𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍¹ ✔

1

Dear enchanted diary,

As soon as I landed, my stomach did that annoying flip-flop thing that it always does when I'm back in this city. It's like my gut knows trouble is never far away, and it can't handle the anticipation. It's horrible, and it makes me want to puke my guts out.

Dragging my suitcase through the airport, I knew there was one thing that could cheer me up, and it had nothing to do with coffee because I despise that stuff. Nope, I was heading straight to Starbucks, but not for their overrated brew. I was on a mission for one thing and one thing only – their goddamn cheesecake.

The moment that creamy, cheesy goodness was in my grasp, I practically sprinted outside, and who do I spot but Veronica and the bane of my existence, Clara. Ugh, Clara.

Veronica, always the sweet one, waved enthusiastically. "Adriana, you're back!"

I couldn't help but grin at my girl V. "You bet I am, and I missed your pretty face."

Veronica beamed, making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. She was the yin to Clara's yang.

Clara, on the other hand, just rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. "Oh, great. Adriana's back. Just what we needed, more attitude."

I couldn't resist a sly smile. "Aw, Clara, you missed me, didn't you? Admit it."

She gave me a look that could curdle milk. "You wish."

And that's how it always was with Clara. She acted like she was too cool for school, but deep down, I knew she couldn't resist the Adriana charm. Little did she know, I was back, and I was ready to stir things up. Let the drama begin!

As we strolled along, enjoying my cheesecake and the glorious chaos of the city, Veronica dropped a little bombshell. "Adriana, guess who's here too? Mateo, Luca, and Ricardo. They're waiting by the limousine."

I groaned loudly, unable to hide my exasperation. "Ugh, seriously? Can someone remind me why we're friends with Luca again?"

Clara, always the one to keep things real, chimed in, "Because he's fine, girl. Smoking hot."

Veronica smirked, rolling her eyes playfully. "Clara, you're into dark-haired guys, and Luca isn't into blonds, you know that."

Clara shrugged and replied with a mischievous grin, "Well, I can always dye my hair."

We laughed, the absurdity of our lives never failing to amuse us. So, there we were, reunited and ready to face the craziness that lay ahead, with a side of cheesecake and plenty of witty banter. What could possibly go wrong in a city like this?

As we made our way to the limousine, we finally caught sight of the three guys waiting there – Luca, Mateo, and Ricardo. Luca, with his signature smirk, saw me approaching, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes at his dramatic charm.

"Give me a hug, bella," he said in that seductive Italian accent of his.

I gave him a side-eye that could cut glass and walked past him, heading straight for my savior, Ricardo. He's the guy who's saved my ass from dying and drowning more times than I can count, and I couldn't help but give him a tight, heartfelt hug.

Mateo, always the annoying big brother of the group, chimed in, "Hey, Adriana, where's my hug, huh?"

I obliged, hugging Mateo tightly. But as soon as I released him, he attempted to snatch a piece of my precious cheesecake. I slapped his hand away with a grin and said, "Hands off, Mateo. Get your own cheesecake!"

And that's how we rolled – a group of friends who bickered, laughed, and shared cheesecake, even in the midst of chaos. The city could throw anything our way, but as long as we had each other, we were ready to face it all.

The guys were busy putting my suitcases in the back of the limousine when Luca walked over to me. He leaned in close, his smoldering eyes fixed on mine, and he used that sexy Italian nickname that he knew drove me crazy.

"Bella, we've known each other for four years, and you still hate me," he purred, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear.

I scoffed, slapping his hand away, trying to maintain my composure. "Luca, I'm your number one biggest hater."

A sly smile played on his lips as he leaned even closer, his breath teasing my ear. "Adriana, I want you to be my number one biggest lover."

I couldn't help but cringe at his audacity. "You're disgusting," I retorted, but his smirk only widened. Luca knew exactly how to get under my skin, and it was going to be one hell of a ride with him back in the picture.

As we settled into the plush seats of the limousine, I made sure to sit as far away from Luca as possible. There was no way I'd willingly be close to him, even if it meant squishing myself against the door.

Clara, on the other hand, took the seat right next to Luca and started flirting with him, like it was a throwback to 2016. The cringe was real, and we all could see that even Luca, the man of steel, was cringing like crazy. I almost felt a pang of sympathy for him, but that sympathy quickly evaporated when Clara dropped the ultimate bomb.

"Boo-boo bear," she cooed, batting her eyelashes at Luca.

I lost it.

I couldn't hold back my laughter any longer, and neither could anyone else in the limousine. Luca, the big, bad mafia boss, was called "boo-boo bear" by Clara. The world had gone mad, and we were just along for the ride, popcorn in hand, ready to watch this crazy spectacle unfold.

As if the cringe factor couldn't get any higher, suddenly Mateo and Veronica started acting all lovey-dovey, gazing into each other's eyes and sharing sweet little pecks. It was disgusting, to say the least, especially since Mateo had always been like a brother to me, and I'd known Veronica since birth. Watching them get all mushy was just wrong on so many levels.

Clara wasn't far behind, getting all touchy with Luca. The sight of them made me want to roll my eyes until they got stuck. But what really got to me was that Luca kept stealing glances in my direction. I couldn't resist, so I stared right back, and the smirk he wore in response only made me give him the dirtiest look I could muster.

To make matters worse, he smiled, those stupid dimples on full display. I had to admit, the man was infuriatingly charming, and he knew exactly how to push my buttons. As we sped through the city, I knew one thing for sure: this reunion was going to be one hell of a ride, and I was strapped in, ready for whatever chaos was coming our way.