Anna's POV:

The balcony catches the last warmth of the day and holds it longer than the rest of the villa — something about the angle of the stone, the way it faces south and keeps the wind off. I lean both forearms on the railing and look at the sky above Silver Lake, and the stars are coming out in the way they come out here, unhurried and dense, like the sky has nowhere else to be.

Alexander stands beside me. Close enough that our arms ...