THE LINE BETWEEN US

, pen in hand, highlighter poised like I was ab

ouldn't remember a single thing it said. I underlined it twice just to pretend

nd of th

app

e had shifted, glowing

rms. You need to focus on midterms, Autumn. That's what ma

y, the image replaying like a

ria

he'd ru

ucked her hair

t onto the desk. Who was I kidding? I wasn't going to get any studying done tonig

thumb hovering over the s

notifi

l from

text asking

got caught up talking to his teammates, or mayb

my chest. If he'd wanted t

notice my vision blurring until I blinked and felt the sting.

ook again, the pages warping slightly under the glow of my desk lamp. I tried to focus, but my ey

when I h

oft

up, heart stutt

ap. Louder

t, and before I could even process what I was seein

came out half-star

ed the life out of me, before he swung his legs over the sill

ld have just... used

nfuriating smirk tugging at his

self, my mo

on me, tilting his head s

ened, and I immediately waved a hand, shaking m

"Uh-huh. And where

away. "Over there." I gesture

me being hopeless, and before I could ask what

, let

aching for me, his touch impossibly

orld n

hard to think. My heart thumped louder, and I prayed he couldn't hear it. I stared somewhere near

g in just slightly, the faint scen

his breath, and despite my

mis

then I wa

uttered low in my stomach, something warm and dangerous. M

the

his tongue

a teasing grin. "What? You think I'm that car

ered, replaced by an awkward laugh I forced out jus

ad happened. My heart was still racing, but he didn't

ddenly. "So... got any

ked. "C

" he said, leaning casually aga

emembered. Maybe this was his way of... I don't kno

"Yeah, I have more.

feet. As I padded down the stairs, I cou

p with her book, but she glanced up w

mood, I see," she sai

swer, just rummaged for the container o

room, leaning against the wall with that lazy grin, ma

in one hand, pushing my

ere

s died in

oom wa

eaning again

dow hal

stil

ands suddenly too heavy. My eyes darted to the window, iwas

g on my face slipped away, leavi

fingers lingering on the lid before I

ng him to pop out from behind the door,

len

y for that long bu

swallowed, turning toward

, barely there, but enoug

scrap of paper

witching toward it, the air i

eft som