Chapter Sixty Three

The storm had finally relented, leaving behind a world washed clean. Puddles mirrored the bruised evening sky, and the air carried that sharp, invigorating scent of wet pavement and distant pine. Droplets still clung to the library’s stone steps, catching the first glow of streetlamps as they flickered on. I swung my legs off the chair where I’d been perched, landing softly on the damp ground. My skirt brushed against my thighs, cool from stray rain, and I smoothed it down with nervous fingers.

I looked up at Evander, my heart still unsteady from the charged moments we’d shared inside. The memory of his arms caging me against the table, his low voice murmuring my name, lingered like a phantom touch. I tried to steady my breathing.

“I—I should get home before it gets too dark,” I said, aiming for casual, but the words came out hesitant, almost reluctant.

He tilted his head, dark eyes pinning me in place with that familiar intensity. A faint sheen of rain still clung to his hair, making