The rest of the year flew by quickly, the days blurring into each other like a film on fast-forward. I slipped back into my usual routine—classes, hanging out with my friends, late-night study sessions, and trying to live my life as best as I could.
But Austin made that… complicated.
He had a way of showing up when I least expected it—sometimes outside my lecture hall, sometimes at the café I always went to after class, leaning against the counter like he owned the place. At first, I tried ignoring him, brushing off his smug comments and too-familiar tone. But the persistence was exhausting.
Every time I thought he’d finally gotten the message, there he was again—smiling like he knew something I didn’t, asking questions I didn’t want to answer, inching just close enough to make my skin
