Chapter 1

For fifteen years, I was Luke Sterling's "almost fiancée." Then I watched him kiss my roommate, Susie Quinn.

One drunken night, he held me and said, "Let's be together. I said yes, hoping to finally give my years of longing an answer.

Then I overheard him on the phone, bragging. "The ice queen melted. Best feeling in the world."

In that moment, I finally saw the truth.

Fifteen years of habit wasn't love. It's just his comfort zone—something he couldn't bear to lose.

This time, I left first.

*****

"That prim and proper girl? She's got nothing on you. You're actually fun."

It was a voice I knew all too well—Luke.

"That's just her being cool and distant, you know, the ice queen type," Susie Quinn, my roommate, replied.

"A ton of guys at school totally go for that kind of girl," she added.

I followed the sound and saw Susie, my college roommate of two months.

Luke, my friend of fifteen years, was moved by how adorable she was and gently ruffled her hair.

"So what? Girls like that aren't really the type guys want to date," Luke said.

"I like... good girls," he added.

He smiled faintly, watching Susie nibble a strawberry with tender focus.

"But... a lot of people at school say you two are together," Susie spoke.

She looked up at Luke, biting her lip, looking torn and at a loss.

"We've never dated. We're just friends," Luke replied.

"You really don't know who I like?" he pressed.

He repeated himself, his words cutting and cold.

Susie looked away, falling silent, her cheeks flushed with an adorably bashful charm.

Luke let out a soft chuckle, half-enveloping her in his arms as he gently leaned down and kissed her.

The air between them grew thick with flirtatious chemistry, tendrils of it drifting outward and wrapping around me.

Watching the two of them so close, I found my mind wandering, memories quietly slipping in through the cracks.*****

Luke and I go way back—fifteen years.

The Sterling family and the Ashford family were tight. Ever since I could remember, I'd heard my parents talk about the future marriage arrangement between our families.

Truth was, nobody knew I was actually thrilled about it.

I still remember when I was four, my parents took me to see Luke for the first time.

The grown-ups were all laughing, joking around.

"Hey Luke, maybe she'll be your wife one day," they teased.

Luke just stood there, totally confused.

"What's a wife?" he asked.

I heard everyone laughing around me. I didn't really understand, but my face felt hot.

After that, every innocent crush and awkward feeling I had about love was because of Luke. He was always there, tangled up in every part of my world.

After the college entrance exams, both our parents were thrilled when they found out we'd both gotten into the same college.

During the family dinner, they kept tossing jokes and half-serious comments our way.

"These two have been together for years. They know each other like the back of their hand. That's pretty rare."

"Hey, why not just get married after you graduate?"

"I like that idea."

"Luke, what do you think?" his mom asked.

I kept my head down, just listening quietly.

On the surface, I looked calm, but my heart was pounding for reasons I couldn't explain.

I couldn't help but look up at Luke, a little hopeful for his answer.

He noticed me watching him and glanced back, his eyes completely unreadable.

"Sure, I don't mind," he said.

I was surprised he agreed so easily. He usually loved doing the opposite of what his parents wanted.

Him being this obedient? That didn't sound like the Luke I knew.

After the dinner, Luke and I walked home together.

With the hot summer wind blowing in my face, I tried to sound casual.

"So, are you really just going along with your parents' plan for us?"

He stopped walking, and when he looked at me, he suddenly seemed more serious than usual.

"If it's you, I wouldn't mind at all," he said.

I stared at him, my heart already a storm of emotions.

"So... what does that make us now?" I asked.

I wanted to ask what did that make us. Boyfriend and girlfriend?

But before I could finish, he just reached out and ruffled my hair.

"Until then, I'll just follow my own heart."

I didn't really get it back then, but now I finally understood.

After graduation, Luke would do what his parents wanted and marry me, but before that, he was going to live it up.