The Assassins Kiss

Chapter 15

Ezra's POV

I'm in my room, absolutely losing my mind.

I'm going out with Luca tonight. Luca, as in Luca.

I called Iris the second I could string a sentence together because I genuinely don't know what the hell I'm doing.

Naturally, I talked to Lily too—though I conveniently skipped the part about who the date was with. No need to incite a full-blown crisis.

And then, of course, Aurora bursts into my room like it's a goddamn soap opera.

"You have a date with my son and you didn't tell me?!" she says, hands on hips, eyes wide with mock betrayal.

"I'm sorry, I've been too busy pacing holes into my carpet," I snap, probably more dramatically than necessary.

She doesn't miss a beat. "Aww, you're nervous, aren't you?" she coos, the smirk on her face making it very clear she's enjoying this way too much.

"Yes, I'm nervous," I practically hiss. My palms are sweating. My stomach's doing gymnastics. I feel like I might combust.

"This is so exciting! He's never been on a date before," she gushes.

"Yeah, well, I haven't been on one since I was sixteen," I mutter, flopping dramatically onto my bed like I'm auditioning for a tragic romance.

Aurora claps her hands. "Alright, come on, let's get you ready. He'll be home in like, thirty minutes!"

Thirty. Minutes. I'm going to throw up.

While I'm in the shower trying to pull myself together, she's in my room building an outfit like she's prepping me for a magazine cover.

I towel off, do my makeup with trembling hands, and try to tame my hair into something that says "casually breathtaking" instead of "panicked forest creature."

"Okay, here. Put this on," she says, handing me a sleek black dress.

I take it and retreat to the bathroom. The dress fits like it was made for me—snug in all the right places, cutting off just above mid-thigh.

I throw on some gold rings and a necklace that catches the light just right.

When I step out, Aurora beams. "You look gorgeous, sweetheart."

"Thank you," I breathe, heart pounding against my ribs like it's trying to escape.

I don't know why I'm this nervous.
Actually, no—I do.
It's him. It's me. And it's... real.

I'm already sweating. Someone please turn on a fan before I melt into a puddle of nerves.

"He got home five minutes ago," Aurora tells me, practically bouncing. "He should be in here any minute. Have fun!" She grins and slips out, closing the door behind her.

And then I'm alone. Pacing. Again.

What if this is too much?
What if he doesn't like the dress?
What if he doesn't like me?

Wait—
What?

There's a knock at my door.

I inhale slowly. Hold it. Then exhale.

Okay. You got this.
I got this.

I open the door, and there he is.

Luca.

He's standing there looking like he walked out of a magazine cover. His dark hair is perfectly styled, just tousled enough to look effortless. He's wearing a fitted black button-down tucked into sleek black dress pants, a few rings glinting on his fingers. He smells like warm spice and something expensive I can't name.