“No, the name’s Alex Jeon—we’ve met. But I do get that a lot.” He grins cheekily, sticking out his hand for me to shake as he leans casually against the doorframe of what I now see is not a closet at all, but an adjoining hotel room.

“I thought you were a ghos—paparazzo,” I say, putting down the flower vase and rubbing my eyes, trying to process what’s happening.

At least he has the decency not to mention whether I just flashed him with my bra.

His eyebrows quirk up. “Were you about to say ghost?”

I blush a bit and roll my eyes before throwing my arms around him. “Oh my god, I’m so glad you’re here!” I’m surprised to feel myself welling up with happy tears. It’s been so long since we’ve been together, and the stress of the past few weeks has been brutal. Seeing him here, smelling his familiar cologne, is like a soothing balm for my frayed nerves.

“I thought I would surprise you,” he says, laughing as I practically squeeze him to death. “It’s been months. Is it okay that I came?”

“What? Of course!” I look at him like he’s grown three heads. How on earth could this not be okay? But then, I remember. The Reveal piece. RACHEL KIM MYSTERY MAN EXPOSED. Someone in my own inner circle supposedly leaking details about me and Alex to the press. “I’m so happy you’re here,” I say, giving him one last squeeze. “But, um—no one saw you, did they? There was an article.… Apparently people have been catching on to our shared travels.”

I flop down onto my bed, rebuttoning my shirt the rest of the way up. The cashmere jogger set will have to wait.

“Yeah,” he says, following me and coming to sit on the end of the bed. “I saw it. Not until I landed in Geneva this afternoon, though.”

Geneva. Yet another city that the tabloids can connect the both of us to.

“Alex…,” I groan, turning my face into the pillow.

“I immediately deleted my social media,” Alex quickly assures me, placing a hand on my shoulder. “I only had seven Instagram followers to begin with, and they were all family, so there’s nothing on it.” I can’t help it, I roll over and laugh. He has this ability to cheer me up even when the world is only getting crazier around us.

I look up and meet his eyes and see nothing but sincerity and concern there. Alex is careful. I know he is. The paparazzi and tabloid outlets simply will stop at nothing to ferret out any details of my personal life and expose them for all the world to see.