Chapter 7 Weight of yesterday
Lyra’s POV
Yesterday still clung to me like my skin, where could I possibly keep it, other than walking all over the place with it?
I felt it in the way my chest tightened whenever I thought of him, the way my pulse spiked without warning, and the way his words replayed in my head, bold and certain, like those were the most serious words he's ever had to say.
“Jaxon.” I whispered, knowing that deep down, what I was running away from was the truth, and not him, from what I was scared I would feel if I dared look at him.
As I made my way through campus, with students moving in clusters, laughing, complaining, checking their phones, and doing usual stuff, everything looked normal, well except me…
As Lila I was everything but normal, and now as Lyra it bothered me so much that I couldn't have a taste of what it felt like to be normal.
I felt the intensity of their gazes on me, before I eventually saw them. Heads turned as I passed. Conversations paused, some stared openly, others tried not to and failed, or maybe it was just me who was being too sensituve.
Afew looked almost… stunned.
I kept my gaze forward, not pausing for a moment, was this the first time they were seeing a transfer student, or there was more to their gazes than it looked.
Were they perhaps starting to figure out that I was Lila , was I allowing the discomfort flash through my eyes?
This body still didn’t feel like mine, not entirely, I could feel the way the air shifted around me, the way people reacted without realizing why, it wasn’t confidence, or arrogance.
It was something deeper.
Something instinctive.
Like I could inherently feel their reactions and just maybe if I tried harder, I could read their minds.
A group of girls near the steps fell silent as I walked past, one of them whispered something I couldn’t catch, her eyes wide.
Another nudged her friend and pointed before quickly looking away.
I exhaled slowly, and kept walking, I was almost across the quad when I felt it.
That sudden, icy pull in my chest, I stopped.
I knew that feeling, I could figure it out anytime.. that bitch!
Looking across the courtyard, standing near the fountain, was Aria.
She looked exactly the same, perfect posture, the same perfect hair.
That effortless confidence that came from knowing the world bent around her, she was laughing at something one of the girls beside her said, her head tilted just slightly, her smile bright and false.
My stomach twisted.
Every memory surged forward at once, the whispers, the stares, the laughter that followed me down the halls, the way my name had turned into a joke on people’s lips.
My fingers curled slowly at my sides, she hadn’t seen me yet.
I could walk away.
I should have.
But then her gaze lifted, and then our eyes met, the smile on her face froze for half a second.
Just long enough for me to see it.
Recognition.
It glared in her eyes, in a way I couldn't deny. Something flickered behind her eyes. Was it curiousity, or she was just calculating?
A sharp, sudden awareness that she was no longer the only one being watched.
Her lips curved again, slower this time, and more deliberate.
My pulse thundered in my ears, instantly I felt like it was just me and her that existed, nothing else.
My breath caught, as she started walking toward me.
Each step felt measured, intentional like she was warning me to run before she got there.
I stayed where I was, not moving an inch.
When she finally reached me, she didn’t stop, like I expected, instead she brushed past my shoulder, just barely, but enough that I felt the contact.
My body reacted instantly.
Heat surged through me, sharp and violent, screaming for release. My breath hitched as a thousand impulses crashed together inside me, rage, recognition, something else.
I held it down, and forced my expression to stay calm, and innocent.
Things have only just began, I couldn't afford to have her figuring out who I am, just yet.
She slowed just slightly as she passed, her voice soft and sweet.
“I'm sorry, I honestly didn't intend to bump into you.”
I didn’t turn around until she was gone. My hands were shaking, nails digging into my palms.
She wasn't sorry, she just wanted to pass a message, and although I got the message clearly, I wasn't bothered.
Not now, not here, not ever.
You don’t get to control me anymore, I exhaled slowly and kept walking, forcing the tension back into its cage.
That was when I collided with someone.
“Whoa…sorry,” a voice said.
I looked up into unfamiliar eyes. A guy, tall, nervous, clearly flustered. He smiled awkwardly, pushing his hair back.
“I, uh… you okay? I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
I nodded once. “It’s fine.”
He hesitated, then smiled wider. “I’ve seen you around. You’re new, right?”
I didn’t answer right away.
“You have this… I don’t know,” he laughed softly. “This presence. I mean.. sorry, that sounded weird.”
I stepped back slightly. “It’s fine.”
He took that as encouragement to keep speaking, as though he couldn't see that I didn't want to keep getting disturbed.
“I’m Ethan. I was wondering if maybe…”
“Move.”
The word cut through the air like a blade, I didn’t need to turn to know who it was.
Jaxon.
Ethan stiffened. “Hey, man, I was just..”
“I said move.”
Something in Jaxon’s voice made the space around us tense, and controlled in a way that suggested effort.
Ethan swallowed and stepped back immediately. “Alright. No problem.” He left quickly, not looking back.
I turned slowly.
Jaxon stood there, jaw tight, eyes darker than I’d ever seen them. His hands were clenched at his sides, his entire body radiating restrained fury.
For a moment, neither of us spoke, although there were a lot of unspoken words between us.
“What was that?” I asked quietly.
His gaze flicked over me, sharp and searching, like he was checking for something. “I should be asking you that.”
My brows knit together. “Why?”
His jaw flexed.“You don’t let people get that close to you.”
The words hit harder than they should have.I folded my arms. “You don’t get to decide that.”
His eyes flashed. “I wasn’t trying to.”
“Then what were you doing?” I asked, trying to push the memories from our encounter the last time, out of my head.
He hesitated, for just a second, and in that second something slipped, something real, raw and unfiltered.
“I'm just Protecting what’s mine.”
My breath caught at the sound of that, and slowly I let my eyes meet his, the air between us tightening and charging up with something neither of us was bold enough to give a name.
I stared at him, my heart pounding, every instinct screaming at once. “who told you I was yours?” I whispered.
He didn’t say anything, instead he just looked at me, and the way he looked at me told me everything I wasn’t ready to hear…