-Caspian Grayson:
Kyle didn't answer me immediately.
He just kept looking at me.
And the silence that followed somehow felt louder than the conversation we'd been having before.
His eyes stayed on mine without hesitation, without nervousness this time, and that alone made something inside my chest start beating harder than it should have. It was frustrating how aware I suddenly was of every little thing—my own breathing, the way my fingers rested against the closed book, the heat slowly building beneath my skin from nothing more than his attention staying on me for too long.
I tried to look away first.
Instinctively.
Because being looked at like that for so long felt dangerous in a way I couldn't explain properly.
But before I could fully turn my head, Kyle reached forward gently and placed his hand over mine.
The movement was slow enough that I could've pulled away if I wanted to.
I didn't.
