LOGINWren povTheo didn't let go of my arm until we were outside, the cafeteria noise fading behind us, swallowed up by the wind and the wide grey sky.“Where are we going?” I asked.“You'll see.” He guided me toward the car park, his hand steady at my elbow like he thought I might bolt or fall apart, possibly both. “Get in.”I got in.He drove without saying much, just glancing at me every so often like he was checking I hadn't dissolved into the seat. The radio played low, something instrumental.The ice cream place had more flavors than I knew what to do with, a whole wall of tubs behind glass, and Theo stood there studying them like he was choosing stocks.“Pistachio,” he finally said to the girl behind the counter. “And whatever she wants. Two scoops, her choice.”“Cookies and cream,” I said. “And the strawberry.”We sat outside on a bench with our cones, and the evening had gone soft and golden in that particular way it did right before the sun started its real descent. Theo finished
Dani’s POVI couldn't focus on a single word the lecturer said.You already know the answer to that question. Wren's voice kept looping in my head. I stared at my notebook without writing anything in it.Behind me, a few rows back, Emily was giggling with her new circle of friends. I didn't turn around.The second class ended, I shoved my notes into my bag and pushed out of the lecture hall faster than I should have, my head still aching faintly if I moved too quickly. I scanned the hallway but I didn’t see who I was looking for.I spotted Ryan instead, leaning against a pillar near the stairwell, scrolling through his phone.“Did you see Wren?” I asked, already out of breath.Ryan glanced up. “No. Why, you miss her?”“I think I really messed up.” I dragged a hand through my hair. “I think I've actually fallen for her, and I don't know how to fix what I did.”“Keep an eye on Emily,” Ryan said, not even looking up from his phone, like it was the most obvious advice in the world.“I thi
Wren’s POVI woke up to Anna already dressed, sitting cross-legged on her bed scrolling through her phone.“You're taking forever,” she said without looking up.“I'm moving at a completely normal speed.” I pulled my sweater over my head and grabbed my bag. “Some of us actually need to brush our hair.”“Some of us also need to not be late.” She was already at the door, keys in hand, tapping her foot with theatrical impatience.We walked onto campus together, and the first thing I saw was Emily, surrounded by a cluster of girls near the steps, laughing at something with her head tipped back like she was performing it for an audience. I looked away before she could catch my eye.Then I saw Ross, already crossing the courtyard toward us with his hands in his pockets.“Morning,” he said, falling into step beside me. “How'd you sleep?”“Terribly.” I rubbed my eyes. “Anna snores like a freight train.”“I do not,” Anna said immediately, indignant.“You absolutely do.”Ross wasn't looking at m
Wren’s pov“You're still the same manwhore you've always been,” I said. “Not one thing about you has changed.”Emily's mouth opened, some response already forming.“And Dani doesn't even like you,” I added, before she could get a word out. “So you can stop being delusional about whatever this is.”She drew a breath, sharp and ready…The door opened. Ross leaned out into the corridor. “He's done. You can come in.”Emily's expression smoothed over instantly. She walked past me into the room, bumping her shoulder into mine hard enough that I had to catch myself against the wall.Ross caught it. His eyes went from her retreating to my face, one eyebrow lifting slightly. Everything okay?I shook my head. Nothing happened. Not worth it.He didn't look convinced, but he let it go, and we both followed her inside.Dani was sitting on the edge of the bed, dressed now in the joggers and the t-shirt I'd brought, looking more like himself than he had in days. Emily was already perched in the chai
Wren’s povFor a second, I couldn't move.Emily stood there in her cream dress with her perfect hair and her hand still extended, and I stood in the doorway like I'd forgotten how to operate my own legs. Then something in me clicked back on, and I walked into the room fully, letting the door swing shut behind me.She came toward me with her arms open, that wide, practiced smile on her face. "Wren. Oh my God, it's so good to see you."I stepped back before she could reach me. I smiled. It cost me nothing. "Emily. Wow. Hi."Her arms lowered, smooth and unbothered, as she'd expected them to. "You haven't changed at all." She said it like a compliment, tilting her head slightly."Neither have you," I said. Which was also true, and not entirely a compliment either.She turned to Ross, and Ross, to his credit, did not look thrilled. He let her hug him for exactly one second before stepping back with the kind of awkward smile you gave someone you were still working out how to feel about."It
Wren’s POVI woke to the weight of Ross's arm around my waist, his hand resting against my stomach. I lay still for a moment, watching the slow rise and fall of his chest behind me, the rhythm of someone still deep in sleep.Carefully, I tried to shift his hand. He made a small sound and tightened his grip.“Ross,” I whispered. “I need to get up.”He mumbled something against my shoulder.I turned in his arms to look at him properly. He had that soft, defenseless look that sleep gave him, his hair falling across his forehead, his mouth slightly parted. It took me back to when we were kids, to thunderstorms that shook the house and Ross appearing in my doorway with his stuffed bear clutched to his chest, asking if he could sleep in my bed because the thunder was too loud.“Are you still scared of thunder?” I asked softly.His eyes fluttered open. "What?"“Nothing.” I reached out and pushed his hair off his forehead. “I need to get out of bed.”"Twenty more minutes." His voice was rough
Wren’s povThe room was very quiet.Dani’s hand was still extended from the handshake, his eyes on Theo, Theo’s eyes on him.Ross looked at me. Then at Dani. Then at the ceiling briefly.“I need to make a call,” he said, producing his phone from his pocket. “Outside. Where there's a signal.” He mov
Wren’s POVThe door swung open and Ryan stepped inside, took one look at the two of us, Dani’s fingers barely grazing my jaw, my hand on his arm, the approximately zero inches of space between us, and stopped walking.“Am I interrupting something?” he asked.I scrambled back into my chair so fast i
Wren’s POVRoss’s arm wrapped around me before I even realised I was shaking.“Hey, look at me." His voice was firm, steady. “Breathe. Just breathe.”I couldn’t. The air kept catching somewhere between my throat and my lungs, and every time I closed my eyes, I saw Dani crumpled on the floor of that
Wren’s POVI was still thinking about the kiss.Sitting on the bench outside the bathroom with my phone in my hand and nothing on the screen registering, I was still thinking about it. The way it had happened so fast there’d been no time to decide anything. The way I’d kissed him back before I’d fi







