Chapter 1 A slap in the face

Millie's POV.

"Oh, girl… get ready to lose this challenge and do whatever I say." Sammy, my bestie, said, rolling up his sleeves like he was about to fight a war instead of pulling out a stupid Jenga block.

I blew him a kiss. "In your dreams, sweetheart."

He shot me a grin, his dimple making its usual appearance. Slowly, carefully, he slid the block out. The tower didn't fall.

"YES!" he shouted, immediately breaking into the most ridiculous floss dance I had ever seen.

I groaned, dropping my head back. "Stop dancing, you dork." 

It was then my turn. I stared at the Jenga tower as if it had personally offended me. One wrong move, and it was over.

And if I lost… I'd have to go on a date. With someone Sammy picks. 

“Not possible… I’m Milie," I reminded myself. "Boys? Hard pass."

"Why don't you just accept defeat, Milie darling?" Sammy dropped down in front of me, wiggling his eyebrows as if he'd already won.

"Why would she?" Daxton, my other bestie, cut in, calm as always. "She's got this. Come on, Milie." I glanced at him. Daxton was different… quiet and shy, exactly the opposite of Sammy. 

He was the kind of person who didn't need to be loud to be noticed.

"See?" Sammy groaned. "This is what I mean! I always come second. For her—and for you."

"Oh my God, stop being dramatic and watch me win." We were sprawled across my patio floor, the evening air warm, the smell of food drifting from inside.

I lay flat on my stomach, chin resting on my hands, eyes locked on the tower.

Sammy leaned in. "You know if you lose, I'm picking someone tall. Maybe a little—"

Daxton elbowed him. "Shut up."

I ignored him and just focused on the third row from the bottom. I tapped my index finger against the block. It shifted slightly. 

"You've got this, Millie." I motivated myself, and confidence pumped inside me.

Slowly, I pushed it out further, my heartbeat syncing with the tiny movement. Almost there when—

"Kids, your pizza's here!" My Mom appeared all of a sudden, flinching me, and the tower collapsed before I could even blink. 

"Oh, fuck!"

"AUNTY, PERFECT TIMING!" Sammy yelled, jumping up like he had won a championship. He ran straight to my Mom, hugging her before breaking into that stupid floss again.

"Finally! This brat is under my control!"

"Mom!" I snapped, scrambling up. "Was the pizza going to run away or something?!"

I lunged at Sammy, trying to stop him, but he grabbed my hands and dragged me into his dance instead.

"This doesn't count!" I protested. "Daxton, tell him—it’s unfair!"

But before Daxton could say anything, someone laughed, not a small laugh, but an unfiltered, I-ca n't-help-it kind of laugh.

We all turned to the voice. A tall, dark, handsome guy stood a few steps away, laughing as if he'd witnessed the best thing of his life.

Then he realised we were staring, and his chuckle immediately turned into a nervous smile. 

"Uh—sorry," he said, raising his hands slightly. "I just… couldn't stop."

"You're Alan, right? Our new neighbour?" Mom jumped in, suddenly way too excited.

He blinked. "Yeah… I am. But—how do you—"

"I met your mom yesterday," she said quickly. "We got talking about families."

"Oh." He nodded, still a little confused. "Okay."

And then, my Mom grabbed me and pulled me away from Daxton. 

"Mom—what are you doing?" I hissed. She ignored me completely.

"Alan, this is my daughter, Milie," she said, smiling like she was introducing me as a prospect. "And these two are like her brothers–Daxton and Sammy. They've been together since kindergarten."

Alan greeted everyone warmly. Sammy returned the smile. But me? I was fuming.

She pulled me away from Daxton. She called them my brothers. She might as well have announced to the world: I'm single. 

When Alan's gaze shifted to me, I didn't smile, didn't nod, didn't even pretend. I just rolled my eyes and turned away deliberately. It was time for revenge. 

"Come on, Daxton," I said, grabbing his arm. "Let's go inside. I'm starving. I need that pizza."

As I turned to the door, I gave him the fakest smile possible.

"If you like games, you can join them anytime," Mom added behind me. I stopped and turned. 

"Oh no," I said sweetly. "We're not playing here anymore." Then I looked straight at him. "Maybe find someone else."

He froze. For a moment, I almost regretted it, but I pushed past it. This was not about him, but teaching my Mom a lesson.

I walked away. Daxton followed, mirroring my attitude with a quiet coldness. Behind us, I could hear my Mom scrambling to fix things.

"I'm so sorry. When she’s hungry, she just talks nonsense. She didn't mean it, right, Sammy?"

"Yes, yes, dude… don't mind her," Sammy added quickly. "She's completely unfiltered."

"Don't worry," Alan said calmly, too calmly. Something in his tone made me pause. "I have no shortage of friends."

I turned. Our eyes met, and I could clearly see his ego was bruised. 

"Anyway, I should get going," he added, already stepping back, his eyes hooked on me, making something unsettled in my heart. 

A second later, the front door slammed, and my Mom walked in. Her teeth gritted, nostrils flared up, looking daggers at me. 

"Oh, god, please spare me another argument."