Her

Kian

I knew she was looking at me.

I could feel it the second she walked into the room, the way her eyes lingered on me just a little too long before she sat down.

I smirked, tilting my chair back slightly, arms crossed as I let the moment stretch.

I wasn't stupid.

I knew last night meant something.

I just wasn't sure what.

The way she looked at me now—flustered, avoiding my gaze, messing with her pen like it was the most interesting thing in the world—I knew she was thinking about it too.

I leaned forward, lowering my voice so only she could hear. "You gonna keep staring at me all day, princess, or just admit you missed me?"

Her head snapped toward me, eyes narrowed. "I wasn't staring."

"Hmm." I grinned. "Could've fooled me."

She scoffed, shaking her head as she turned back to her notebook, trying to focus on whatever the teacher was saying.

I should've done the same.

I had bigger things to worry about than some girl—no matter how pretty she looked when she was flustered.

But fuck, it was hard to care about anything else when she was right there, biting her lip, pretending I wasn't getting under her skin.

I tapped my pen against the desk, pretending to read, but all I could think about was last night—her body against mine, her fingers tugging at my shirt, the way she'd looked at me like I was the only thing in the world that mattered.

I wanted that look again.

Hell, I wanted her again.

The bell rang, breaking the tension.

Mallory stood up quickly, shoving her books into her bag like she couldn't get away fast enough.

I smirked, following her out of the classroom. "So, when are we doing that again?"

She glanced at me over her shoulder, giving me a look. "Doing what?"

I stepped closer, lowering my voice. "You know what."

She blushed.

Fucking hell.

I could get used to that.

She rolled her eyes but didn't push me away. "You're impossible."

"Yet here you are." I grinned, walking beside her down the hall. "C'mon, Lynch. You can't tell me you didn't have fun."

She bit her lip, looking torn between wanting to kill me and wanting to kiss me.

I really, really hoped it was the second one.

She didn't answer.

Just rolled her eyes again, turning toward her locker like that was supposed to be the end of it.

Yeah, right.

I leaned against the locker next to hers, watching as she swapped out her books. "No comment, huh?"

She sighed, giving me a look. "Not here."

That only made me smirk. "So later, then?"

She huffed, shoving her bag onto her shoulder. "You're relentless."

I shrugged. "You like it."

She didn't deny it.

Instead, she just walked off, and I let her—for now.

But I wasn't done with her. Not even close.

By the time last class rolled around, I was already planning out the rest of my night—deals I had to make, money I still needed to collect—when my phone buzzed in my pocket.

I pulled it out under the desk, smirking when I saw her name.

Lynchy: Meet me after school.

I tapped out a quick reply.

Me: Miss me already, princess?

Her response was immediate.

Lynchy: Shut up. Just meet me by the gates.

I grinned, slipping my phone back into my pocket.

Yeah. This was gonna be fun.

I was waiting by the school gates when she finally showed up.

Mallory walked up like she owned the place, her usual confident stride a little more relaxed today. She wasn't wearing that scowl she always had when I pushed her, but there was still that playful gleam in her eye.

"Been waiting long?" she asked, glancing at her phone before looking up at me.

"Not long enough to miss you," I replied with a smirk, not even trying to hide it.

She rolled her eyes, but I could tell she was trying not to laugh. "Stop it. I didn't drag you out here for your usual flirting routine."

"Oh, so you do like it?"

"Shut up."

I chuckled, leaning against the gatepost as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, like she was trying to figure out how to say something.

"So," I started, my curiosity piqued. "What's the deal? You want to talk or just make me wait for some reason?"

She hesitated, glancing over her shoulder as if checking if anyone was watching, then looked back at me. "Look, I—I've been thinking about last week."

I raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? I've been thinking about it, too."

She looked away quickly, her cheeks flushing slightly. "It's not what I meant, Kian."

"Then what did you mean?"

"Forget it," she muttered, clearly flustered.

I stepped closer, my voice lowering. "No. Tell me. You can't just say that and leave me hanging."

She took a breath, clearly gathering her thoughts. "I—I just don't want things to get complicated. I like you, but—"

I couldn't help myself. "But what? You're scared of what people might think?"

She shot me a look, but it wasn't the usual dismissive one. There was uncertainty in her eyes, like she was still figuring things out. "It's not about that."

"Then what is it?"

She paused before speaking, and when she did, her voice was softer. "It's about me, Kian. I don't want to mess things up, especially with you. And I know I'm probably overthinking it, but I just—"

"Hey," I interrupted, finally stepping up to her, not wanting her to keep pulling away. I reached out and gently placed a hand on her shoulder, making her stop talking. "We don't have to figure everything out right now, okay?"

She bit her lip, looking up at me, the tension between us still there but shifting. "I don't know what I'm doing half the time with you."

I smiled, trying to ease her nerves. "That makes two of us."

She raised an eyebrow, half-laughing. "Great."

I shrugged. "But you don't have to have all the answers. We just... see where it goes, yeah?"

She met my eyes for a long moment before nodding slowly. "Yeah. I guess."

We stood there for a second, the quiet stretching between us until I finally broke it with a smirk. "So... does this mean you'll stop acting like you don't enjoy my company?"

Mallory rolled her eyes again but didn't pull away when I leaned in just a little closer.

"I'm serious," I said, my voice a little lower. "You don't need to push me away. We can figure this out... together."

She looked at me, her gaze softening. "Okay, fine. You're not as terrible as I thought."

"Glad we're getting somewhere."

She smiled, and just for a moment, the whole world felt a little bit lighter.