Page 10 of Through the Flames
My chest ached at the thought of touching her, but I wouldn’t. Icouldn’t— at least not yet.
“A change of scenery,” I murmured. “In the middle of the night, wandering campus alone?”
She smirked and leaned slightly closer, but not close enough to invade my personal space.
Fuck me. For the first time in my life, I actually wanted someone to come this close, and she was being respectful. Go figure.
“Some people like midnight walks. Ever try it?” She arched one brow, like she was letting me in on some kind of secret.
“Only when the world’s already asleep,” I admitted. My voice was lower than intended. Especially when I need to escape my reality.
Her shoulders relaxed a little. “Yeah, that’s exactly it. Just needed some space.”
I wanted to tell her I understood exactly how that felt, that I’d been doing the same thing, night after night.
But I stayed quiet and let her speak first, allowing her to exist for a moment without interruption.
She shifted on her feet, fidgeting with her sleeve again. “Do you … come here often?”
I let a small, almost imperceptible laugh escape. “Guess you could say it’s my spot. Quiet. No one ever comes here.”
She smiled, and my chest ached again. “I can see why.”
She lowered herself onto the bench beside me. The wood shifted slightly under her weight, and I caught the faint scent of her hair as she leaned back.
We sank into a comfortable silence, the kind that is full of observation and unspoken understanding.
I cataloged the curve of her shoulders, the rhythm of her breathing, and the way she tilted her head. I could sit here like this forever.
Then, almost on instinct, she brushed a strand of hair off my forehead. Every muscle in my body tensed, and it felt like a rubber band had snapped taut around my chest.
That brief touch sent a jolt through me — an echo of a desire I wasn’t willing to acknowledge, not even to myself.
“Thanks for letting me sit here,” she murmured finally.
“You don’t have to thank me,” I said, voice low. “It’s fine.”It was more than fine.
I wanted to tell her that she didn’t need my permission to sit next to me. That she could come sit here with me for the rest of our lives if she wanted, that I’d watch her and memorize every little thing until the world stopped spinning.
But I didn’t. I only nodded.
Her lips quirked into another of those adorable little smiles again. “Sooo, you come here when the world’s too loud, huh?”
“Yeah. I like the quiet,” I said, letting my gaze linger on her. “It’s easier to think when no one else is around.”
The night wrapped around us, quiet but not oppressive. In the distance, the campus lay slumbering, and for the first time in a long while, neither of us was alone.
Three
Hunter
The turf whipped by in a smear of green as I leaned into the weight, knuckles white on the handles. Steel scraped rubber, every repetition driving into the back of my shoulders.
It was the kind of pain I welcomed: measurable and useful.
Unlike the constant gnawing just under my ribs lately.
As I wiped the sweat off my face, I thought about the NFL Scouting Combine, the ultimate tryout for college players. Yeah, it was as ridiculous as it sounds.
