The cool night air clung to my wet clothes, making me shiver as I walked. The laughter and lightness from earlier had faded, replaced by a gnawing sense of regret. I hadn’t meant to pull away like that—not really. I’d wanted to kiss Izzy. I’d really wanted to. My heart had been pounding with excitement, my whole body buzzing with energy. And I could not deny that it was genuinely me and not Asena. But then, at the last minute, that familiar fear crept in, the one I couldn’t seem to shake.
What if this was all just a joke? That thought always seemed to worm its way into my head. I hated that it had such a hold over me. I hated how insecure I felt when it came to him. Things with Izzy were complicated enough without adding my own paranoia into the mix.
I kicked at a loose rock on the side
