Xavier POV
I want her.
It is a deceptively simple word for a feeling that has been rotting in my chest like a slow moving fever for years. I don’t just "want" Marissa; I am consumed by her. It is a dangerous, quiet type of madness that hasn't broken since the first day I saw her on that university field.
I can still see it with terrifying clarity. The sun was hitting the grass just right, and a stray ball had rolled toward her. She picked it up and walked toward me, her blonde hair straight and shimmering, those blue eyes boring into my soul with a purity that made me feel like a shadow.
"Thank you," I’d managed to say. My throat felt like it was closing. I couldn't take my eyes off her for even a second. In that heartbeat, the world stopped spinning.
"Xavier, move! Pass the ball!" St
