Moonstruck at Midnight, the first of 5 books in the Moonstruck Series, was published independently on May 2021. It was later picked up by a major publisher (Grupo Planeta) and is currently being translated to Spanish. My books are available for purc...
I HEARD A STRONG KNOCK on my door—the kind of knock that wants to get noticed. Peeking through the peephole, I saw Eric's unmistakable platinum blond hair.
"Hey, neighbor!" he said as I opened the door. I greeted him back with a broad smile. I liked him. He was holding a white envelope in his hands. "So, um—Billie, we're having a party this Saturday. We're celebrating Midsummer upstairs on the rooftop, and we invited a couple more neighbors." Eric cleared his throat. I could tell he was nervous. "I—we were wondering if you would like to join us." He took a step forward and handed me the invitation.
I chuckled under my breath. It looked like they'd printed it at home and made it last minute. It was cute, though, and I appreciated the effort.
"It's been a while since I had an actual paper invitation given to me," I said, amused, skimming through it. "I'm actually free this weekend, so I'd love to come."
Thomas was in Canada, and it sounded like a family-oriented event and an excellent opportunity to meet the rest of my neighbors. Eric seemed genuinely excited after I accepted the invitation.
I asked him about the dress code because I'd never been to a Midsummer party, and I didn't have a clue of what to expect.
"Well, we like to dress up," he said, lifting his brow. Note taken.
"And don't worry. Billy will be on his best behavior."
I scrunched up my nose for a few seconds, remembering my last interaction with William. He was drunk and teasing me about my date with Thomas, but I hadn't seen him since, so I thought there was no reason to worry. Knowing he would be there made me feel anxious and nervous. He had a very imposing personality.
"Oh, psh. Of course," I replied, trying to be casual. "I'll see you guys on Saturday. Thanks again!"
"Sure thing." Eric knocked on the wall beside the door twice with a grin, trying to seem cool. But I think he hurt his knuckles because he was rubbing them afterward. He was so awkwardly cute. "Later, Billie!"
🌙
June 20, 2009
The party started at noon, and Mimi was helping me with my hair. I wanted to wear it up with a braided headband. She was so good with braids. I thought they would match my outfit and the party's theme well.
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I wore a blush pink, knee-length tulle and lace dress with sheer elbow-length sleeves. It was as Midsummery as it was going to get. I wished that Thomas could come with me and see me all dressed up.
The morning went by quickly, and it was ten minutes before twelve. I thanked Mimi with a warm hug and headed to the second floor. I knocked on Aaron and Caleb's apartment, and Caleb answered the door barefoot, wearing shorts and a sleeveless hoodie.
Perfect.
Shit. I didn't know what to do with my eyes. I kept gnawing at my lower lip, unable to look away from his arms sticking out of that hoodie. He looked confused, probably wondering why I was all dressed up and knocking at his door.
"Hi, Caleb." I greeted him with a flirty smile that immediately made me feel guilty. But I needed everything in my arsenal to get their approval to go to the party alone. And it's not like it was a challenging task to flirt with him. Especially when he looked like that.
Anyway, I got lucky that Caleb opened the door instead of Aaron.
"Hey, Red." He seemed to be speculating about my intentions.
I got distracted looking at his arms again, because wow, but I shook my head and said, "I just wanted to let you know that I'll be upstairs on the rooftop. There's a party, and the Sjöbergs invited me."
He leaned against the wall with a smirk as he heard my case. "Okay, so you want to go by yourself?" He raised a brow, aiming those hazel things straight at me. I wasn't sure if he'd agree to my request or not. But I had to try at least.
"Well, I didn't see the need for you to bore yourselves to death on the rooftop. I mean, I'm technically still at home," I said. "See it as an opportunity to take the rest of the day off."
He narrowed his eyes on me. "I don't know, Red."
"Oh, come on." I placed my hand on his arm, and he looked down at it, making me pull it away.
"Nope." He balked.
"Caleb!" I complained with a laugh. I thought I was doing my best to convince him, but it wasn't enough for him. Unfortunately, there wasn't much more I could do.
"Why don't you kick Thomas to the curb, and I'll reconsider." He teased with a laugh. He really hated him. I widened my eyes for a second, pretending to be shocked. I didn't know how to reply to that. "Nah, I'm just messing with you."
Was he, though?
I crossed my arms in front of me and stared at him with an I'm not moving until I get my way kind of pose.
He sighed. "Fine, I'll talk to Aaron," he said, his words laced with exasperation.
I pulled out a small perfume from my bag and sprayed his chest. "Hey! I just showered!" he complained with a smile.
"That's for rolling your eyes at me again," I said, tossing the perfume back into my clutch.
He shook his head with a smug smile on his face.
"Just making sure you won't miss me," I added with a chuckle, turning around and walking toward the elevator.
"You're lucky your boyfriend's out of town," Caleb said, catching up to me. "There's no way I'd let you go to a party alone with him." I wasn't going to get into an argument with Caleb about
Thomas, so I said nothing.
Caleb summoned the elevator and waited for it to arrive.
"Text us when you're back at your apartment," he said as I stepped inside the elevator. I clicked on the fourteenth-floor button and took a deep breath.
My first party alone. That was exciting.
"You look great, by the way." He smiled, and the elevator doors closed before I could reply.
