smoothly. Or maybe it’s her scent. That.. hmm, he knows this cologne. It’s a boy’s cologne. And it reminded him of—
He jolted away from her. Startled, she grabs his toned arms, keeping his face lingered just inches apart. For the briefest moment, everything around them went silent. Her breath hitched as their eyes locked as she finally saw him.
Sharp features, shadows tracing the strong lines of his jaw, and those eyes—deep blue like the ocean at its darkest. For a heartbeat, they stayed like that, lost in each other’s gaze. His wild startle softened as a small smirk perched on the corner of his lips. She didn’t understand how a stranger’s smirk could dangerously tuck the strings in her. His gaze slowly moved to her full lips—until the distant shouts echoed through the hall again.
“I need to go,” he murmured, voice low and urgent. ”Thank you..?”
She gulps, feeling jittery all over as she mouths, “R—Rena. Renata Paradis,”
He knitted his eyebrows for a while before a smirk formed on his lips.
“Renata Paradis..”
He licked his lips as he scoffed. As if tasting the way her name rolled through his tongue like ecstasy. “Better thank your parents later,” he winked, and just like that, he turned to leave.
She stood frozen, her mind reeling, heart racing. It took her a moment to gather herself, and when she did, she called after him with a sense of necessity. “Wait! Your name!”
He paused mid-step, his silhouette bathed in the dim light. Slowly, he turned back, golden strands of his hair catching the light, his sharp jaw framed perfectly between them. His dark blue eyes sparkled with something unreadable, something.. wild. And in that light.. she realized how there were streaks of green in his gaze, almost like emeralds embedded in the ocean, as if they held the secrets of the sea.
"Dom,”
His lips curved into a grin. That crooked.. dangerous lopsided grin. He lingered for just a second longer, his gaze never leaving hers.. as he finally smirked and said,
"Dominic Hunt.”
