Chapter 38

The silence after Rowan’s quiet “I want you too” stretched, warm and fragile, like glass that might shatter with one wrong word. Celeste’s heart was hammering, her lips still tingling from the soft kiss Rowan had given her, when Lila finally cleared her throat.

“Well,” she said, her voice carrying a weight that immediately drew both of their eyes. Her arms were crossed, but her expression had softened. “I can’t deny it. The way you two look standing there… like you’ve already chosen each other. And the chemistry?” She gave a small, incredulous laugh. “I’ve only ever seen that kind of connection in movies. And even then, it’s rarely this strong.”

Celeste shifted, her cheeks warming, but Rowan stood tall, steady, as if bracing for whatever was coming next.

Lila turned her full attention on Rowan, her voice firm but calm, the kind of tone she used when she was deadly serious. “Listen, Rowan. I’ve known Celeste a long time. I’ve seen her be taken advantage of more times than I’d like to count. She has this huge heart — bigger than most people deserve. When she lets someone in, she doesn’t do it halfway. She gives everything. Every ounce of love she has.”

Her eyes narrowed slightly, warning clear. “So if you’re not serious… if there’s even one doubt in your mind, or if this is just something you think will burn out once filming wraps — walk away now. Don’t waste her time. Don’t chip away at her heart. She doesn’t deserve that.”

Rowan inhaled, her shoulders rising with it, and met Lila’s stare head-on. For a long moment, it was just the two of them, silent, locked in an unspoken battle of wills. Then Lila leaned in a little closer, her tone dropping low enough to sting.

“But if you are serious, then you need to promise me something. Be honest with her. Always. Even if the truth hurts, even if you think it’ll scare her away. Don’t hide things from her. She can handle the truth. What she can’t handle is betrayal. Do you understand me?”

Rowan gave a small nod, her eyes never leaving Lila’s. “I understand.”

Lila tilted her head, a slow, humorless smile creeping across her face. “Good. Because if you hurt her — if you break her, even once…” She paused for effect, her words deliberate. “I will literally kill you and plead insanity. And with my mental health history? That wouldn’t be too hard to pull off.”

Celeste groaned, dragging her hands down her face. “Lila, really?”

Rowan, to her credit, didn’t flinch. Instead, a faint smile tugged at her lips as she said softly, “Duly noted.”

Lila finally turned toward Celeste, her hard edges softening again. “And you,” she said gently, “if she does anything and I mean anything to make you doubt yourself, if she makes you cry even one tear, you tell me. You hear me, Celeste?”

Celeste looked at her, eyes shining, and nodded. “I hear you.”

“Good,” Lila said again, her voice firm but warmer this time. With a quick motion, she reached for the bottle of tequila sitting on the counter and pulled three shot glasses from the cabinet. The sharp clink of glass filled the room as she poured, lining them up neatly. “Now, with all of that out of the way… we drink.”

Celeste and Rowan each took a glass, their fingers brushing briefly. The three of them raised the shots in a small, impromptu toast.

“To what?” Rowan asked, a brow arched.

Lila’s smirk widened. “To the beginning of something… and to me not having to hunt you down, Rowan.”

They clinked glasses and downed the shots, the tequila burning down their throats. Celeste winced slightly, Rowan coughed once before laughing, and Lila slammed her glass back onto the counter with a satisfied grin.

“Welcome to the circus,” Lila said, clapping Rowan lightly on the shoulder before turning to grab her bag. She paused in the doorway, looking back at the two of them one last time. “I’ll leave you two to it, but…” Her grin turned mischievous. “I’ll be telling the girls about this the second I get home.”

Celeste groaned loudly, burying her face in her hands. “Lila…”

Rowan chuckled, leaning slightly against Celeste’s side, her shoulder brushing hers. “I don’t think she’s bluffing.”

“She’s not,” Celeste muttered, peeking at her friend through her fingers.

“Damn right I’m not,” Lila shot back, her laughter echoing as she finally slipped out the door.

The apartment was quiet again, the glow of the string lights Celeste had set up flickering across the walls. Celeste finally lowered her hands, exhaling deeply. She turned to Rowan, who was still smirking at her, eyes soft and knowing.

And then it was just the two of them — the tequila warming their veins, the silence humming with possibility, and the night ahead still theirs to claim.

Rowan’s eyes wandered slowly around the room, taking in the soft golden glow of the string lights Celeste had carefully hung, the table set with two places, candles flickering low, and the smell of something delicious still drifting out from the kitchen. She turned back to Celeste, her lips curling into a disbelieving smile.

“All of this… is for me, baby?” she asked, her voice low, touched with both awe and teasing.

Celeste’s cheeks warmed, but her gaze stayed steady as she nodded. “Yes,” she said softly, her voice firm with certainty. “All of it. I cooked, I set everything up — the lights, the table… everything. For you.”

Rowan’s smirk softened into something gentler, her eyes searching Celeste’s face as though trying to memorize every inch. She stepped closer, slipping her hands lightly around Celeste’s waist. “You’re telling me you put in all this effort… for one little date night with me?”

Celeste leaned in slightly, her lips brushing Rowan’s ear as she whispered, “Not just one little date night. I wanted to give you more than just work, more than just stolen moments. I wanted to show you what it’s like when it’s just me and you — no cameras, no scripts, no masks.”

Rowan’s chest rose and fell with a slow breath. She pressed a kiss to Celeste’s cheek, lingering there for a moment. “You’re dangerous, Celeste,” she murmured. “Because I could get used to this.”

Celeste smiled, sliding her fingers up Rowan’s arm before gently pulling her toward the table. “Then sit. Eat with me. Let me spoil you a little.”

Rowan let herself be guided, lowering into her seat with a dramatic flourish, grinning up at Celeste. “Alright, but fair warning — if this food is as good as everything else looks, I might never leave.”

Celeste chuckled, shaking her head as she moved toward the kitchen to bring out the plates. “Good. That’s exactly what I was hoping for.”

Rowan’s eyes followed her every move, the soft light catching in her hair, the confidence in her stride, and she thought, not for the first time, that Celeste Sinclair might just be the most intoxicating thing she’d ever known.