All Chapters of The Rogue Next Door: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

MayaI shouldn’t have checked my phone the second I woke up.I knew better.I definitely knew better.But the second my eyes opened, my hand reached for it like it had a mind of its own.And the second the screen lit up—My stomach dropped.Two notifications.Two names.ColeLoganOf course.Because apparently my life has decided to become as complicated as humanly possible overnight.I stare at the screen for a second before opening Cole’s first.Cole: Still thinking about that kiss.Heat rushes straight to my face.Seriously?It’s barely even morning.I bite my lip, rereading it.And the worst part?I’m thinking about it too.I shouldn’t be.I really shouldn’t be.But I am.Before I can spiral too far into that, I open Logan’s message.Logan: Morning. Walk to class?My chest tightens.Completely different tone.Completely different energy.Cole is fire.Logan is… steady.Safe.And somehow that makes this harder.I drop my phone onto my bed and stare up at the ceiling.“This is a mes

MayaI can feel them watching.Even when I don’t look up.Even when I pretend I don’t notice.I can feel it.The glances.The whispers.The subtle way conversations dip when I walk past.I stir my coffee slowly, staring down into the cup like it might magically make all of this disappear.It won’t.It never does.“Hey.”Logan’s voice is calm as he sets another cup in front of me.I blink up at him.“You didn’t have to—”“I know,” he says, sitting down across from me again. “I wanted to.”That’s the thing about Logan.He doesn’t push.He doesn’t overwhelm.He just… shows up.And right now, that feels dangerously easy to lean into.“Thanks,” I say quietly, wrapping my hands around the warm cup.For a few seconds, neither of us talks.And for once—That silence doesn’t feel awkward.It feels steady.Safe.“You’re thinking too much,” he says after a moment.I let out a small laugh.“You have no idea.”“I have a pretty good idea,” he replies.I glance up at him.“You do?”He leans back sli

ColeI don’t like being told to back off.Let’s just start there.I definitely don’t like being told I don’t get to decide anything.And I really don’t like walking into a room, locking eyes with a girl, and having her walk away from me.That doesn’t happen.Or at least—It didn’t.Until Maya Bennet.I sit on the edge of my bed, elbows on my knees, phone in my hand, staring at the last message she sent.Nothing.That’s the problem.Nothing.I sent:You didn’t answer me.And she still hasn’t.It’s been… what?An hour?Two?I don’t even know.I check the time again.Yeah.This is bad.Because I’m not the guy who checks the time.I’m the guy who moves on.Finds something else.Doesn’t wait.Doesn’t think.Doesn’t—I exhale sharply and drag a hand through my hair.“Yeah, that’s not happening,” I mutter.Because I’m not moving on.Not this time.Not from her.⸻A knock hits my door before it swings open.Marcus leans against the frame like he owns the place.“You gonna come out tonight or

MayaI don’t understand what is happening.And the worst part?I can’t escape it.I push open the front door to the house, my bag sliding off my shoulder as I step inside.The familiar scent of home—laundry detergent, coffee, something faintly sweet from Bree’s candles—should calm me.It doesn’t.Because the second the door shuts behind me…It hits me again.Them.Cole.Logan.This… thing.Whatever this is.I drop my bag onto the chair by the kitchen table a little harder than I mean to.“Okay,” I mutter to myself, running my hands through my hair. “Okay… just think.”Because this doesn’t make sense.None of it does.I have never been that girl.Not in high school.Not here.Not ever.I’m not the girl guys notice.I’m not the girl guys fight over.I’m not the girl who walks into a room and suddenly has two of the most well-known athletes on campus paying attention to her like she’s something special.That’s not me.That has never been me.So why now?I press my palms against the count

MayaI can’t breathe.That’s the first thing I notice.Not them.Not the tension.Not even the fact that both of them are standing here.It’s the way my chest feels tight.Like the air is there… but I can’t pull it in deep enough.Cole’s words are still echoing in my head.I’m going after you.And now—Logan is here too.Right behind me.I don’t even have to turn around to feel him.The difference between them is almost suffocating.Cole is heat.Pressure.Intensity that presses in on you until you react.Logan is steady.Quiet.Controlled.But just as present.Just as impossible to ignore.And somehow—Being caught between both of them at the same time?It’s too much.“Think about what I said.”Cole steps back.But it doesn’t feel like he’s leaving.It feels like he just… gave me space to fall apart in.The door opens behind me.I flinch slightly.I hate that I do.I hate that everything feels like it’s happening to me instead of something I have control over.“Maya.”Logan’s voice.