Mixed blood

Chapter 11 : No love

Luana stepped into the coffee shop, the familiar smell of roasted beans hitting her senses as she scanned the room.

Luana made her way over, Suzi's eyes trailed over the oversized shirt she was wearing, the corners of her lips curling higher with mischief.

"Well, well, well," Suzi teased, "I guess a lot of spicy things happened yesterday between the lovers, huh?" She gestured to the shirt. "I mean, look at you in his clothes. And did you like the lingerie I packed for you?"

Luana shot her a murderous glare, "Are you stupid? Nothing happened, and it's not going to happen."

"C'mon, Luana. You gotta admit, he's hot. I mean, really hot. You sure you don't want to—"

Luana cut her off, groaning. "He's not my type."

"Oh yeah? So is Xavier more your type?"

Luana rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "At least Xavier doesn't starve me."

"Starve you?" Suzi blinked twice and asked, "What happened?"

Luana sighed and started to recount the events from the strawberry lipstick she made to kill him to this morning's meal.

Suzi burst into laughter, clearly enjoying the story. "I can't believe you're actually living an enemies-to-lovers plot in real life," she exclaimed, shaking her head.

"There's no plot, no romance, no shit, nothing! And stop saying 'lovers.' We're not anything, Suzi!" Luana yelled, throwing her hands up in the air. "For the love of God, Suzi, it's just...ugh!"

Suzi waved her off, still grinning ear to ear. "Oh, come on! This is like my dream come true for you. The tension, the drama—what's next?"

Luana stared at her friend in disbelief, facepalming herself. "I curse the day I thought you had a brain to think with. We are not lovers."

Suzi just winked, clearly unbothered by her protests. "Sure, sure. Keep telling yourself that."

As Luana groaned and buried her face in her hands, the waiter arrived with their food.

---

After breakfast, Luana and Suzi decided to spend the rest of the morning shopping, heading to some of the biggest brands in the mall. They sifted through racks of clothes and shelves of accessories, all for Luana.

As they moved from store to store, Luana suddenly remembered the dinner William had mentioned. "I have that dinner tonight. I need something to wear."

Suzi's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Girl, we have to find you something drop-dead gorgeous. You're going to slay that dinner, trust me!"

After a bit more browsing, Suzi pulled out a royal blue dress from a rack, holding it up to Luana with a critical eye. "This. This is the one. Royal blue, sophisticated, and just the right amount of sexy."

Luana nodded, taking the dress. She made her way to the changing room, stepping inside to try it on. The dress fit perfectly, hugging her curves in all the right places, but she struggled with the zipper.

No matter how much she tugged at it, it wouldn't budge. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her back.

Startled, she looked up into the mirror and saw Xavier standing behind her. Without a word, he zipped the dress for her.

“Perfect,” he stepped closer, his arms slipping around her waist. He pulled her back against his chest, his breath warm at her ear. “You don’t even know what you do to me.”

Luana didn’t move at first. She stared at their reflection, his arms wrapped around her, her face pale.

Then, she let herself lean into him, just slightly. Just enough.