The walk back to my dorm did nothing to clear my head. If anything, it made everything worse because now I couldn't stop replaying every second of what had happened in the library. The way Malachi had looked at me, the feeling of his hands cupping my face, the taste of his kiss... it all kept moving through my mind until I thought I might go crazy.
I barely slept that night. I kept tossing and turning while my thoughts raced between panic and something that felt somehow close to hope. By the time morning came, I'd accepted one terrifying truth: I was developing real feelings for Malachi. Not just attraction or curiosity, but genuine feelings that made my chest ache and my stomach flip whenever I thought about him.
The problem was that I had no idea what to do about it.
I dragged myself to the dining hall for breakfast, exhausted and emotionally wrung out, and nearly walked straight into Pearl and Des near the entrance.
