The party still lingered in my head the next morning.
I couldn’t stop replaying the way Jason’s eyes had followed me through the crowd, how every glance felt like a tether pulling me closer no matter how hard I tried to resist.
I woke up restless, my heart heavy with the weight of things left unsaid.
And then, as if the universe wanted to test me further, Jason knocked on my bedroom door.
“Princess,” his voice drawled through the wood, “you awake, or are you hiding from me again?”
I hesitated, then opened the door. He leaned against the frame, casual as ever, but there was something in his expression—softer, more serious.
“Can we talk?” he asked.
⸻
We ended up on the back porch, the morning sun spilling gold over the yard. Jason leaned against the railing, arms crossed, while I cur
