To Renna Rose Lancaster, Aadam Callahan was her first taste of magic-the boy who made her world feel livelier, brighter, like anything was possible. Together they crafted a bond that felt unbreakable-a universe where dreams were shared under starlit...
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The lecture hall was practically vibrating with a low hum of boredom, and the professor was droning on, but I barely even noticed.
Every time I looked down at my laptop screen, I saw Aadam’s face instead of the lecture slides. Oh, I’m not going to get anything done today.
Suddenly, a light nudge hit my arm, and I glanced over at Isla. She had this wide-eyed grin on her face, practically vibrating with anticipation. Oh no, she was onto me.
“So,” she whispered, eyes narrowing in that way that made me gulp. “What happened?”
My heart did a little flip-flop as I glanced around, making sure no one else was paying attention. But this was Isla and I could already feel everything I’d been keeping inside spilling out. Just start slow, Renna.
“Okay… well, we… had dinner.” I tried to keep my voice steady, but there was this giddy tone slipping in that I couldn’t control. I might’ve sounded like I’d won the lottery or something.
Isla's eyes widened, her grin growing. “And then?” Her voice was a little louder now, and I quickly shushed her.
“We had dinner… and then…” I hesitated, feeling my cheeks go warm as I remembered the rest. “And then I stayed over.” I kept my voice low, but there was no hiding the grin on my face.
“Oh my god,” Isla whispered, practically bouncing in her seat. “And then what? Don’t you dare stop there!”
I glanced down, fiddling with the keys of the laptop, trying to hide the ridiculous smile on my face. “Then… then we watched a movie,” I said, sneaking a peek at her. I felt my face heat up all over again as I whispered, “The Grudge.”
She blinked, processing this, and her eyes lit up. “Hold on… you actually watched The Grudge? With him? In the storm? At night? In that big, creepy house? You’re kidding.”
I nodded, feeling a little flutter in my stomach just thinking about it. “Yeah, and he… um, he held me the entire time. I think I squeezed his arm so hard he’s probably got bruises,” I muttered, feeling half-embarrassed, half-giddy.
Isla looked like she was going to combust. She slapped a hand over her mouth, eyes glinting with mischief. “Oh, this is too good. So, you were practically glued to him while watching one of the scariest movies ever made. And?”
Her urgency made me giggle under my breath. “We were so close… I was hiding my face in his arm half the time, I could barely even look at the screen,” I admitted.
