Intoxicating

"is it better to speak, or to die?"

At the end of the day, I walked out of the school building, the cool breeze brushing against my face as I made my way to Timothée's truck. I'd been avoiding Courtney all day, dodging her in the hallways and avoiding her texts. It wasn't easy-part of me still had feelings for her, feelings I couldn't just shake off overnight.

I spotted his truck across the parking lot, and my heart fluttered the closer I got. He was leaning against the side, arms crossed, eyes scanning the crowd, but the moment he saw me, his face lit up.

"Hey, you," he greeted, opening the door for me.

"Hey," I replied, feeling that familiar rush as I climbed into the passenger seat.

We sat in comfortable silence for a minute as he pulled out of the lot. My thoughts were all over the place-about Courtney, about Timothée, and about how fast things were moving between us.

Timothée glanced at me as we hit the road, the corner of his mouth twitching into a smile. "You've been quiet today. Avoiding someone?"

I laughed softly, leaning back in my seat. "You could say that. I've just been thinking... a lot."

"About?" he asked, turning his full attention to me now.

"About everything," I admitted. "Courtney... you... us."

He nodded but didn't say anything right away, letting me take my time.

"I'm really starting to fall for you, Timothée," I finally whispered, the words hanging in the air between us.

Timothée reached over and squeezed my hand. "I'm falling for you too, Leia. That's why I needed to ask you something."

I looked at him, heart pounding. "What is it?"

He gave me a half-smile, the kind that made my stomach flip. "Let's talk when we get to your place."

The anticipation built with every passing minute, and all I could think about was him and what he was going to ask.

As we drove past my street, I realized Timothée wasn't taking me home. My pulse quickened, and I glanced at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Not taking me home, huh?" I asked, a teasing smile playing on my lips.

He smirked, eyes still on the road. "My parents aren't home, and my sister's been moved out for years. I figured we could have the place to ourselves for a bit."

A flutter of excitement coursed through me at the thought of being alone with him. I knew what that meant, and despite everything running through my mind, I wanted it just as much.

"Yeah?" I asked, leaning back in my seat, trying to keep my tone casual even though my heart was racing.

He nodded, his hand resting on the gear shift, dangerously close to mine. "Yeah. I thought we could talk... and maybe do a little more."

My stomach flipped. I could feel the tension between us, but it wasn't just sexual. There was something deeper, more meaningful in the way he looked at me, something I wasn't quite ready to name yet.

We pulled into his driveway, and he cut the engine. The silence between us was thick with anticipation as we climbed out of the truck and made our way to the front door. Timothée unlocked it, pushing it open and gesturing for me to go inside first.

The house was quiet, empty, the faintest scent of whatever his mom had cooked for dinner still lingering in the air. I glanced around, a little nostalgic-I'd been here plenty of times before when we were younger, but it felt different now.

Timothée kicked off his shoes and tossed his keys on the counter, turning to me with that familiar smirk. "Make yourself at home,"

I couldn't help but laugh at how nonchalant he sounded, even though I could feel the tension building. I slipped off my shoes and followed him to the living room, where he sat on the couch, leaning back casually, motioning for me to join him.