Porcelain Hearts Burn Slow

not even from exhaustion-but from something much deeper. A tensio

top thinking a

tte

ulsed in her temples as she stared at the ceiling at night. It was ridiculous.

ced her.

she want

ad returned to he

o obvious. Now it was eye contact in the hallway. J

did

dire

during lunch, when she passed the outdoor table where he sat with his usual trio-Nico, who

adable, playing with a silver ring between his f

ssed behind the

e pause in

ring stopp

saw

sliding into the seat across from Lilan

essed," she

linched

ou're obsessed. I've seen that lo

little too loudly. "

You're not

owed. "He s

change, but something in

better. I changed his

ed her arms. "And now you

sharper than she intended. "I'm not like

said slowly.

breath

"You think he's just misunderstood. That you'll be the one t

said n

You're not the first. But maybe yo

he was

an didn't write

pa

window. At the silver hair clip

laire

she

came the ne

id

he air. Rain

route to the East Building. She didn't

the corner-

e held his phone loosely in one hand, the other shoved into his coat pocket

his trio. Not flan

too p

ost tur

n-he lo

ght a

idn't lo

ward before she c

she

er face. Slowly. Not cr

ne from the c

't a qu

eath caught in h

his expression-he was a blank page that dared you

d the coffe

ou hat

of his mouth. Not a smi

finis

t dizzy.

she was something mildly curious.

hy

ha

u care if

ed. Then to

e you n

e pushed off the wall, stepped forwar

f things," he said. "I jus

pulse

t?" she w

. That same chill.

lie, your fingers twitch.

ed to her sides

ng," she said

beat of

an stepp

t today,"

ke that, he

the quiet hal

m what

m what

er hands. Her

watch

ore terrifying

tching her... then nothing a

either

f Cha

ere Aidan pulls her deeper into his world, or an u

sa

len

GPT

cture Lines (E

coffee encounter dragged b

olding laundry-but her mind had become a maze, and every path led to Aidan. His

tte

as if saying it over and over might summon

k on anyone's schedu

didn't show up

y were laughing about something, throwing scraps of paper at each other like overgrown child

't look

on

s. The way he paused the sip as she pa

not

there. Like his presence had infected her memory, her breath, her bloodst

sn't

ven infatua

as h

forget her own edges. The kind that whispe

No warning. Just slid into the chair opposite Lilan and

u're unravel

oked up,

mouth and smiled with the innocence of

lse jumped

t watches

. good, i

You're the dot, Lilan. The thing he mig

n't thi

slips. Rarely. And when he does,

beneath the table. "The

for a long moment, al

now if I want to w

ng her perfume and that

idn't go home after

the quiet East Path behind the humanities building, wher

the faculty lounge, the

't write

p at the stars she could bare

feel like

l and flammable. Waiting for

ernoon. Cl

pretending to study the art on the walls. She didn't exp

li

e had heard her dishonesty

ppea

Voss.

ast Hall, one hand in his coat pocket, the other

orm. His coat was open, exposing the fitted dark sweater beneath. H

n fr

d've tur

di

toward him, every step rehearsed in her head a thou

ooke

t at

me. No guards. J

he said

ift. "You're the o

t was a statement. One

he said,

nged the

"Did you..

was a

the corner of his mouth. Not a

hed it,"

alizing she'd been

m g

n't decide whether to admire or destroy. "You alway

but his tone wasn't cr

lowed. "No

sil

d-just enough to chang

e what I

prised either. Just observ

at him and did

hy

u make it h

hat same stillness. The

're nervous," he

ha

ike you're trying to pl

she could stop them. She

not l

day," h

her explanation, Aidan

like

e. No gla

ke the floor had fall

conversation had co

een watc

ust s

chi

meant he

h

t

omet

nt of her mirror, journal open on

m. He notices deta

ushed me off.

mocked me.

pped c

ll if I'm being hu

, Lilan wasn't sure wh