Lux's POV Olivia stepped up to us, probably about to say something else, but I didn’t give her a chance. My blood boiled, heat surging through my chest, and I turned to the bastard who had my arm.His lips moved into a disgusting smirk or whatever it was that he twisted his face into, and he began to speak, but I did not hear him. All I could think was “I’m not the one, asshole.” And I acted on instinct.Years ago, one of my brothers trained me in jiu-jitsu. I had not practiced in forever, but my body remembered what my mind had almost forgotten. I stepped in too quickly for him to react, grabbing his wrist and yanking it forward while dropping my weight and hooking my leg behind his.He landed hard on the floor; the sound of his body crashing against the tiles echoed throughout the classroom, while his bag skidded and toppled a nearby chair.Gasps erupted around us, followed by laughter. One guy shouted, “Daaamn!” I stood over him, heart pounding, chest heaving, surprised even at my
Lake's POVKairos and I came to a halt outside my building, which I would be entering while he continued to his own class across campus. Our buildings were at opposite ends this morning. I turned to face him as I adjusted the strap on my bag."I will see you at break--"But a voice from behind us cut me off. "Lake!"I barely had time to blink when Olivia dashed toward us like a missile, launching herself into my arms. I staggered slightly, still not completely healed, but I caught her. She drew back just as quickly, her hands moving over my shoulders, chest, and arms, scanning for injuries like a panicked nurse."I heard what happened," she exclaimed, breathless and wide-eyed. "Reno is a complete jerk for what he did. Honestly, I am not surprised. He’s just like his brother, Riley.”I frowned while catching up. "Wait, I thought Landon was his brother."Olivia snorted. "No, Landon is his cousin. And he is chill. He was only with that asshole at the party. Riley is the actual brother an
Lake's POVBy the time we got to my dorm, I was barely managing to stay upright. My body ached all over, each step sending sharp jolts up my leg, but Kairos didn’t let go of me. His arm stayed firm around my waist as he guided me inside and helped me straight to my bed. I winced as I sat, trying not to groan out loud from the soreness wrapping around every inch of me and Kairos crouched down and gently tugged off my shoes, setting them aside before reaching for my comforter and pulling it over me. The warmth was immediate, but not enough. I was still shivering, and I realized I should have gone with the pain injections rather than the pills; they were not working fast enough, and I doubted they would be effective by this point."Are you cold?" Kairos asked, brushing some hair from my brow, and I admitted that I was. He offered to make me coffee, but I doubted he knew how to use the coffee machine since he did not drink hot coffee, so I asked for some water instead so I could take so
Lux's POV Reed and I lay tangled in each other's arms, my fingers trailing lazily over his chest. My skin was warm and flushed from being tangled up with him.His, on the other hand, remained unbelievably cool to the touch, almost as if we had not just done what we did. I tilted my head, my chin resting just below his collarbone as I gazed at him.“Do you ever get warm?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him suspiciously, and he laughed softly, the sound vibrating against my cheek as his eyes met mine. “Nope.” I asked why; I'd never met anyone whose skin fell like his and stayed that way.Reed revealed that he had a condition and began to explain it to me. "It's called Cutaneous Thermal Regulation Dissonance."I blinked. “That sound made up.”“It’s not,” he said, totally straight-faced. “CTR-D. I promise. Look it up.” I tried not to laugh. “Cutaneous Thermal… wait. So your skin just… stays cool all the time?”“Yup,” he said, like it was no big deal. “Even after, well…” He smirked at me,
Lux's POV My mouth went dry at the sight of Reed and his smile faded into concern the second he took a real look at me. He closed the gap like he couldn’t help himself, eyes scanning my face as gently as his voice. “Are you okay?” he asked, almost cautiously.But my mind was in such disarray that I could hardly hear him. ’You’re not cheating on him,’ I quickly told myself. ‘You’re not even his girlfriend. You haven’t had that conversation’.But then my inner voice doubled down and reminded me of the kiss, of how I knew what his intentions were, and of the obvious looks he gave me. He became increasingly concerned with each passing second that passed without an answer, but instead of putting him out of his misery, I stared at him, into his eyes, looking for any sign that what I felt for Alec meant what I felt for Reed couldn't be real.I searched for any indication that I was not interested in Reed and that it was something I made up to avoid dealing with how Alec had disappointed me.
Lux's POV Alec's words hung in the air. “I’m dying to kiss you, and I know you are too” and I swore I stopped breathing. How the hell did he know? He saw through me… it was true. I was dying to kiss him, despite knowing I shouldn't.The fiery pull I had been desperate to suppress rose in my chest, so hot and reckless, and it made my lips move as my inner voice tried to protest… to put up one last fight, but no words came out.As if wedging the last nail, Alec leaned in a little more, brushing his lips against mine so softly it was almost a tease. “Don’t fight it,” he whispered. And with that, I crumbled under his touch.I moved without realizing it, closing the small gap between us until our lips met in a kiss that sent shivers down my spine. It was like lighting a fuse I didn’t know I had.His hand slid behind my neck, tilting me toward him, while the other gripped my wrist and pinned it above my head as he pressed me against the wall, and I gave in as his lips trailed from mine to