Untouchable

0.19

Ivy’s POV

I expected my first day back at school to be overwhelming, but nothing could have prepared me for this.

"Are you serious?" My voice came out quieter than I intended, barely above a whisper.

Alistair leaned back against the lockers, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. "Yeah."

I studied his face, searching for some sign that he was joking, but there was nothing—just the cool, detached mask he wore when he didn’t want to be read.

"You want to call off the deal?"

He sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. "It was fun while it lasted, right?" His tone was light, but there was an edge to it, something heavy underneath.

I crossed my arms, trying to keep my voice steady. "But why now?"

Alistair didn’t answer right away. He just stared at the floor like the words were hard to find. "I just think it’s run its course."

I scoffed. "Bullshit."

His lips twitched, like he wanted to smirk but couldn’t quite manage it. "Why? You gonna miss me, Collins?"

I ignored the teasing. "Alistair, if this is about the kiss—"

"It’s not," he cut in. "At least, not in the way you think."

I frowned. "Then what?"

He hesitated. It was barely noticeable, just a slight pause before he spoke again. "I just think it’s better this way. For both of us."

The way he said it—like he was forcing himself to believe it—sent a strange, uneasy feeling through me.

For both of us.

Liar.

I could tell he was holding something back, but I also knew that pushing wouldn’t get me anywhere. Alistair only opened up when he wanted to, and right now, he was shutting me out.

And that hurt more than I wanted to admit.

"Fine," I muttered. "If that’s what you want."

He finally met my eyes, something unreadable flashing across his face. "Yeah."

Silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating. It felt... final. Like something was ending.

I swallowed. "So, what now? We just go back to normal?"

He let out a dry laugh. "Collins, we were never normal to begin with."

That made me smile, just a little.

And just like that, the tension cracked.

His expression softened, and for the first time in days, he looked like my Alistair again—the one who drove me crazy but somehow always managed to make me feel safe.

"Friends?" I asked hesitantly.

He tilted his head, pretending to think. "I don’t know. You’re kind of a pain in the ass."

I rolled my eyes. "Takes one to know one."

His lips quirked up. "Alright, fine. Friends."

And just like that, the weight in my chest loosened.

It wasn’t the same, but it was something.

And then—just as the moment settled—something shifted. A sound.

Footsteps.

Alistair and I froze.

I glanced down the hallway, heart pounding. "Did you hear that?"

His gaze was sharp now, all traces of amusement gone. "Yeah."

Someone was listening.

Alistair pushed off the lockers, scanning the corridor. I followed his gaze, but the hallway was empty.

Too empty.

I took a slow breath. "Whoever it was, they’re gone now."

He didn’t look convinced, but after a moment, he nodded. "Yeah. But something tells me this isn’t the last time we’ll hear about it."

I swallowed. "Great."

He smirked. "Welcome back to school, Collins."

I groaned. "I already hate it here."

He chuckled, and for just a second, everything felt normal again.

Even if I had a sinking feeling that normal wouldn’t last.

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