I don’t know how long I spent staring at my computer screen without actually seeing anything. My fingers hovered over the keyboard, frozen, while my mind tangled itself into new knots every few seconds. It wasn’t work keeping me from focusing. It was Lucas.
I swear, ever since last night, my thoughts have been nothing but a messy, loud, unstoppable storm that refused to calm down. And today… today the storm felt different. Heavy. Thick. Like something was sitting on my chest and refusing to move.
“Girl. Hello. Earth to Avela.”
I blinked. I hadn’t even heard the door open. Samantha was leaning against the frame with her arms folded, her eyebrows raised in that mixture of amusement and concern that she always wore whenever she caught me zoning out.
“When did you get in?” I asked, rubbing
