✦ CHAPTER — DETENTION ✦
Jayjay's POV
The second class ended—
everyone turned to look at me.
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Every.
Single.
Person.
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Freya grabbed my arm dramatically.
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"You're done for."
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Mica nodded seriously.
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"He looked one second away from losing his mind."
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Sarah looked way too entertained.
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"What do you think he's gonna do?"
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My face burned instantly.
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"I DON'T KNOW."
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Noah coughed.
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"Probably lecture you for emotional damage."
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I shoved him immediately.
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"This is your fault somehow."
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Before anyone could continue—
the classroom door opened again.
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And the room went silent instantly.
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Keifer.
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Still calm.
Still unreadable.
Still wearing the lipstick mark.
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Which somehow made everything worse.
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His gaze landed on me immediately.
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"Mrs. Watson."
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My heart betrayed me instantly.
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"…yes?"
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"Stay."
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The class LOST IT.
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Freya physically fell onto the desk laughing.
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Mica whispered:
> "This is the best semester of my life."
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I wanted the ground to swallow me whole.
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The room slowly emptied.
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Except now—
everyone kept looking back before leaving.
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Waiting for drama.
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Traitors.
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Finally—
the door shut.
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Silence.
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And suddenly—
I became very aware of the lipstick mark again.
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Especially because he still hadn't removed it.
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Keifer walked toward me slowly.
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Too slowly.
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My heart started racing immediately.
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"…are you mad?"
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A pause.
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Then—
very calmly—
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"Should I be?"
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I swallowed.
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"…maybe?"
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He stopped right in front of me.
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Close enough that I could smell his cologne again.
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Dangerous.
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"You put lipstick on my collar before I walked into class."
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"…technically yes."
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"Technically?"
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My lips twitched slightly.
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Bad timing.
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Because now I noticed it—
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that tiny shift in his expression again.
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Like he was trying not to smile.
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And somehow—
that made this worse.
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"…everyone saw it."
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"You didn't notice for hours."
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"That's because I trusted my wife not to sabotage me."
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My heart skipped at the word wife again.
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Then suddenly—
he stepped even closer.
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My breath caught instantly.
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"…so," I whispered,
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"what's the punishment?"
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Silence.
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His eyes stayed on mine.
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Too intense.
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Too focused.
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And then—
finally—
he spoke.
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"You think this is funny?"
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"…a little."
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A quiet exhale left him.
Almost a laugh.
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Then—
without warning—
he reached toward me.
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My breath hitched.
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But instead of anything dramatic—
he simply fixed the collar of my hoodie.
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Gentle.
Careful.
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My heart immediately softened.
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"…that's the punishment?"
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A pause.
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Then his hand lightly tapped my forehead.
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"For being annoying."
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I stared at him.
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"That's not a punishment."
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"No," he said quietly.
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"It's me trying very hard to stay patient with you."
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My breath caught.
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Because the way he said it—
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felt like it meant something else too.
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And suddenly—
the air felt heavier again.
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That same tension.
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That same almost.
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His hand lingered near my face for a second too long.
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Then slowly—
he leaned down slightly.
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Close.
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Too close.
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"…next time," he said softly,
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"warn me first."
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My heart was beating so loudly now I was sure he could hear it.
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"…why?"
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That tiny almost-smile appeared again.
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"Because half the class nearly fainted."
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I laughed before I could stop myself.
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And finally—
finally—
he smiled properly too.
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Small.
Real.
Soft enough to ruin me completely.
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And somehow—
that felt more dangerous than any punishment ever could 😭🤍🔥
✦ CHAPTER — STORM NIGHT ✦
Jayjay's POV
The storm started around midnight.
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Heavy rain crashed against the windows.
Wind howled outside loudly enough to shake the glass slightly.
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And then—
the power went out.
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The entire house fell dark instantly.
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"…great."
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I sat up from the couch dramatically.
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"This is so boring."
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Across from me—
Keifer didn't even react.
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Of course he didn't.
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He sat calmly near the lamp connected to backup power.
Reading.
Like the storm outside wasn't trying to destroy the world.
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Meanwhile—
I was losing my mind.
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"You're seriously reading right now?"
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"Yes."
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"How??"
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A page turned calmly.
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"I know how books work, baby."
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I glared at him immediately.
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"You're annoying."
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"No," he said smoothly.
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"You're bored."
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Okay.
Maybe true.
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But still.
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I threw myself dramatically onto the couch again.
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The thunder outside cracked loudly.
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Rain hitting harder now.
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Meanwhile—
he kept reading.
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Calm.
Unbothered.
Unfairly attractive.
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I narrowed my eyes slightly.
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Then moved closer.
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No reaction.
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"…Keifer."
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"Hm?"
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"I'm bored."
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Silence.
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Then another page turned.
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"That sounds difficult."
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My jaw dropped.
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"You're so mean."
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Still reading.
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I grabbed the edge of his book suddenly.
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Now he looked at me.
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Finally.
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"…what?"
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"You've ignored me for twenty minutes."
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"A tragedy."
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I gasped dramatically.
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"You used to be nice to me."
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That finally made something shift in his expression.
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Small amusement.
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Barely there.
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"I still am."
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"No, you're obsessed with your book now."
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A pause.
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Then calmly—
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"You're jealous of paper."
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I shoved his shoulder immediately.
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And that—
finally—
made him close the book.
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Slowly.
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Too slowly.
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My breath caught slightly.
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Because now—
he was looking at me fully.
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Not distracted.
Not reading.
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Just me.
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"…happy now?"
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"A little."
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A quiet exhale left him.
Almost tired.
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Then—
without warning—
his hand caught my waist.
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My breath hitched instantly.
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And suddenly—
I was pulled onto his lap.
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Like I weighed nothing.
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A soft gasp escaped me.
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"…Keifer—"
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"Sit still."
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My heart started racing immediately.
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Because now I could feel everything.
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His arm around my waist.
The warmth of him beneath me.
His heartbeat.
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And the worst part?
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He acted completely normal about it.
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Like this was natural.
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Meanwhile—
I forgot how breathing worked.
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"…you could've asked first."
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"You would've said no."
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"…maybe."
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"That's why I didn't ask."
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My cheeks heated instantly.
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Outside—
another loud crack of thunder shook the windows violently.
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I flinched hard.
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Before I could stop myself—
I grabbed onto him tightly.
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Arms around him instantly.
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My face buried against his chest.
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Silence.
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Then—
very softly—
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"…you're scared?"
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"I'm not scared."
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Perfect timing.
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Because another thunder crack exploded outside immediately after.
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I hugged him tighter.
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Which completely ruined my argument.
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A quiet laugh rumbled in his chest.
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My heart somehow noticed that too.
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"Jay."
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"…what."
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"You're crushing me."
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"I hate storms."
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His hand slid slowly up my back.
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Gentle.
Steady.
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"It's just thunder."
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"That sounds violent."
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Another soft laugh.
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And somehow—
that felt rare enough to make me look up slightly.
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His expression had softened completely now.
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No professor.
No mafia boss.
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Just him.
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Looking at me like I was something precious.
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"You're cute."
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My eyes widened immediately.
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"I'm literally suffering."
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"You're hiding in my chest."
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"…temporarily."
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A pause.
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Then quietly—
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"You can stay there."
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My breath caught.
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Because the way he said it—
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soft.
Low.
Close—
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made my heart race harder than the storm outside ever could.
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And somehow—
I didn't move away. 😭🤍🌧️