Chapter 20: Heatwave
824 Words
Chapter 20: Heatwave
Kael Veyra’s POV
I spent the rest of the day avoiding Draven like my life depended on it—again.
After that kiss, I didn’t trust myself to be around him. My brain was still short-circuiting, and every time I closed my eyes, I could feel the ghost of his lips on mine. It was infuriating.
“Are you okay? You’ve been acting weird,” Livia said as we sat in the quad, watching students mill around.
“I’m fine,” I muttered, picking at the edge of my notebook.
“Uh-huh.” She arched an eyebrow. “Does this have anything to do with Draven?”
My face heated instantly, and I cursed inwardly. Livia didn’t miss a thing.
“Oh my God,” she said, her eyes widening. “What happened? Did he do something?”
“No!” I said quickly, maybe a little too quickly. “Nothing happened.”
“Liar,” she sing-songed. “Spill.”
I shook my head. “It’s nothing. Seriously.”
Livia opened her mouth to argue, but before she could, my phone buzzed with a new notification. I glanced at the screen and groaned.
Another post on the gossip page.
This one showed a blurry but unmistakable shot of me and Draven kissing in the hallway earlier, with the caption:
Caught in the Act: Kael and Draven Lock Lips!
“Wow,” Livia said, peering over my shoulder. “They’re really invested in you two.”
“Great,” I muttered, shoving my phone back into my bag as my face burned with fury. “They’ve lost their f*****g minds.”. “Just what I needed.”
Before Livia could say anything else, a shadow fell over us.
“Skipping class, Veyra?”
I looked up to see Draven standing there, hands in his pockets, looking annoyingly smug.
“What do you want?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
“Just checking in,” he said, his eyes glinting with amusement. “You ran off pretty fast earlier. Something to do with our front-page feature?”
“I had things to do,” I said, avoiding his gaze.
“Uh-huh.” He tilted his head, studying me. “You’re blushing again.”
“I am not!” I snapped, feeling my cheeks heat up even more.
Livia snickered. “She totally is.”
“Not helping,” I muttered.
Draven grinned and sat down beside me, his arm brushing against mine. I fought the urge to scoot away, even though my heart was racing.
“You okay?” he asked, his voice softer now, with just a hint of concern.
“I’m fine,” I said, crossing my arms. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
He gave me a look that said he didn’t believe me for a second. “Because you’ve been avoiding me all day.”
“I’ve been busy,” I said, but even I knew how lame that sounded.
“Right,” he said, leaning in slightly. “Busy thinking about that kiss?”
My eyes widened, and I opened my mouth to deny it, but no words came out. Draven chuckled, clearly enjoying my reaction.
“Relax, Veyra,” he said, his lips curving into that infuriating smirk. “It was just a kiss.”
“Just a kiss?” I repeated, my voice rising with anger. “Draven, there’s a f*****g picture of it circulating all over campus!” “You ambushed me, Ashford.”
“And you didn’t exactly pull away,” he pointed out, his eyes darkening slightly.
I glared at him, my pulse pounding in my ears. “You’re impossible.”
“And you’re cute when you’re flustered,” he said, leaning back like he had all the time in the world.
I wanted to throttle him. Or kiss him again. Maybe both.
Before I could figure out which impulse to act on, Livia cleared her throat. “Well, this is fun, but I have to go. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
She winked and walked off, leaving me alone with Draven.
“So,” he said, turning back to me. “What’s the plan, Veyra?”
“The plan?” I asked, still trying to get my brain to function.
“Yeah,” he said, his expression turning more serious. “Are we gonna keep doing this, or are you gonna keep running away?”
I swallowed hard, my heart racing. “I don’t know.”
“Well, figure it out,” he said, standing up and offering me his hand. “Because I’m not going anywhere.”
I stared at his hand for a moment, then slowly reached out and took it. His fingers closed around mine, warm and steady, and my breath hitched.
“Ready?” he asked, his voice low.
“Ready for what?”
He grinned. “Whatever comes next.”
- Writer
