Chapter 103 Too Much Tension
Lenora avoided him for exactly three hours.
Which was impressive considering the entire school suddenly acted like the cafeteria kiss was a national event.
Every hallway felt unbearable.
People stared openly now.
Not just because of the rumors anymore.
Because of them.
“The hockey boy and Lenora?”
“I knew it.”
“That kiss was insane.”
“They’ve definitely been hiding something.”
Lenora slammed her locker shut harder than necessary.
Lilibeth leaned beside her dramatically.
“You know what? I blame him entirely.”
Kylen nodded from nearby.
“Same.”
Lenora rubbed her forehead.
“You two are making this worse.”
“We’re not the one who kissed you in front of half the school,” Lilibeth replied immediately.
Lenora shot her a look.
Lilibeth raised both hands innocently.
“Just saying.”
Kylen glanced down the hallway.
Then his expression shifted.
“Speaking of your problem.”
Lenora turned.
And there he was.
Walking toward them like he didn’t just destroy her peace of mind twelve times over.
Hockey jacket hanging loose.
Hair still damp from practice.
Completely unbothered.
Which annoyed her more.
Lilibeth muttered under her breath,
“Oh, he definitely knows he’s attractive. That’s dangerous.”
Kylen pointed at her.
“Not helping.”
The hockey boy stopped in front of Lenora.
“You’re avoiding me,” he said.
“No,” Lenora replied instantly.
A pause.
Then—
“Yes.”
His mouth twitched slightly like he almost smiled.
Lilibeth looked between them.
“Oh wow. This is painfully obvious now.”
Kylen grabbed her arm.
“Come on. We’re leaving before this gets weird.”
“It already IS weird,” she whispered loudly as he dragged her away.
Lenora watched them disappear around the corner before finally looking back at him.
“You caused a disaster today.”
He leaned against the lockers beside her.
“I prevented one.”
“That’s debatable.”
He looked at her quietly for a second.
“You’re still thinking about it.”
Lenora frowned immediately.
“Thinking about what?”
“The kiss.”
Heat climbed into her face instantly.
Annoying.
“I’m thinking about how stupid it was,” she replied.
“Sure.”
That one word irritated her more than it should have.
Lenora stepped closer slightly.
“You don’t get to act smug after publicly humiliating me.”
For the first time, his expression softened a little.
“I wasn’t trying to humiliate you.”
The hallway suddenly felt too quiet.
Too close.
Lenora swallowed once.
“Then what were you trying to do?” she asked.
His eyes stayed on hers longer this time.
Long enough to shift the air between them.
“Protect you,” he said quietly.
That answer hit harder than expected.
Because she believed him.
That was the problem.
Students passed behind them laughing loudly, but neither of them moved.
Lenora crossed her arms slightly.
“You could’ve just punched somebody like a normal hockey player.”
He laughed softly.
Actually laughed.
And somehow that felt even more dangerous than the kiss.
“You think I didn’t consider it?”
Lenora looked away briefly.
Big mistake.
Because the second she looked back at him—
He was closer.
Not touching.
Just there.
Her heart betrayed her immediately.
“You’re staring again,” he murmured.
“I’m literally not.”
“You are.”
Lenora hated how calm he sounded.
How steady.
While she suddenly felt hyperaware of everything.
His voice.
His hand resting beside her against the lockers.
The cold scent of ice lingering on his hoodie.
“You’re enjoying this way too much,” she muttered.
“Not the chaos,” he replied quietly.
His gaze dropped briefly to her lips.
Then back up.
“That part.”
Lenora’s breath caught slightly.
Just slightly.
But he noticed.
Of course he noticed.
“You need to stop doing that,” she said.
“Doing what?”
“This,” she whispered. “Looking at me like that.”
His expression changed again.
Less teasing now.
More dangerous.
“Then stop looking back.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Warm.
Too close.
Lenora should’ve walked away.
Seriously.
That would’ve been the smart thing.
Instead she stayed exactly where she was.
His hand shifted slightly against the locker beside her head.
Not trapping her.
But close enough to feel intentional.
“You know this is a bad idea,” she murmured.
“Most things worth doing are.”
That line should not have worked.
Yet somehow—
It did.
Lenora looked up at him slowly.
And the tension snapped again.
Not like before.
Not reckless.
Not public chaos.
Something quieter.
Worse.
His hand brushed lightly against her waist.
Barely there.
Questioning more than demanding.
Lenora inhaled sharply.
“You’re trouble,” she whispered.
The corner of his mouth lifted faintly.
“You noticed late.”
Then footsteps echoed nearby.
Fast.
Both of them pulled apart instantly.
Lilibeth rounded the corner dramatically.
“There you two are—”
She stopped.
Looked between them.
Then narrowed her eyes immediately.
“Oh my God.”
Lenora stepped away from him quickly.
“Don’t start.”
Lilibeth pointed between them accusingly.
“No because WHAT was this atmosphere?”
Kylen appeared behind her and sighed the second he saw their faces.
“I don’t even want details.”
The hockey boy grabbed his bag calmly.
Probably too calmly.
Lilibeth looked horrified.
“You were literally about to kiss again, weren’t you?”
“No,” Lenora answered too fast.
Everyone stared at her.
Kylen deadpanned,
“That sounded believable.”
Lenora glared at all of them.
Then—
A phone buzzed loudly.
Lilibeth looked down at hers.
And her expression dropped immediately.
“What?” Kylen asked.
She looked up slowly.
“The rumor page posted again.”
Silence.
Lenora’s stomach tightened.
Lilibeth swallowed once.
Then turned the screen around.
A photo filled the screen.
Fresh.
Recent.
Lenora against the lockers.
The hockey boy close to her.
His hand near her waist.
Her face tilted up toward his.
Caught perfectly.
And underneath it—
One caption.
Told you she lies.
The tension vanished instantly.
Replaced by something colder.
Sharper.
Because someone wasn’t just watching anymore.
They were following her.