"Is that what you think she is?"
Then—
His lips connected with hers.
It started soft. A breath. A brush.
His lips moved against hers with quiet purpose, careful at first—like he was giving her a way out. An unspoken question in the space between them.
She didn't pull away.
Harper froze for half a second, heart skittering in her chest, stunned by the warmth of his mouth and the way his hand anchored her waist—firm, like he couldn't risk letting go.
Then she responded.
Willingly. Fully
Her lips moved with his, slow and sure, her fingers slipping gently into the fabric of his hoodie like she needed something solid to hold onto. Her eyes fluttered closed. Her breath caught.
The kiss deepened—his hand sliding up her back, his body pressing closer—and she let it happen, let herself feel it, all of it. The heat. The tension. The truth that had been simmering under every glance, every tease, every moment they pretended not to care.
Time blurred.
There was only him. His lips. His breath. The weight of everything unsaid now pouring into a kiss that should've been fake.
But it wasn't.
When he finally pulled away, just enough for air, Harper stayed still—barely able to breathe, her lips tingling, her mind blank.
"She isn't," Logan spoke, his voice firm and final. Without saying another word, he walked away, hands slipping into his pockets.
Hazel's eyes were twitching, hands clenching into fists at both sides.
"Unbelievable! You'll regret this, Reed!" she snarled, her brown eyes burning with rage. She then walked off with her minions, Alexis and Alexa who were in complete shock.
Harper swallowed as she watched them leave. Everything turned weird and awkward.
The kiss....
It was wrong. But why did something so wrong feel so right?
A blush graced her cheeks.
She couldn't believe she and Logan had shared their first kiss.
And for one thrilling second, she forgot it was supposed to be fake.
She smiled, her heart racing and her face getting redder and redder.
Her lips still tingled.
Like they remembered the shape of him.
The taste—warm, sharp, almost addictive.
He tasted like mint and trouble. Like the edge of something she wasn't ready for but already wanted more of.
Her fingers curled at her sides, still aching to feel the fabric of his hoodie, the pressure of his hand at her waist. The way he held her… it wasn't rough or rushed. It was possessive in the quietest way. Firm. Steady. Like he was afraid she'd vanish if he didn't hold on.
She could still feel his thumb brushing against her spine, like a whisper down her back.
Harper pressed her fingers to her lips, as if she could trap the feeling there before it faded.
It was supposed to be pretend.
But nothing about that kiss had felt like pretending.
****
Tyla linked arms with Harper as they strolled across campus, the sun warm on their shoulders, students buzzing around them like bees. But all Tyla could focus on was the girl beside her—Harper, who was very clearly trying to act normal.
Too normal.
"Are we just gonna pretend it didn't happen?" Tyla asked, feigning innocence.
Harper didn't look at her. "What didn't happen?"
"Oh my God." Tyla stopped walking and turned to face her. "The kiss, Harper. The kiss. The one that practically set fire to the quad yesterday?"
Harper looked away, her face turning red. "Come on, the kiss is the most popular topic online!"Tyla added a smirk on her full lips.
Harper winced. "Why are you like this?"
Tyla grinned. "Because I live for the drama. Now spill. Was it as good as it looked? Or was it better?"
Harper tucked her hair behind her ear, looking anywhere but at Tyla. "It was... surprising."
"That man grabbed your waist like you were his and kissed you like the cameras weren't rolling," Tyla said, eyes wide, hands flailing for emphasis.
"Stop exaggerating," Harper muttered, though the pink creeping up her cheeks said otherwise.
"I'm not!" Tyla laughed, bumping her shoulder against Harper's. "You looked like you were in a Netflix original."
Harper let out a sigh. "It wasn't supposed to happen."
Tyla raised a brow. "But it did."
Harper bit her lip. "And now I don't know what to do."
Tyla squeezed her arm gently. "You don't have to do anything. But also? You don't kiss someone back like that if it's nothing."
Harper looked at her then, eyes soft with conflict.
Tyla smirked. "Just say it, babe. You liked it."
Harper tried to hold back the smile—but failed. "Shut up."
Tyla beamed. "I knew it! You guys are the best!"