LOGINLauriel’s point of viewI stand outside the dorm room, listening to Dawn and Kill through the door. I only came back to grab something warm, but hearing her laugh like that, something twists in my chest.Why can’t men choose me the way Killian chose her? I’m not jealous of her, not exactly. I just admire how lucky she is, how easy it seems for the two of them, how uncomplicated it looks from where I’m standing.I wish I’d told her the truth about Niall and Jordan, but I couldn’t get the words out. I lied to my best friend, the girl who, instead of dealing with her own mess, is currently helping me pay for tuition I can’t cover on my own. I told her I didn’t need the help. She told me it was either accept it or we couldn’t be friends anymore, and she said it like she meant every word.I can’t help but smile thinking about it, so I just head back out of the dorms instead of dwelling o
Dawn’s Point of ViewWhen I head back, I find he’s already plugged in a heating pad and left it waiting on my bed, along with the little TV he hauled over here three days ago, insisting he refuses to watch anything on a laptop screen.We settle in together, plates balanced on our laps, some movie playing that neither of us is really paying attention to, and we end up talking about nothing. Even as we finish our food. He tells me about the music he listens to and his dream vacation destination. The worst meal his mother ever tried to cook. Whether pineapple belongs on pizza, which somehow turns into a ten-minute argument I don’t think either of us cares about winning.He falls back, resting his head on his clasped hands as soon as I clear the plates once we are done eating. My eyes catch on the faint scar along his hip when his shirt pulls up, the one I’ve been curious about since the first time I saw it and never asked.“Okay, story time,” I say, poking at it lightly. “What happened
Dawn’s Point of View“Kill?” His name comes out barely above a whisper, and he smirks, taking me in from head to toe. There’s something like hunger in his eyes.“What’s wrong?” I ask, glancing around the hallway, but he doesn’t answer. He steps in, one hand going to the back of my head, and crashes his lips against mine.His other hand slides under my thigh, and he lifts me off the ground. For a minute I forget LJ is even still standing there, and I wrap my leg around him.I can feel how hard he is as he presses closer into me.I only remember she’s still in the room when she mutters something about us being disgusting.“Get a room,” LJ says, not even looking up as she shoves her laptop into her bag. “Oh, wait.”“LJ—” I try to pull back, my cheeks burning, but Killian doesn’t loosen his grip on me at all.“Don’t mind me.” She swings her bag over her shoulder, grabbing her jacket off the back of the chair. “I was leaving anyway.”“You don’t have to—”“D, he’s got you in the air. I thin
Killian’s Point of ViewI hate practicing on Friday nights. I should be on Dawn’s couch right now, half asleep through one of her awful romantic comedies, her feet tucked under my thigh. Instead, I’m here, running drills under fluorescent lights with a coach who’s already in a mood.God, I miss her. I didn’t think I’d ever miss someone the way I miss her, and it’s only been since Monday, when she came by for content with LJ. Today only LJ showed up, and I spent half the session glancing toward the entrance like Dawn might walk in any way.I’m so distracted that I don’t see Connor coming until it’s too late. He comes in low and fast from my blind side, catching me square in the ribs with his shoulder, and the impact sends me sideways, skates scraping for balance I don’t quite find in time. I go down hard on one knee before catching myself on the boards, the sound of it cracking through the rink loud enough that a few guys stop mid-drill to look over.“Get your fucking head in the game,
Dawn’s Point of View“So the gala’s Saturday. You going?” she asks me, and my heart immediately starts racing. I don’t have the words ready, because Killian hasn’t asked me, even though I know the whole hockey team is expected to be there.The only reason I’ve gone the last few years is that Damian always took me as his plus one. It was never really a question before. Now it feels like one.“I’m not sure. Kill hasn’t said anything,” I say, toying with the strap of my bag because it actually hurts to think about it. The idea that he might not want me there, standing beside him, in front of everyone.We haven’t really talked about events like this. Yes, I’ve gone with him to the bar after games, but that’s different. That’s just us and the guys and loud music. This is something else entirely.“Are you going?” I finally ask her, and she nods.“Niall asked me to be his plus one.” She says it flatly, none of the excitement I’d expect when she is talking about Niall and Jordan.“Is everythi
Dawn’s Point of View“So I take it you and Kill are finally giving this a real chance?” LJ asks me on Wednesday, a week later, as we walk to lecture together.I can’t help but smile, because Killian and I have fallen into this perfect little routine. He comes and spends the night when LJ’s working at the diner, and on the nights I can’t have him over, I go to his place instead. If neither works out, I spend the evening with LJ. I love this. I feel like a different person than the one I was a month ago, and I’m genuinely happy with my life, happy with the way everything’s been shifting into place.“Yeah,” I say, still grinning like an idiot. “I think we are.”“Finally.” She bumps my shoulder with hers.We’re cutting across the courtyard when I spot Ellie and her usual pack trailing a few feet ahead, and right on cue, they start laughing, hands covering their mouths in that fake-subtle way that’s somehow louder than if they’d just said it outright.Someone mutters something about a stri
Dawn's Point of ViewI have made plenty of bad decisions in my life. Getting wasted the night before an exam. Skipping class to get high because my best friend Damian asked me to. Poor choices, all of them, but ones with which I could live.Coming to this party, though, is the second-worst decision
Dawn’s Point of View“I know some guys who would be interested in you, if you’re that desperate,” Bree offers pleasantly.“Bree—”“What, babe? I am genuinely tired of hearing her name. She was your friend, fine, people move on. You don’t owe her anything. You literally told me she was annoying.” He
Dawn’s Point of ViewI have cried. I have stared at the ceiling. I have told myself repeatedly that I need to go to class, and eventually I listen, forcing myself up and into the bathroom to put on enough makeup to bury the evidence under my eyes.Damian tried yesterday. He stayed outside my door f
Dawn’s Point of View“Let go of me, Killian.”He does not let go.I try to yank my arm free, but he pulls me closer instead, and I am forced to tilt my head back just to look at him.“Please, Kill. I didn’t...” I start, but he presses a single finger to my lips, and my heart does something it has n







