what we shouldn't be의 모든 챕터: 챕터 31 - 챕터 40

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO TORIA'S POV The sound of the front gate sliding open pulled my attention away from the movie I'd been pretending to watch for the last twenty minutes. I muted the television almost immediately, already knowing who it had to be because there was only one person who ever walked through those gates carrying enough bags to make it look like he was moving back home every single weekend. "Kenz!" I shouted from the living room. "If you don't get in here right now, I'm stealing everything in your bag." "I literally just got here." His voice drifted through the hallway before the front door opened, and a second later he walked inside with his backpack slung over one shoulder and a duffel bag hanging from the other. He looked tired in the way every college student seemed to after a week of lectures, but the smile that spread across his face the moment he saw me made it obvious he was just as happy to be home as I was to have him back. I hurried over without giving

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR The question hung between us for what felt like forever after I asked it. Kenz didn’t answer right away. He just froze with his hand halfway to the book next to him, staring at me like I’d caught him completely off guard.Eventually, he let out this awkward, forced laugh. “What kind of question is that even supposed to be?” he asked, clearly trying to brush it off.I folded my arms tighter, refusing to let him dodge. “It’s the kind that needs a real answer, Kenz. I’m not dropping this tonight.”He glanced at the floor and sighed, rubbing his hands together. “I think you’re just tired, and your mind is running with things.”“Yeah, I am tired,” I admitted, keeping my voice even. “But I’m not going to bed until we talk about what I overheard, because it’s obvious something’s been eating at you for a while.”The corner of his mouth twitched up briefly. “You’ve always been stubborn about stuff like this.”“I learned from the best,” I replied.He rubbed the back of his

CHAPTER THIRTY SIXThe house was too quiet. Not empty, just careful, like everyone was avoiding talking about what happened at the dinner. No one mentioned what went on outside with me and Kenz, or why we disappeared for almost twenty minutes. No one brought up any form of conversation either. It was like we all agreed to act like the weekend was totally normal. I wished I could do the same, but my head kept going back to it anyway.I unlocked the front door and stepped inside, dropping my duffel bag by the entrance. Coffee smell came from the kitchen. The TV was on low in the living room. I kicked off my shoes and called out, "Toria?" No answer. She was probably out somewhere.I loosened my hoodie collar and went to the kitchen thinking about that leftover pizza in the fridge. I turned the corner and stopped. Kenz was there barefoot in front of the fridge, hair still wet from the shower, towel around his neck, staring inside like it pissed him off or something.He looked up and our e

KENZ'S POVI must've opened Dan's message at least twenty times.Can we talk?Three words.That was all it took to make my stomach twist itself into knots.I kept staring at them, hoping they'd somehow become less terrifying the longer I looked. They didn't. If anything, they only got worse.My thumb hovered over the keyboard.Yeah.Delete.Sure.Delete.Where?I stared at the blinking cursor for another few seconds before finally forcing myself to type.Okay. Where do you want to meet?I hit send before I could change my mind.Almost immediately, the typing bubble appeared.The old basketball court.Of course.For a second, I just sat there on the edge of my bed, phone still clutched in my hand as my heart pounded against my ribs.The old court.The same place we'd spent countless evenings shooting hoops just because neither of us wanted to go back inside yet.The same place where we'd laughed until our stomachs hurt over the dumbest things.The same place where we'd once promised ea

DAN’S POVI closed the bedroom door behind me and stood there for a second.The house felt empty again.Way too empty.I rubbed a hand over my face and let out a slow breath before dropping my bag beside the desk.“Idiot,” I muttered under my breath before I could stop myself.I pulled my hoodie off and tossed it onto the chair before heading straight for the bathroom. I turned the tap as cold as it would go and splashed water across my face.Once.Twice.Three times.When I finally looked up, my reflection looked just as exhausted as I felt.“What the hell were you thinking?” I asked quietly.My reflection didn’t have an answer either.I grabbed the towel beside the sink and dried my face before walking back into the room.The bed looked inviting, but I wasn’t tired enough to sleep.Not with everything running through my head.I sat on the edge of the mattress, resting my elbows on my knees.The second I closed my eyes…I saw it again.Toria standing in front of me.Her hand resting