LOGINThe night settled softly, like it wasn’t ready to make demands.Lola sat cross legged on the bed, laptop open but untouched, the glow of the screen reflecting thoughts she wasn’t ready to face. Outside, laughter drifted up from the quad college life in motion, unaware of the quiet gravity in her roo
Morning didn’t rush them.Sunlight slipped in gently, catching dust in the air and painting the room in soft gold. Lola woke with a strange, unfamiliar feeling peace. The kind that didn’t disappear the moment she opened her eyes.She was still in the middle.Jake lay on his back to her left, arm ben
The lights were off, but no one was asleep.Lola lay on her side, facing the wall, listening to the soft rhythm of breathing behind her. The room felt different in the dark smaller, warmer, more honest. There was no tension pressing down anymore, no threat humming under the surface.Just awareness.
Night arrived quietly.Not like before no alarms in Lola’s chest, no edge in the air. Just the soft hum of the dorm settling down, doors closing, laughter fading into low conversations and music drifting through walls.Lola stood at the window, arms folded loosely, watching the lights outside blink
The afternoon stretched out in a way that felt unfamiliar.Not tense.Not hurried.Just… open.Lola walked across campus with Jake and Damon flanking her not guarding, not hovering, simply there. The whispers still existed, but they were background noise now, like traffic she no longer needed to loo
Morning light slipped through the blinds in thin, pale lines.Lola woke slowly, awareness returning in layers. Warmth first. Then weight. Then the quiet certainty that she wasn’t alone.Jake was half-reclined against the headboard, one arm relaxed behind her shoulders, his breathing slow and even. D
Damien’s gaze swept over her face, like he was weighing the strength of her resolve. Then, slowly, he pulled back just enough to give her space. “Fine,” he said at last, his tone sharp as glass. “You want the truth? Here it is. I’m not just another guy paying his way through school. I was never sup
The room was heavy with silence, the kind that lingered after the chaos of desire had burned itself out. Lola stirred against Damien’s chest, her lashes brushing his skin as her eyes fluttered open. For a second, she forgot everything where she was, who she was with, the consequences that waited ou
When they finally pulled apart, both breathless, Lola pressed her forehead against his. “You make everything complicated.” “Good,” Damien murmured, a smirk tugging at his lips. “Complicated means you can’t ignore me.” She laughed, but the sound cracked halfway, too fragile to hide what she was rea
Damien followed her movement, leaning in close until their faces were just inches apart. His hand slid up her spine, steady and deliberate, grounding her in the chaos he always carried. “You keep looking at me like you’re scared,” he murmured. “I’m not scared,” she whispered. “Yes, you are.” His







