All Chapters of Teach Me How To Burn : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Wren’s POVThe street felt different the moment we turned the corner.Quieter. Lonelier.Like the world itself was holding its breath, waiting to see what we would say to each other after everything that had happened.Lucas walked beside me, his hands shoved into his jacket pockets, his shoulders slightly hunched like he was trying to disappear. Run away from whatever conversation we were supposed to have on this walk. But he didn't look like he wanted to disappear a few minutes ago when he was chatting with my dad, or when he pulled me into a hug.Not even last week, when he’d looked at me like I was the one who had betrayed him just by existing.But now…Now he looked careful.And Lucas had never been careful with me before.“I like your house,” he said suddenly.I blinked, caught off guard. “You’ve been there a million times.” awkward.He shrugged, glancing up at the windows like he was seeing them for the first time. “Yeah. I guess I never really looked at it.”His voice was soft.

Wren’s POV Saturday mornings were supposed to feel lighter. That was the rule. No alarms. No uniforms. No teachers watching you like you were a problem waiting to happen. Just quiet air and slow hours stretching endlessly ahead. But my room felt restless. I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling, phone balanced on my stomach, rereading the same conversation over and over again. Kai: Goodnight, Wren. Not birdie. Not Sinclair. Not anything soft or teasing or familiar. Just Wren. My name had never sounded so… distant before. I groaned and flipped onto my side, shoving my face into my pillow. Why did it matter? It shouldn’t matter. People used my name every day. Teachers. My dad. Random classmates. So why did it feel like something important had been quietly taken away? My phone buzzed. I grabbed it instantly. Not Kai. Lucas. My stomach tightened automatically. Lucas: You busy today, Red? Thought we could hang out. Like old times. Like old times. The words pulled at

Wren’s POV I was going insane. There was no other explanation for it. I paced my room like a caged animal, fingers dragging through my hair, heart beating too fast for no reason that made sense. Everything felt… off. Too loud, too quiet, too much. Kai’s voice echoed in my head on a loop. Wren Wren Wren. I hated it. God, I hated it so much. I’d never realized how much I loved hearing Birdie until he took it away like it meant nothing. Like I meant nothing. “No,” I muttered, shaking my head. That wasn’t true. Kai would never...But then why was he acting like this? Why did it feel like he was slowly stepping away from me, like I was something he needed to let go of? My chest tightened. And then there was everything else. The way he’d been recently. Too distant, too disinterested. Watching me like I was something dangerous. The way my body had reacted to him being close. The way my mind kept circling back to him, over and over and over again like it couldn’t settle any

Kai’s POVThe door clicked shut.And the silence that followed?Yeah… that one was different.Heavy. Thick. Like the room itself was still processing what just happened.I stood there for a second, staring at the door like it might open again and rewind the last five minutes.It didn’t.So I turned.Wren was still on my bed.Hair a mess. Lips swollen. Breathing uneven.Looking like the exact reason I was about two seconds away from losing my mind again.I dragged a hand down my face.“Jesus…”She let out a shaky breath that almost sounded like a laugh. “Yeah… I think that covers it.”I looked at her properly this time.And it hit me again.What we’d just done.What we almost did.What I wanted to do.My jaw tightened.I crossed the room and grabbed the hoodie off my chair, pulling it over her head without a word.She blinked up at me as the fabric settled around her.“Thanks,” she murmured.I didn’t answer.Couldn’t.Because if I kept looking at her like that—Yeah. No.Not going ther

Wren’s POVMy brain was short circuiting every five minutes.I was sitting cross-legged on my bed, textbook open in front of me, staring at the same paragraph for what had to be the fifteenth time.I hadn’t read a single word.Not one.Because all I could think about was—His hand in mine.His mouth on mine.The way he said you’re mine like it was the most obvious thing in the world.“God,” I groaned, dropping my head into my hands. “Get it together, Sinclair.”My phone buzzed beside me.I didn’t even hesitate this time.Kai.My stomach flipped before I even opened it.Kai:You alive?I rolled my eyes, but I was already smiling.Me:Barely. I’ve been trying to read the same page for 20 minutes.Three dots.Fast.Kai:Yeah? What’s it about?I glanced at the book like it might suddenly cooperate.Me:No idea.His response came immediately.Kai: Come over.My heart stuttered again.It was getting ridiculous at this point, I should definitely get checked.Me:Kai…The three dots danced on