The night of the party was electric.
The senior class had booked out a cozy event hall, strings of fairy lights tangled overhead, music thumping in the background. Students dressed in their best — some awkwardly formal, others wild and free.
Melissa, standing near the entrance, felt oddly nervous.
Her dress was simple — a soft, wine-red fabric that hugged her waist and floated just past her knees — but it was enough. Her hair curled slightly at the ends, lips tinted rose.
For once, she didn't feel invisible.
She saw it immediately in the way heads turned.
Including Alec and Dayne.
Alec's gaze hit her first.
Sharp.
Hungry.
And for a moment, Melissa forgot how to breathe.
Dayne, leaning casually against a table nearby, did a double take when he saw her. His usual playful grin faded into something quieter, something heavier.
He pushed off the table, making his way towards her — only to be cut off when Ginny looped her arm through Melissa's.
"My GOD, girl. You're a bombshell!" Ginny squealed.
Melissa laughed awkwardly.
"You think so?"
Ginny shot a pointed look at the two boys openly staring. "Oh, I know so."
The night moved in a blur — laughter, dancing, drinks clinking.
At one point, while Ginny was chatting animatedly with a group of girls, Alec made his move.
He appeared at Melissa's side like a shadow, offering a hand.
"Dance with me?" His voice was low, almost pleading.
Melissa hesitated, heart hammering.
But before she could even lift her hand, Ginny swooped back in, grabbing Melissa's wrist.
"Uh-uh, Romeo. She's dancing with ME first," Ginny declared, dragging Melissa away with a wink.
Alec's chuckle was low, almost resigned.
But his eyes — they burned into Melissa's back the whole time she danced.
Later, after slipping away for air, Melissa found herself alone on a balcony.
The cool night kissed her skin. She closed her eyes, letting herself breathe.
That's when she heard the door creak.
Alec.
He leaned against the railing, hands shoved in his pockets.
"You look beautiful tonight," he said, voice rough.
Melissa tensed.
"You always were," he added. "Even back then. I was just too damn stupid to admit it."
The confession slammed into her harder than the cold.
She turned, finding him staring at her — not cocky, not playful — raw.
"I..." she started, but the words tangled.
Alec took a small step forward, just enough that the space between them tightened unbearably.
"I loved you, you know," he said softly. "Since back in high school."
Melissa's heart twisted painfully. Confusion. Anger. Longing.
All of it.
"Mel!"
Dayne's voice shattered the moment.
She turned to see him coming across the balcony, smiling easily — but his eyes flickered warily between her and Alec.
"You okay?" he asked, brushing his hand against hers casually but protectively.
Melissa nodded wordlessly.
Dayne gave Alec a polite nod, then turned back to her.
"You look incredible tonight," he said simply, and it wasn't a line — it was the honest, awed kind of compliment that made her chest ache.
"Mind if I steal you for a while?" he added, tilting his head like he already knew her answer.
Melissa let him lead her back inside, her hand still warm from where he touched it.
Behind her, she felt Alec's gaze burning into her retreating figure.