All Chapters of Rival Hearts: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The classroom was alive with murmurs and the shuffling of papers as Professor Aldridge called the students to attention. Today’s lesson: a debate on chemical ethics, but Harper Lawson was already bracing herself for something far more volatile. She could feel it in the pit of her stomach, a familiar tension that always flared in Emery Collins’ presence.And, of course, Emery was here—sitting across the room with that infuriatingly calm, slightly smug expression, ready to ignite sparks wherever she went.Harper clenched her notebook tight, reminding herself: Focus on the debate. Ignore her. Do not fluster yourself.Ha.Professor Aldridge paired students for an impromptu debate. Harper’s stomach sank when she heard Emery’s name paired with hers.“Of course,” Harper muttered under her breath, gripping her pen like a lifeline. “Of course it’s her.”Emery leaned in slightly, whispering just loud enough for Harper to hear, “Ready to lose gracefully?”Harper’s pulse spiked. “I’m not losing,”

The dorm was unusually quiet that evening, the hum of the air conditioner the only sound filling Harper Lawson’s room. She had planned a calm night of reviewing notes and finishing her lab report, yet somehow, as always, Emery Collins had appeared—unannounced, uninvited, and entirely magnetic.Harper looked up from her desk as Emery leaned casually against the doorframe, arms crossed, that infuriating smirk playing on her lips. “Studying alone again?” Emery asked softly, voice teasing, low. “Or…waiting for someone?”Harper’s cheeks burned. “I…uh…I’m just…focusing,” she muttered, trying to sound authoritative, though the tremor in her voice betrayed her.“Focusing?” Emery echoed, stepping into the room slowly, letting her presence fill every corner. “It looks like you’re…thinking about something else.” Her amber eyes glimmered with mischief, tracking Harper’s every movement.Harper’s heart raced. Why am I so…affected by her? She gripped her notebook tighter, trying to anchor herself. “

The campus was hushed under the soft glow of the streetlights, the faint hum of distant traffic the only sound breaking the stillness. Harper Lawson tugged her jacket tighter around her, the crisp night air making her cheeks pink. She hadn’t planned on taking a walk tonight, but Emery Collins had appeared as if by fate, leaning against the dorm entrance with that infuriating smirk she wore so effortlessly.“Come on,” Emery said, voice low, teasing. “A little fresh air will do you good. You’re too tense in there.”Harper hesitated, tugging her jacket tighter. “I…don’t really have time—”“You always say that,” Emery interrupted softly, stepping closer. The amber eyes, glinting in the dim streetlights, made Harper’s chest tighten. “Tonight…just walk with me. No studying, no debating. Just…us.”Harper’s heart thudded. No. I can’t… Yet, part of her longed to follow, to feel the warmth of Emery near her, to escape the confines of her room and her own racing thoughts. “Fine,” she muttered, t

The library was nearly deserted, the soft hum of overhead lights and the faint rustle of pages creating a cocoon of quiet. Harper Lawson sat at her usual table, books spread around her in organized chaos, trying to focus on her chemistry assignment. Her mind, however, was far from equations or formulas.Emery Collins.Even the thought of her sent heat rushing to Harper’s chest, a flush she tried—and failed—to hide. She had tried to focus all week, tried to push away every thought of Emery’s teasing smirk, the warmth of her touch, the dangerous amber eyes that seemed to read her like an open book.Harper’s pencil hovered over her notes when she sensed a shadow fall across the table.“May I?” Emery’s voice was low, soft, teasing, as she leaned over slightly, notebook in hand.Harper looked up, startled, and caught the spark of mischief in those amber eyes. “I…don’t mind,” she muttered, voice tight. She tried to focus on her own work, but she could feel Emery’s gaze like electricity on h

Harper Lawson’s heart raced like a drumbeat she couldn’t control. She had barely made it back to her dorm room when Emery Collins appeared in the doorway, smirking as if she owned every inch of the space. Harper’s textbooks slid from her hands unnoticed; the last few weeks—the library, the midnight walk, the coffee confessions, the accidental touches—all led to this moment.“You look…distracted,” Emery purred, stepping closer. The amber eyes glimmered with mischief, but there was a softness underneath, a vulnerability Harper rarely saw.“I…am not distracted,” Harper muttered, her voice trembling, though her pulse betrayed her.Emery chuckled softly, a sound that sent shivers down Harper’s spine. “Uh-huh,” she whispered, moving closer until their bodies brushed. The warmth radiating from her was intoxicating. Harper’s breath caught. God…why does she have to do this to me?Emery tilted her head, her lips inches from Harper’s ear. “You’re flustered. You want this,” she murmured, her hand