Between The Lines

Chapter 127: A.....sleepover?

Rebecca's POV (1st Person):

Exam week had turned into some sort of hyper-focus tunnel. Every waking moment was spent with my head in a book or reciting formulas, and every second of the day felt like a countdown toward either success or failure.

I barely noticed anything else.

Including Lane.

It wasn't intentional. Not at all. I just couldn't shake this overwhelming need to study—to drown myself in preparation. A better future than my parents. That's what I needed, and exams were the key. I could feel the pressure building up like a storm, and studying was my only way to control it.

But Lane wasn't feeling as understanding as I thought he would be.

We hadn't seen each other much outside of school, and even when we did... it was always the same. Me with a textbook. Him, frustrated. Today wasn't any different.

I wasn't surprised when I felt his presence before I even saw him. Lane Montgomery had a way of sneaking up on me like that, his confidence filling any space he walked into.

"Still studying?" His voice was softer than usual, like he was trying to hide his irritation behind it.

I didn't even look up from my notes. "Yeah. Big exam tomorrow."

There was a pause. I could sense him hovering near the edge of the table, probably running a hand through his hair. "You've been studying every single day," he muttered, sounding almost...annoyed?

I blinked and glanced up at him. He was leaning against the table, arms crossed, a slight furrow in his brow. It wasn't like him to get upset about something so trivial.

"So?" I said, raising an eyebrow. "I need to pass these exams, Lane. I thought you, of all people, would understand that."

He let out a quiet sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I do. But I'm starting to feel like you've replaced me with textbooks."

I stared at him. Lane Montgomery... jealous of textbooks? That couldn't be right. He was always so sure of himself. He was Lane, the guy who could make me forget everything with just one look.

"Wait..." I set my pen down, pushing the books aside slightly. "Are you... jealous?"

Lane frowned, trying to laugh it off, but the discomfort was there. "Of course not." He shifted, but he wasn't convincing. "I just—"

"You're totally jealous." I couldn't help it. The words slipped out, a little too loud for the quiet library, but it made him tense up. His eyes darted to the stacks of books surrounding me, and then back to me.

"Rebecca, this is stupid," he said, but there was something vulnerable in the way he said it, like he wasn't used to feeling this way. His jaw clenched, and I could see the tension building.

I couldn't believe it. Lane Montgomery — confident, dominant, unshakable — was getting self-conscious over my schoolwork.

"Wow," I muttered, almost laughing but biting my lip. "I never thought I'd see the day."

He shot me a look. "What day?"

I leaned back in my chair, folding my arms. "The day you get jealous over something so... stupid."

Lane glared, but there was a flicker of something softer beneath it, something that made me want to hug him. Or laugh. Probably both.

"I'm not jealous," he repeated, but it was too late. His tone gave him away, and I couldn't stop myself from smiling.

"You totally are," I teased, shaking my head in disbelief. "Over textbooks? Lane, you—"

He moved closer, looming over me, his frustration now shifting into something more intense. "It's not just the textbooks, Becca. It's that you're so focused on them that you're not even here. You're always somewhere else, and I'm... I'm right here."