The house was quiet, the kind of silence that stretched across the rooms and pressed against my thoughts. I was in my room, sitting at my vanity, mindlessly applying moisturizer to my face. My mind wasn’t on my skincare routine, though—it was on him.
Aiden.
His words, his kiss, the way he’d cornered me after school—it was like a tornado in my brain, spinning too fast for me to catch my breath. But what haunted me more was Grayson. The way he’d watched, his face blank before he walked away without saying a word.
What did he think? What did he feel? And why did I care so much?
I sighed, dabbing cream under my eyes, when I suddenly heard it—a faint creak, like wood shifting. I froze, my heart skipping a beat.
Then, the sound of my window sliding open.
I whipped around, my eyes wide as I saw a figure climbing through the window. My heart raced, and I grabbed the first thing I could find—a bottle of toner.
“Relax,” came the deep, familiar voice. Grayson stepped into the dim light, his dark eyes locking onto mine. “It’s just me.”
I stared at him, clutching the bottle like it was a weapon. “What the hell, Grayson?!”
He closed the window behind him, his movements calm, controlled. “I saved you from the pool,” he said, his voice low and raspy, “and this is how you pay me back? Playing with my feelings?”
I blinked, completely thrown off. “What are you talking about?”
He stepped closer, his tall frame looming over me. “You let Aiden kiss you. After everything. After what I told you.”
“I didn’t let him,” I said quickly, my voice shaky. “I didn’t want to kiss him.”
Grayson raised an eyebrow, his dark eyes narrowing. “Really? You didn’t want to kiss your bully? The guy who’s made your life hell at school?”
“I didn’t!” I insisted, my voice rising. “Grayson, please, just leave. I didn’t even want to be here in the first place. None of this is my choice.”
For a moment, he just stared at me, his jaw tight, his expression unreadable. Then, before I could react, he leaned down, his lips brushing against mine in a soft, tentative kiss.
It wasn’t possessive or demanding—it was sweet, like he was testing the waters, trying to understand something unspoken between us.
But then the kiss changed.
It deepened, his hand sliding up to cup my cheek as his lips pressed harder against mine. The sweetness melted into something more intense, more raw. His other hand found my waist, pulling me closer as if he needed me to feel the full force of his emotions.
I froze, my heart pounding as his intensity washed over me. This wasn’t like Aiden’s kiss. Grayson wasn’t playing a game or trying to prove a point. This felt real.
When he finally pulled back, his breathing was uneven, and his dark eyes searched mine. “You don’t get it, do you?” he murmured, his voice low and rough.
“Get what?” I whispered, still reeling from the kiss.
“You’ve messed everything up,” he said, his tone soft but full of meaning. “You’re not supposed to matter. But you do.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but he shook his head, his hand falling away from my face.
“Don’t let them ruin you, Lila,” he said, stepping back toward the window. “Don’t let me ruin you.”