elationship with Jason, for lack

m enemies to friends to rivals, but sometimes, in

kiss was

Marc. When things between us started to feel serious, I panicked. What if he kissed me? What if

ht I was

an old office filled with dusty shelves-but people called it that anyway. We sat on the floor, face

ps. Soft. Tentative. A sing

nt, nothing existed but this-his lips, his warmth, the way my body leaned into his

foreheads rested together, our breat

o my eyes and said,

did

to normal. Except, I didn't like Marc anymore, which made things a

bring it up. We were too young. We were best friends. Best friends kiss a

re were so m

confessing. Almost be

lmosts te

would happen if we didn't work out. Who would I be without him? Th

place, my reason to wake up in the morning.

prefect, he has to arrive early

get to live in the prefects' compound-a cluster of b

e a spare key to his house, and his room is on the gro

's still awake, leanin

r you," he says,

his bed, wrapping myself arou

just exist like this

ak it

eve we're in

he says. "And yet, like n

older, or is time j

g unreadable in his eyes. "I

ath ca

t? How can he look at me like

touch. We always end up like this. A routine carved so deeply

start, but I

everything I

ore-we will be fine. But it's getting harder. It's like standing in the ocean, wat

loses h

thinking. What he's t

p and presses a feathe

already,"

'll be ther

eek will be

ly. "How did you ev

ly don't

over us again, h

I was before Jason,

m with my thoughts. But in r

el isn't normal. If it's too muc

don'

him, everything is

ht, I fall asle

me later to

ightly, like he's

I've been suppressing will set