Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Collision : Kabanata 51 - Kabanata 60

Jace's POV I walked back to my dorm with my hands shoved deep in my pockets, snow crunching under my boots, cold air doing nothing to cool down whatever was still burning in my chest. She had run, boots slipping slightly on the ice, like she needed to put distance between us before either of us could say or do something neither of us was ready for yet. I couldn't stop the small laugh that escaped me, picturing her flushed face, the way she'd fumbled the "I'll see you later" out before bolting. I got back to my room and dropped onto my bed still in my jacket, staring up at the ceiling, replaying the whole thing on a loop I didn't particularly want to stop. The way she'd kissed me back like she meant it. The way her hands had gripped my shirt like she was afraid I'd disappear. That wasn't fake, that wasn't performance. It was real in a way that scared me a little, if I let myself actually sit with it. I didn't sleep much that night. The next afternoon, I found her at our usual café

Jace's POVThe fundraiser hall buzzed with donors and sponsors, string lights strung along the ceiling, servers weaving through the crowd with trays of appetizers nobody was actually eating. I spotted Ariana near the entrance, dressed sharper than her usual campus look, and something in my chest tightened just seeing her there."You look good," I said, crossing over to meet her."Thanks. Becca picked it out." She smoothed down the front of her dress, a little nervous energy in the gesture. "Big turnout tonight.""Yeah. Coach wants us mingling, shaking hands, the whole image thing." I glanced around at the crowd of boosters and alumni. "You ready for this?""As ready as I'll ever be."I offered my arm, mostly out of habit from months of practiced routine, and she took it, her hand settling into the crook of my elbow like it belonged there. We moved through the crowd together, stopping to greet a cluster of donors near the drink table."Jace Carter." An older man in an expensive suit sh

Jace's POVMike's off-campus house was packed by the time we got there, music thumping through the walls, half the team already scattered across the living room with drinks in hand. Ryan spotted us first, waving us over with a grin."Carter! Ariana! Get in here, we're doing shots for the playoffs." Ryan held up a tray of something neon and questionable looking. "Coach isn't here to stop us.""I'm good," I said, laughing, steering Ariana toward the kitchen instead. "Some of us have practice tomorrow.""Lightweight," Ryan called after us, though he was grinning too wide to mean it.The kitchen was slightly quieter, a few teammates gathered around the counter arguing about some video game, and Ariana leaned against the counter beside me, more relaxed than I'd seen her at any of the earlier public events."This is different from the fundraiser," she said, smiling as Tyler nearly knocked over a stack of cups mid-argument."Less donors, more chaos." I grabbed us both drinks, handing hers ov

Jace's POVHer breath hitched the second my mouth found hers. There was no pause this time, just the soft press of her lips and the way her fingers immediately twisted into the front of my shirt, pulling me closer like she’d been waiting for permission to stop holding back.I deepened the kiss without thinking. Her mouth opened under mine, warm and certain, and something in my chest cracked open wide. Every leftover ache from Maya’s words, every sharp thing she’d tried to dig into us tonight, just dissolved under the heat of Ariana kissing me back with her whole body.“Jace,” she whispered against my lips, and the sound of my name like that undid me completely.I shifted us both, careful, until her back met the mattress and I was braced over her on one forearm. My other hand found her waist, sliding under the hem of her shirt just enough to feel the warm skin at her side. She made a small sound when my mouth left hers and traced the line of her jaw, then lower, pressing slow kisses al

Ariana's POVThe days after that morning blurred together in a way that felt different from before, softer somehow, like something inside me had finally stopped bracing for impact.I noticed it first in small things. The way I didn't flinch anymore when Jace reached for my hand in public, not even a flicker of the old instinct to check who might be watching. The way I'd started leaving my dorm room unlocked when I knew he was coming by, something I'd never done with anyone since Davian, some old defense mechanism quietly retiring itself without me consciously deciding it should.I sat cross-legged on my bed one evening, my laptop open to an old personal essay I'd started writing months ago and never shown anyone, not even Becca. It wasn't for class, wasn't for the paper, just something raw and unpolished I'd worked through during the worst of the Davian aftermath.Jace sat across from me, flipping through one of my textbooks with mild curiosity, and something made me turn my laptop sl