TOUCH .

not so tough after all

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🌞🌞🌞🌞 MAYA'S POV 🌞🌞🌞🌞

I stared at my phone for a moment, watching the sent messages sit there, waiting for a response. My hands were still trembling slightly as I wiped them on my towel, stepping out of the shower. The heat from the water had done little to calm the fire in my chest.

I didn’t know why I texted her back. Maybe I wanted to see what she would do. Maybe I wanted her to know I wasn’t scared of her. Or maybe—just maybe—some small, fucked-up part of me wanted to see her try.

I dried my hair, wrapped myself in my robe, and walked to my bed, feeling exhaustion pull at me. I could still feel the ghost of her fingers around my neck, the way her grip tightened with each second. My breathing hitched at the memory, and I had to shake my head to clear it.

She doesn’t own me.

I needed to keep repeating that. Over and over.

I grabbed my phone again, saw the read receipts pop up under my last message, and sighed. She was probably losing her mind right now, and that thought should have made me feel better. It didn’t.

I stared at the time. 6:52 PM.

I should ignore her. Let her sit in whatever self-inflicted misery she was drowning in. But the curiosity was eating at me. Would she show up anyway? Would she keep texting? Would she… break again?

And why the hell did I care?

I needed a distraction.

I reached over to my nightstand and grabbed my joint from earlier, lighting it and taking a deep pull. The smoke curled in the dim light of my room, and I let my body sink into the mattress. Maybe I should get dressed and go out. Maybe I should—

PING.

My heart jumped.

I hesitated before flipping my phone over, my eyes scanning the message.

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🌞🌞🌞🌞 RAVEEN’S POV 🌞🌞🌞🌞

My heart was hammering against my ribs as I stared at the screen.

Tiny 🦋
Hey, I don’t think I’m gonna make it...

I gripped the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turned white. My chest felt tight, and my brain wasn’t processing the words fast enough.

Then—another ping.

Tiny 🦋
ON TIME MY HANDS A REB SLIPPERRYY IM IN THESHOW ER

I let out a sharp breath, my body finally moving as I threw my phone into the passenger seat and ran a hand down my face.

This girl was going to be the death of me.

I restarted the car, pressing my foot down on the gas a little too hard, making the tires screech as I pulled out. I didn’t even care about the damn blue roses anymore. She was playing games with me, and I wasn’t in the mood for games.

My hands were still shaking. My head was still spinning.

Maya was all I could think about. Her voice, her eyes, the way she looked up at me with that mix of defiance and fear. The way I could feel her pulse under my fingers when I…

I clenched my jaw.

I didn’t mean to. I didn’t mean to.

I kept repeating it like a mantra, but it didn’t erase the memory of her gasping for air, looking at me like I was a fucking monster.