Page 97 of A Summer of Stars

I nodded, pretending I understood his life as an actor. “Does it make dating hard?”

“It doesn’t make things easier. But I also don’t have much to go off of. Dating in this space is… complicated. In my last relationship, I was cheated on, so I haven’t done much genuine dating since.”

I knew exactly who he was talking about. All of Hollywood knew that Kieran only ever had one notable public girlfriend: Penelope Collins. The media labeled it a “fling” because they were seen together so rarely. I didn’t realize it was serious, let alone that it had ended because he was cheated on. That… that didn’t make any sense.

Witty, well-dressed, handsome, talented, protective Kieran who made heart-melting eye contact when you spoke, and kept a hand on you at all times so you knew he was there. None of it made sense.

“I’m sorry,” I said, squeezing his hand as we swayed to the music.

I had an uncomfortable urge to ask what had happened. Where had things gone wrong? Had he tried to stay with her after?

Were there common signs before your partner cheated on you? Was there something I triggered? Was I too clingy? Was I not as beautiful as a lily anymore? I never had the chance to find out.

But now, looking at Kieran, none of them made sense. Because how could an answer to any of those questions justify hurting him?

“It’s in the past,” he responded.

“You really haven’t dated anyone since?”

“I haven’t found a lot of people I trust.” His eyes darted to the wedding guests, swaying with us.

“I hope you find that,” I told him sincerely. His gaze returned to me, surprised and melancholic.

When his lips didn’t part, I realized being here was uncomfortable for him too.

I tossed the idea out. “I think you’ve given the gift of your presence long enough here. We should go.”

He finally cracked a smile. “I agree.”

I let go of him. “Just going to grab two more drinks!”

“Mierda!” His hands latched onto my hips, pulling me back onto the sidewalk. “How much did you drink?” he scolded me as a car flew by us.

“Watch where you’re going!” he shouted in French at the passing car. He was hauntingly handsome when he was angry. Nothing like Jeremiah, whose anger felt like a flaming gun pointed straight at my chest.

“Not much. Just enough to make up for the next five weeks of nonstop tennis.” I smiled brightly.

“God, Felix is going to kill me. We should get you back.”

“How do you know Coach? Never mind, it doesn’t matter, I just want to find somewhere to sit,” I complained, my feet aching in my heels.

“Well, we can do that back at the hotel—”

“Oh, down there!” I clutched my long skirt and ran across the street before a car raced by again. There was a descending stone staircase that led to a grand fountain, filled with iridescent blue water. My heels tapped the stairs, sprinting to get to the fountain before Kieran could catch me. It paid to do five hours of cardio a day.

“Luna!” he shouted from behind. It made my heart double in speed, pumping blood in and out like an engine.

It didn’t slow as I stopped in front of the luminescent water.

I balanced on one foot at a time, flicking my heels off. The cobblestone was warm against the soles of my arched feet. The air was so heavy, even without the day’s sun. My lips felt swollen from the heat, as if I had sucked on a pepper the way you’d suck on a lemon.

“What are you doing?” he shouted with a sense of panic, crossing the courtyard.

“I just need to cool off a bit!”

Holding on to my skirt, I lifted my leg over the stone threshold and stepped into the cold fountain. It reached my knees and darkened the hem of the blue silk. It was refreshing. Like cold sand pressed between your toes on the beach.

“Oh my God, I’ve never been so conflicted in my life. As incredibly sexy as this is, you need to get out of the fountain.” His commands wavered. He had a foot on the stone. Did he think he was going to coax me out like a duck?