Chapter 43 CHAPTER 43
The next morning, I woke up with a smile so big it felt illegal.
Like an actual smile.
Not a sarcastic smirk.
Not a polite curve of the lips.
A real I-just-got-my-heart-stolen smile.
I walked into the cafeteria like I was floating, and the second Liam, Jordan, and Maya spotted me, they froze mid-bite, mid-sip, mid-chew.
Jordan slammed her textbook shut. “Okay what the hell happened?”
Maya narrowed her eyes. “You’re glowing.”
Liam pointed dramatically. “Suspicious.”
I tried, tried to act normal. “Nothing happened.”
“LIAR!” Maya shouted so loudly that two tables turned around.
I hissed, “Lower your voice! I said nothing happened—”
Jordan leaned forward, eyes sharp. “You look like you just got kissed into another dimension.”
Liam blinked. “You… did you?”
I covered my face. “Okay, fine—something happened.”
All three of them SCREAMED.
Maya grabbed my arm. “Tell us everything. Every word. Every breath. Every millisecond.”
Jordan added, “Spare no detail.”
Liam nodded solemnly. “I will pretend not to be traumatized.”
I swallowed, cheeks flaming. “He… asked me to be his girlfriend.”
The table went SILENT.
Then—
Jordan: “WHAT.”
Maya: “OH MY GOD.”
Liam: “HELL NO WAY.”
They all grabbed me like I was some sacred artifact.
I laughed, pushing their faces away. “Stop, stop! Keep it down! No one knows!”
Maya cupped my cheeks. “I’m so happy for you.”
Jordan smirked. “Not surprised though. The man looks at you like he’s memorizing your soul.”
Liam sipped his juice. “Just don’t tell Aaron. Or tell him in a different state. Like Ohio.”
We all burst into laughter.
“Seriously,” I whispered, “please keep it secret. I’ll die if anyone finds out… especially Aaron.”
They all nodded.
We headed to class together, still giggling, still buzzing. I split off down the hallway toward the business building, checking my schedule—
And suddenly a hand grabbed my wrist and YANKED me into the janitor’s closet.
“WHAT THE—!”
The door shut behind me and my back hit the shelf.
Warm breath brushed my cheek.
A familiar cologne wrapped around me.
Knox.
He stepped forward with a grin that could melt the winter. “Hey, princess.”
My heart did a backflip. “You cannot keep dragging me into closets! What if Aaron saw that? Knox—”
He cut me off by kissing me so hard my brain forgot how to spell.
My hands grabbed his hoodie automatically.
His mouth moved against mine, slow and deep, like he had all the time in the world.
When he finally pulled back, I was breathless and honestly a little stupid.
He smirked. “How are you doing?”
I shoved his chest lightly. “Are you insane? Someone could’ve—”
Another kiss.
Quick.
Sharp.
Possessive.
“Knox!”
“What?” he whispered against my lips. “I missed you.”
“It’s been— it’s been two hours.”
“That’s two hours too long.”
I covered my face with my hands. “You’re impossible.”
He pressed a kiss to my jaw. “Come on a drive with me after classes.”
“A drive?”
“Yeah.” His voice dropped, warm and low. “Just us.”
My heart fluttered in every direction. “O-okay.”
He pulled back slightly, eyes softening before he stole one more kiss like he needed it to breathe.
“See you later,” he murmured, opening the door slightly and checking the hallway.
I slipped out quickly, cheeks burning, trying to fix my hair and pretending like I hadn't just been kissed senseless in a closet before economics class.
\---
Classes were a blur.
I couldn’t stop smiling.
I couldn’t stop replaying his voice in my head.
And I definitely couldn’t stop thinking about the drive.
Halfway through, Maya got a call.
Her expression shifted.
She whispered, “I need to go— I'll tell you later,” and hurried out.
Jordan and Liam stayed behind, sharing a textbook.
They leaned closer…
Then closer…
Then their hands brushed.
Liam immediately turned red.
Jordan pretended not to notice—but the corner of her mouth curved slightly.
They kept talking animatedly about some sports game, voices overlapping, laughing too loudly.
If they weren’t in denial, I would've forced them to admit they liked each other already.
But I said nothing.
Just smiled to myself, watching them absolutely fail at subtlety.
When class ended, I packed my bag.
Liam and Jordan were still in their own little bubble.
I shook my head fondly and slipped out of the room quietly.
Walking to my dorm, my heart thumped in my chest
— in that soft, almost dreamy way.
Knox Hale was my boyfriend.
My actual boyfriend.
And I was seeing him tonight.
I think I floated the entire way back.