CHAPTER 4

ZEPHYR pov

My car rolled into the parking lot of a small open-air café.

I stayed inside for a moment, staring at the place before finally stepping out.

Dean jumped out of the passenger seat and stretched beside the car, planting his hands on his hips.

“This brings back memories,” he said.

I hummed in agreement.

Dean and I had gone to the same university — the same one Emily and Velvet attended.

That was where we met. When he found out I was half Italian, he decided we were automatically brothers.

Personally, I knew it was his cue to being friends with one the school hunk.

But Dean was loyal.

Even after the years passed and people drifted away, he stayed.

“Bro,” he said, throwing an arm over my shoulder, “you think there’ll be cute chikas here today?”

I grimaced at his shamelessness.

Then my eyes landed on one of the tables near the railing.

A slow smile crept onto my face.

Something interesting was over there.

Without explaining, I grabbed Dean by the shoulder and steered him toward the table.

Emily was there, laughing heatedly.

Velvet leaned back against the railing, wearing only a black tank top now. Her jacket rested on her lap as she tilted her head back toward the sky while talking.

The movement pushed her short hair away from her forehead.

For a second, I just watched her.

Then there was their other friend — the loud one.

What was her name again?

Amer ... Bera ...

Something with an A.

Whatever.

I didn’t like her.

Too chatty.

“You’ve got good eyes, man,” Dean said when he noticed the girls.

From  bro to man already.

I sighed.

We stopped at the table.

Ignoring my sister completely, I looked straight at Velvet.

“Swallowed a cow?” I asked with a smirk. “You look like a constipated frog.”

She didn’t miss a beat.

“Only you would know what a constipated frog looks like,” she shot back. “Idiotà.”

Refuting me was normal.

But insulting me in my own language — with that Chinese accent?

Unacceptable.

Dean stood beside me, confused, while Emily immediately started firing questions.

“When did you come back?” she asked.

I dragged a chair closer to the table and sat down while Dean wandered over to the bench, sitting beside Velvet.

Interestingly enough…

Velvet suddenly looked more alert.

“Why didn’t you tell anyone you were back?” Emily continued.

“It’s my parents’ house,” I replied lazily. “Do I need permission?”

But my attention had already shifted again.

Velvet.

She was talking to Dean now.

And something about it felt… wrong.

Her tone was softer.

Almost shy.

Not obvious enough for anyone else to notice.

But I did.

Emily interrupted my thoughts again.

“Is he your friend?” she asked, pointing to Dean.

I nodded.

Emily and the loud girl both turned to look at him.

“You know Velvet?” Emily asked.

I rolled my eyes.

Wasn't it obvious?

Dean answered casually.

“Yeah. She works at the café I usually go to.”

Then he flashed one of his stupidly charming smiles.

“I’m Emily,” my sister said. “And this is Amber. You already know Velvet.”

She pointed at me.

“And that’s my brother.”

Dean blinked.

His expression turned dramatically shocked.

“Wait… I thought you two were, you know… a thing?” he said, scratching the back of his neck.

I rolled my eyes at his terrible acting.

But for some reason…

Emily blushed.

“No,” she said quickly, her voice softer than usual. “He’s my brother.”

I saw exactly where this was going.

But when my eyes drifted back to Velvet…

Something else caught my attention.

She wasn’t looking at me.

Not even once.

And those eyes of hers—

Always deep.

Always unreadable.

I hated admitting it.

But every time I looked into them…

It felt like I was the one being studied.

Dean leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees.

“So you visit the café?” Amber asked, clearly interested.

“Yeah,” Dean said easily. “Small place downtown. Best espresso in Brooklyn.”

Emily’s eyes lit up.

“Wait—really? I love coffee. What’s it called?"

Dean told her the name, and immediately the two of them slipped into an easy conversation about cafés, drinks, the best places around campus and random stuffs.

It was almost impressive how quickly they clicked.

Amber leaned back in her chair, watching them with a smirk.

“Well look at that,” she muttered. “Friendship at first caffeine.”

Emily laughed.

Dean grinned.

Meanwhile…

I watched Velvet.

She still hadn’t looked at me.

Not once.

She sat quietly beside Dean on the bench, one leg stretched out while the other rested on the ground. The wind moved lightly through her short hair, pushing a few strands across her face.

She brushed them away absentmindedly.

Then she did that thing again.

That small gesture.

Pinching the side of her hand.

Annoyed.

Or thinking.

I noticed it the first time years ago.

And somehow…

She still did it.

“You’re staring,” Amber suddenly said.

My eyes flicked toward her.

“Am I?”

“Yes,” she said bluntly. “It’s creepy.”

Velvet finally looked at me.

Just for a second.

Then she looked away again.

Annoying.

Dean nudged Velvet slightly with his shoulder.

“So,” he said casually, “you’re in computer science?”

She nodded.

“Unfortunately.”

He laughed.

“That bad?”

“The professors are fine,” she said. “The people are the problem.”

My mouth twitched.

“Imagine that,” I muttered.

Velvet shot me a glare.

Dean noticed the exchange instantly.

“Oh,” he said slowly, looking between us.

“So this is the dynamic.”

“There is no dynamic,” Velvet said flatly.

Emily laughed again.

“Oh trust me,” she said. “There definitely is.”

Amber leaned forward dramatically.

“You two argue like a married couple.”

Velvet choked slightly on nothing.

I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms.

“If I ever marry her,” I said lazily, “someone shoot me first.”

Velvet scoffed.

“As if I’d accept.”

Dean burst out laughing.

“Wow,” he said. “The hostility here is amazing.”

But then something caught my attention.

Velvet was smiling.

Not at me.

At Dean.

A small one-Barely there.

But it was real.

And I didn’t like it.

At all.

Dean seemed completely comfortable beside her now, talking like they’d known each other for years.

Emily had moved her chair closer too, joining their conversation.

Amber, of course, was just enjoying the chaos.

Meanwhile…

I sat there watching Velvet laugh quietly at something Dean said.

That small pinch returned to her fingers again.

But this time…

She looked relaxed.

I tilted my head slightly.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

• • • •



Velvet's pov

From the moment Zephyr and Dean joined our table, something about Emily changed.

The air around her shifted—lighter, softer. Almost… coquettish.

From the way she tucked her hair behind her ear to the way her voice lifted when she spoke, everything about her suddenly felt familiar in a way I couldn't quite explain.

Not wanting to ruin the mood, I smiled politely at some of Dean’s jokes.

Some of them were ridiculous.

“And the barber just cut off my hair while I was asleep,” Dean said dramatically. “When I woke up—boom. My undercut was gone. Buzz cut.”

Emily burst into laughter, the clear bell-like sound echoing across the table.

“And what did you do?” she asked, leaning forward with obvious interest.

Dean shrugged lazily.

“I looked at myself for a while… then realized the buzz cut actually suits me. So since then, it’s been buzz cut all the way.”

His storytelling was good, I had to admit.

But I still didn’t think it was good enough to make someone laugh so hard their eyes closed completely the way Emily’s were right now.

Even Amber—the professional chatterbox—was unusually quiet, though she was still trying to pull Zephyr into conversation.

The idiot barely acknowledged her.

Instead, every time I glanced up, his eyes were on me.

Not just looking.

Studying.

Unapologetically.

“What?” I finally asked, my expression flat.

He smiled slowly.

That cunning smile.

“I just noticed something,” he said.

His gaze swept over me from head to toe.

“Even after ten months… there are still no visible changes.”

The meaning behind his words hit instantly.

That bitch

Of course he meant my chest.

He just couldn't stop himself from teasing me.

Not that I was innocent either—but still.

I was a woman.

What annoyed me more was the fact that Amber, Dean, and Emily all burst out laughing.

Meanwhile the idiot who started it all sat across from me, looking completely unbordered.

“How sweet of you to think about my growth,” I said sweetly.

“But it seems old age is catching up with you.”

My eyebrow lifted slowly.

For a second, his lips parted—but nothing came out.

My chance.

I leaned forward slightly, bringing a hand behind my ear.

“What?” I said innocently. “I thought I heard you say—”

I tilted my head.

“‘Young lady , could you help me find my walking aid ’”

The smirk on his face disappeared for a moment.

But the dangerous glint in his eyes stayed.

And that annoyed me more than anything.

Because no matter how much I hated it…

Something about that look pulled at my curiosity.

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