Beyond the Lines

Chapter 14: Not a Big Deal.

Rebecca's POV :

I woke up slowly, blinking against the soft light filtering through the blinds. 

The room was warm, and for a second, everything seemed normal—until I shifted in bed and noticed someone sitting in the chair by the window.

Lane.

My heart dropped. 

He was there, leaning back in the chair, his arms crossed over his chest, eyes fixed on me. It wasn't the usual soft, amused look he gave me after I'd done something dumb, either. 

No, this was different. His gaze flicked over me, lingering on the outfit I was still wearing from last night: the tiny, way-too-short skirt and the top that barely covered anything.

I immediately pulled the blanket up around me, my face flushing red as the memories from the night before came rushing back. 

The bar. The guy. The professor. Oh god.

I cleared my throat, trying to shake off the sudden tension. "Um... hey?"

His eyes didn't move from my outfit. "What are you wearing, Rebecca?"

The tone of his voice sent a chill down my spine. It wasn't playful, or even concerned. 

It was cold, and I wasn't ready for that. I scrambled to explain, but nothing came out.

"Lane, I—"

"You were out in that?" he cut me off, voice hard, jaw clenched. He stood up, pacing a few steps closer to the bed, his eyes still locked on me.

I sat up, hugging the blanket tighter around me. 

"It's not what you think. Jenna convinced me to go out and... it's just a stupid outfit, okay?"

Lane's eyes narrowed, and he let out a short laugh, but it wasn't the usual kind. "Just a stupid outfit? You look like..." He trailed off, shaking his head. "Rebecca, what the hell were you thinking?"

I winced, his words stinging more than I expected. "It's just clothes, Lane. I wasn't doing anything wrong."

He stopped pacing and turned to face me, his gaze intense, like he was trying to keep something inside from boiling over. "So, you didn't do anything wrong. That doesn't explain why you didn't answer my texts or my calls."

I froze. Oh no. My phone. I hadn't even thought about it since last night.

"Lane, I..." I started, but my voice trailed off. How could I even begin to explain what had happened without making him angrier? "My phone died, and I didn't realise it until later."

He ran a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated. 

"So your phone died, and you couldn't find a way to charge it the whole night? Rebecca, I was going out of my mind."

I could see the tension in his shoulders, the way his hands were balled into fists at his sides. 

This wasn't just about the outfit or the phone. 

He was genuinely upset, and I didn't know how to fix it.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, feeling the weight of his frustration pressing down on me. "I didn't mean to worry you. I was just trying to have fun."

"Fun," Lane echoed, his tone biting. "You were out in the middle of the night, dressed like that, not answering your phone, and you expect me to believe you were just having fun?"

I bit my lip, trying to find a way to calm him down, but then, without thinking, the words slipped out. 

"It wasn't a big deal, okay? Professor Whitlock helped me."