REED
The dawn was barely breaking when I stepped out of the house. The chill in the air clawed at my skin, but I didn’t care. I needed this—needed the pounding rhythm of my feet hitting the dirt, the burning in my muscles, the steady beat of my breath to drown out the chaos in my head. Running had always been my escape, my way of finding clarity.
But today, there was no clarity.
I couldn’t stop replaying last night in my mind. The moment I’d walked into her room. The way her bare skin gleamed in the dim light, soft and golden like she’d been sculpted by the gods themselves. I had only been in there for seconds, but it felt like time had stretched to infinity, trapping me in a memory I couldn’t shake off.
I clenched my jaw and picked up my pace, hoping to outrun the thoughts clawing a
