The smile hit her like a spark thrown into dry grass, and suddenly everything inside her went up in flames.
Something inside her chest snapped open, like a bottle shaken one time too many.
Her heart was a mess … all tangled feelings and sharp edges, and before she could stop herself, everything just… spilled.
For someone who didn't believe in romantic gestures, who scoffed at fairy tales and "grand gestures" and the idea of fate, this felt like being punched right through the heart by every corny movie scene she had ever rolled her eyes at. It was too much… too warm, too real, too direct.
Her throat felt tight, her palms clammy, and her face… God, her face felt like it was on fire. She turned sharply, pressing her back against the wall beside the window, her hands flying to her cheeks as if that could cool the heat rising through her. Her breathing came fast and uneven, her chest rising and falling with a mix of confusion, shock, and an emotion she couldn't even name properly.
