Chapter 3: Celebrity Proximity Syndrome (CPS Is Real)
Elysia sat in the café bathroom like a war survivor.
Her soaked dress clung to her body like it hated her. Her eyeliner had made a valiant but unsuccessful attempt to stay intact. Her dignity? Still missing in action.
She stared at her reflection and muttered, “If I were any more cursed, I’d start glitching in real life.”
Outside the door, she could hear Aurelia pacing.
“You okay in there?” she called.
“No, I’ve emotionally disintegrated.”
“That’s fair. I’d disintegrate too if Caden Zephyros touched my hand with his actual fingers.”
“Auri—”
“Like, do you even realize what just happened? That man helped you out of the puddle like some half-divine towel boy, and you—you—just stood there with moss on your face like a wet Shakespearean heroine.”
Elysia groaned.
“You’re not allowed to be chill about this!” Aurelia cried through the door. “That man’s smile has inspired fan fiction, Elysia.”
When she finally emerged, towel-dried and slightly more human, Caden was gone.
Part of her was relieved. The other part? The one currently tangled in a mild identity crisis? Not so much.
“Did he leave a message?” she asked casually, trying not to seem bothered.
Aurelia narrowed her eyes. “No. But he asked for your name again. Said it like he wanted to memorize it.”
Elysia’s stomach did a weird little flip-flop.
“Cool. Normal. Totally fine.”
“You’re spiralling.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re the opposite of fine. You’ve got full-blown Celebrity Proximity Syndrome. That’s real. I read about it on a blog once.”
Caden’s POV (Later that evening)
Caden was home, sitting on the edge of his ridiculously oversized sofa, still thinking about the girl with the messed-up dress and the dry sarcasm.
She was chaos.
He wasn’t supposed to enjoy chaos.
And yet…
He replayed the moment over in his head—the stumble, the splash, the way her mouth had twitched into a smirk even as mud dripped from her elbow.
There were hundreds of women who would kill to get his attention.
But none of them ever looked him in the eye and made him laugh while wearing street water.
That was new.
Back to Elysia
Later that night, Elysia was in bed, scrolling through her phone and re-living every second of her day like a horror movie blooper reel.
Just as she was convincing herself none of this was a big deal—just a cosmic fluke wrapped in a handsome face—her phone buzzed.
Unknown Number:
“Don’t worry. I asked the puddle. It forgives you.”
She stared at the screen.
Heart. Stopped.
Aurelia (texting immediately after):
Tell me you just got a text from Hot Zeus. Tell me now.
Elysia didn’t respond.
She was too busy staring at her phone like it had just whispered a prophecy.
Because somehow… some way…maybe it’s was Aurelia but,
Caden Zephyros had gotten her number.
And the worst part?
She was smiling.