Chapter Twenty-Two
Mia Saturday finally arrives. I wake up to the sunlight spilling across my dorm room, heart racing more than it should. Today isn’t a party, or a test, or a deadline. Today is a different kind of milestone—it’s the first real moment where distance is no longer just a number. It’s a challenge we promised to face together. I grab my phone immediately. The chat thread with Liam is already buzzing. Morning, Mia. You ready for our first “face-to-face” in video form? I smile, typing back quickly: Ready. And nervous. Within moments, the little square pops open, and there he is. Liam. Sitting in his room like he always does, messy hair, that crooked grin I could recognize anywhere. Even three states away, my chest tightens the same way it always does. “Hey,” he says softly. “Hey,” I repl
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