Kacy?"
The name landed like a tap against glass.
She blinked—once, twice—then straightened too quickly. Heat crept up her neck, settling at the tips of her ears. For a moment, her gaze flickered back to him—the quiet one—but he hadn't shifted.
Not a glance. Not a hint he'd noticed anything at all.
The tension in her shoulders loosened.
Kim stepped closer, eyes scanning her from head to toe. "You sure you're okay?"
Kacy nodded, brushing invisible dust from her sleeve. "I'm fine."
Colton lingered a step away, hands half-raised like he wasn't sure where to place them.
"I really am sorry," he said, the words coming quicker this time. "If there's anything—"
Kim's attention drifted past him, settling on the books still scattered across the floor. Pages bent at awkward angles. A few spines pressed against chair legs.
"Well," she said lightly, "there is something."
Colton followed her gaze—and then he was already moving.
"Say no more."
He crouched, gathering books into uneven stacks, straightening edges with more care than necessary. His eyes skimmed over the pile, a flicker of disbelief crossing his
face.
How was she carrying all this alone?
One by one, the shelves filled again. Order returned, quiet and precise.
He slid the last book into place and turned, brushing his hands together.
"Colton Hart."
"Kim Cross," she replied, the corner of her lips lifting.
—
Across the room, Kaiden's fingers stilled against the page.
The silence he'd come for had thinned—fractured by voices, by movement, by Colton.
His jaw tightened slightly.
Solitude.
That had been the plan.
Instead—
A presence lingered.
He didn't look up, but he felt it—steady, unblinking.
"Do you mind?"
Nothing.
The weight of her gaze didn't shift.
His grip on the book firmed. A faint twitch pulled at the corner of his eye.
"It's rude to stare."
That did it.
Kacy blinked, awareness settling back into place.
"Sorry," she said quickly, the word softer now, less certain.
Kaiden closed the book.
The sound was quiet—but final.
He moved without another word, crossing to the next table where Colton and Kim had settled. His intention was clear enough—one look, and Colton would get it.
Time to leave.
"Hey, Kaiden!"
He stopped.
Of course.
His gaze dropped to the paper spread across the table. His brow lifted slightly. "Calculus?"
Colton leaned back, grinning. "Knew it. Took you one second."
Kaiden's eyes skimmed the symbols, already moving ahead. "Integration."
A pause.
Then—
"It's wrong."
The voice came from the side.
Kacy stepped closer, picking up the sheet between her fingers. She tilted it slightly, tapping a section with the tip of her nail.
"It's a trick question."
Silence folded over the table.
Colton let out a quiet breath. "I feel stupid," he muttered, then recovered quickly, turning toward her.
"You're into math?"
Her face twisted almost immediately.
"No. It looks like code." She dropped the paper back down. "My tutor just drilled this kind of thing into me."
A small laugh slipped from Colton. "That makes two of us—well, until I met him." He jerked a thumb toward Kaiden. "He's the reason I survive tests. I'm sure he could—"
"Really?"
Kacy's eyes lit up, bright and expectant as they landed on Kaiden.
The response was immediate.
"No."
Flat. Unmoved.
He turned away before the word had even settled.
The space he left behind felt… noticeable.
Colton exhaled through his teeth, running a hand through his hair. "He's—uh—just like that sometimes. He'll come around, just—"
"No need."
Kim's voice cut in, quiet but firm.
Colton glanced at her.
She wasn't looking at him.
Her gaze had followed Kaiden's retreating figure—sharp, unwavering.
Something burned there, low and controlled.
Colton's smile faded slightly.