Buonasera, cara mia. Even without you saying it aloud, I know how you feel about soul mates. You always swiftly changed the subject whenever I brought it up during our calls. That’s why I’m sending this text. Bottom line, all I want is for you to be happy. I don’t know whether you’re coming or not, but my gut tells me that I’ll meet my soul mate this time. With these feelings I have for you, I can’t help thinking that maybe my other half is you. Whichever decision you make, to come to Court or not, I’ll respect it. That’s what we do when we love someone.

Kris let out a gasp. “Avery Montgomery, how can I not freak out? Dear Poseidon, he’s in love with you!”

Shaking her head in wonder, she passed my phone back. “I need to meet this Carlo guy. I can’t believe someone finally got through your stubbornness. He must be special,” she said. “How on earth don’t you have any photos of him?”

“His family is part of the whole no-social-media-for-Hellenicus movement.” I shifted in my seat. “It’s not like I’m head over heels for him. Well, hardly. It’s probably because no guy has ever paid any attention to me.”

Kris laughed. “Please, Ave, guys practically throw themselves at you. You’re just really picky.”

I snorted. Unlike my best friend, I had not been blessed with delicate, proportionate features. And we both knew there had only been one guy with a crush on me: Bryan.

With the memory of him fresh in my mind, the cruel gods seized the opportunity to remind me of his demise as a truck cut right in front of us. The driver braked abruptly, and I slammed up against my seat belt and my dad cursed. As if I was hypnotized, I breathed out in a whisper, “Bryan.”

It was always like that. Nearly every single thing, every place, brought back a memory of him. My chest tightened. It had also been winter the day he’d taught me how to drive—the day we’d taken his dad’s Mustang. I had been sulking in my bed with a ton of homework piled up when I heard the soft thud of a pebble hitting my window. Thinking it was the naughty kid from across the street, I was about to tell them to knock it off but found Bryan, looking up, car keys dangling in his hand.