Chapter 1
Lena sighed.
It wasn't that she wasn't attracted to him. It was the opposite, really. The more she tried to shy away, the more he seemed to gravitate toward her. And when he wanted something, he made sure he got it. That's how they'd ended up tangled up in a complicated relationship that she wasn't entirely sure how to navigate.
This night, she found herself in the library for the third day in a row. A familiar scene. She sat at the same table, surrounded by textbooks, papers, and a half-empty cup of coffee. Her mind buzzed with formulas and case studies, but there was an undercurrent of stress that wouldn't leave her alone. Midterms were coming, and she couldn't afford a single slip-up. Her scholarship meant everything to her, and without it, there was no telling how she would finish school.
But there was something else, too. Jamie had been on her mind ever since their arguement last week. They had fought, and it wasn't even over something major. Just a misunderstanding.He accused her of pulling away, being too distant. And maybe he was right. But what he didn't get was that she just couldn't drop everything for him. She had her own future to build, and it didn't involve him calling her up at all hours, expecting her to drop everything for his whims.
The phone buzzed on the table, pulling her from her thoughts. She picked it up, seeing a message from Clara.
"Meet us at the diner. You need a break!"
Lena hesitated. She hadn't hung out with her friends much lately, not because she didn't want to, but because she just didn't have the energy. Between studying and trying to keep her emotions in check, the thought of being around people felt like another task on her never- ending list
But Clara knew her too well.
"Come on, Lena. You deserve this."
Lena sighed, grabbing her things and packing up. She needed to see her friends, even if only for an hour. She'd deal with Jamie later.
The diner was warm and cozy, the kind of place that made you feel like you were part of something familiar. Clara and Emma were already there, sitting in a corner booth, talking and laughing. The moment Lena slid in across from them, they both turned their attention to her.
"Look at you!" Clara grinned, teasing. "You actually came out of your cave!"
"Yeah, yeah," Lena muttered, smiling despite herself. "I'm here for the waffles. Nothing more."
"Oh, don't act like we haven't seen through that tough exterior," Emma joked. "You've been avoiding us - and him."
Lena froze, her smile faltering. She didn't have to ask who Emma meant. It'd been a week since she last saw him, and she was still trying to figure out what to do about him.
"Come on Lena," Clara said softly, her expression more serious now. "You deserve a break. Whatever's going on with him can wait."
But Lena wasn't so sure about that. She could feel his presence even when he wasn't around. It was the weight of his attention, the constant reminder that he wanted something from her-something she wasn't sure she could give.
Then, just as if the universe was setting up a joke at her expense, the door to the diner opened, and there he was.
Jamie.
