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Chapter Twenty-Three: That Stupid Soft Look

Aвтор: Xerox
last update Последнее обновление: 2025-07-10 00:03:08

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POV: Ave

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Monday Morning – Hallway Between Second and Third Period

Ave Imani didn’t believe in fairy tales.

Not anymore.

But the way Blake Monroe looked at her in the hallway that morning made her question everything she’d sworn off since middle school.

It was soft.

It was stupid.

It was dangerous.

One second she was reaching into her locker for a fresh set of batteries for the voltage module, and the next, her stomach was curling like she'd just stepped off a rollercoaster. Because when she turned—just to check the time—Blake was across the hallway, leaning against the wall like he had nowhere better to be.

And he was staring.

At her.

Not in a creepy way. Not even in the arrogant Blake Monroe kind of way.

No. This look was… soft.

Gentle.

The kind of look you only saw on book covers or in the last ten minutes of a painfully romantic movie.

And then—worst of all—he smiled.

Not a smirk.

Not a grin.

A smile.

Small. Real. Like she was something warm in a cold
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