hat tugged at hems and hair. The kind of day

eneath her, textbook open but ignored. Maren paced nearby, her roo

y here," Maren sa

nked. "I'

retending. It

hing the edge of the page. "I

r and crossing her legs. "But I can feel it. You're in

s not that I don't trust you.

" Maren said. Not ac

louds pressed low, like a ceiling

nt. Then: "Is he the kind of sec

ettled between

ow yet," El

n-this time by the overpass, where the world narrowed and sound echoed

ing was wrong b

d her,"

every

's enough. Things start t

him. "It's not betrayal. It's... lett

y looked. "I want to believ

g," she said. "We're just

id it, her phone b

umber. On

w what you're

am stepped closer, seeing th

t is

howed

t slightly. Like a d

bout you?"

ation sai

am.

ake car

on't h

firmly. "I won't l

how this works. We protect each

ve like distant thunder. And when Liam finally pulled her into an embrace

spilling late sunlight acros