Chapter 5: Sunny Stormy Mornings
1414 Words
Author's Pint of View:
The alarm rang far too early. Elise slapped it silent and stayed there, staring up at the ceiling, her heart still echoing the dream. Her pillow was damp, her sheets twisted, her body exhausted like she’d actually lived through those middle school tears all over again.
She dragged herself out of bed, going through her morning checklist like a machine—shower, hair pinned back, notebook and planner tucked neatly into her bag, phone charged. She told herself that routine would ground her, but every tick of the boxes reminded her of the one thing she couldn’t control.
Jaxon.
The name alone made her chest squeeze tight. It was ridiculous—she hadn’t seen him in years, and yet here he was, bleeding into her nights and dragging her back into old wounds she thought she’d outgrown.
“Focus on class,” she muttered to herself while locking her door. “Focus on the plan.”
The campus buzzed with life. The wide lawn was scattered with students, some rushing, some lounging in the morning sun, all carrying on with the normal business of the day. Elise adjusted her strap and kept her head down, trying to blend in.
And then she froze.
Because across the lawn, headed straight toward the same building as her, was Jaxon Romano.
He looked different this morning. Sober. His shiny black hair was damp, pushed back messily like he’d actually showered, and a strap of a black backpack hung from one shoulder. His storm-grey eyes weren’t glassy or mocking—they were alert, sharp, almost… searching.
Elise’s pulse skyrocketed.
His gaze locked on her, and a slow, unreadable expression passed over his face. He opened his mouth—ready to say something—
But Elise didn’t let him.
She spun on her heels so fast she nearly tripped over her own feet, bolting across the lawn like the hounds of hell were chasing her. Grass and dew kicked up behind her as she ran for the safety of the lecture hall.
Behind her, Jaxon stopped mid-step, blinking in disbelief. A laugh, low and incredulous, slipped past his lips.
“Did she just… run away from me?” he muttered, shaking his head.
---
Elise slid into her seat in the back row of her first class, chest still pounding. She pulled her notebook out as though that could erase the humiliation burning in her cheeks. *Smooth, Elise. Very smooth.*
She told herself it was fine. It was a big campus. That had to be the only time she’d cross paths with him today.
But fate, apparently, was in a mood.
Halfway through the lecture, the door clicked open. Jaxon strolled in, unhurried, scanning the room. His grey eyes landed on her for just a beat too long before he slid into an empty seat two rows back. Elise ducked her head, scribbling furiously in her notebook like the ink could hide her.
Her stomach tightened through the rest of class. Every time she shifted in her chair, she swore she felt the weight of his gaze brushing over her. By the time the professor dismissed them, her nerves were shot.
She packed fast, nearly sprinting for the exit—
But he was quicker.
“Hey—Elise.”
Her name on his tongue froze her mid-step. She turned, clutching her bag strap like a lifeline.
Jaxon stood there, one hand shoved into his pocket, the other holding his backpack strap. He wasn’t smirking, wasn’t posturing. His expression was… steady. Too steady.
“About yesterday,” he started. His voice was low, even. “I was out of line. I shouldn’t have—”
“Save it, Romano.” Her words cut sharper than she meant them to. She saw his jaw tick, but she kept going. “I don’t need your excuses. I don’t need… whatever this is.” She shoved past him, her pulse screaming in her ears.
Behind her, she thought she heard him sigh. Or maybe laugh. She didn’t care. She couldn’t care.
Not now.
---
But luck had a cruel sense of humor.
Her second class of the day was in a smaller lecture room, the sun pouring through tall windows. Elise settled near the front, determined to reset her focus. She straightened her planner, opened her pen case, drew in a deep, steadying breath—
The door opened.
She knew before she even looked.
Jaxon.
He scanned the room and then, like the universe had written it into law, slid into the empty seat right next to hers. He leaned his arm against the desk, close enough that she caught the faint scent of soap on him.
Elise stiffened.
“Relax,” he said quietly, his tone softer than she expected. “I just want to apologize properly. Elise, I mean it—I’m sorry. I was drunk. I was an ass. That’s not—”
“You don’t get to mean it now,” she snapped, staring straight ahead.
Something shifted in his eyes, but before she could look away, he muttered under his breath, almost to himself: “Miss Checklist.”
The word hit like a blade.
Her hands clenched on her desk, and before she could stop herself, her voice rang out sharper than she intended: “Don’t call me that!”
The room went quiet. Every head turned.
---
“Elise,” the lecturer said, stepping forward, voice firm. “You have no right to judge anyone in my classroom. This is a learning environment, not a battlefield for your personal grievances.”
Her stomach twisted, but she tried to hold her ground. “Sir, he—”
“Silence,” he interrupted, his gaze sweeping the class. “Both of you. You will work together this semester. You will resolve your differences professionally, or you will fail this project. And you will apologize for disrupting my lecture.”
Elise opened her mouth, but the weight in his voice stopped her. She swallowed hard, cheeks burning.
Jaxon leaned slightly toward her, just far enough that she could feel his presence, not touching but close. His grey eyes held something softer now, almost tentative. He didn’t say anything, but his silence made her feel cornered in a way words couldn’t.
“… Fine,” she muttered reluctantly, barely loud enough for him to hear. She turned to Jaxon, who was still sitting calmly, unreadable, but there was a faint tension around his jaw.
“I… I’m sorry,” she said quickly, the words tasting bitter in her mouth. “For yelling. It was… inappropriate.”
He didn’t say anything at first, just gave a small nod. “It’s fine. I get it,” he said quietly, voice steady, unoffended. Then, after a pause, he added lightly, almost as an afterthought, “Sure.”
Elise blinked. “Wait… what?” she demanded, confused.
He shrugged casually, as if unaware of the full weight of her earlier frustration. “I figured I hit a sore spot calling you that,” he said lightly, not remembering her from before. “Don’t worry about it.”
He smiled slightly.
Elise’s stomach twisted. The fact that he didn’t remember… and yet had still touched a nerve… made her bristle even more.
---
As they gathered their notebooks and stepped out of the lecture hall, Elise felt the weight of the other students’ eyes on her. Whispers trailed behind her, and she could sense the subtle glares from a few of the girls who seemed irritated that she’d dared to speak to Jaxon Romano like that. She straightened her shoulders, gripping her bag strap tighter, determined to appear unaffected even though her cheeks burned.
Jaxon fell into step beside her, just close enough that she could feel his presence without him actually touching her. His storm-grey eyes met hers for a fleeting second, unreadable, and then he tilted his head slightly, as if assessing her.
He didn’t speak, and that silence felt heavier than any word could have been. Elise kept her gaze forward, refusing to let herself be distracted, her hands tightening on her bag.
Her pulse raced. That moment, standing next to him, made her realize just how impossible it was going to be to avoid him this semester. With the forced partnership for the project looming and their paths inevitably crossing, she could feel it in her bones—this was going to be a very long semester.
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- Writer
