Untouchable

0.20

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Ivy’s POV

The weight of the conversation with Alistair still pressed heavily on my chest as I entered the dorm. The girls were sprawled around, laughing and gossiping as usual, but the moment I stepped inside, the energy shifted.

Kayla was the first to notice. She gave me a small smile but then took in my expression. "What’s wrong?"

Lily and Lynne both paused, their heads turning toward me in unison.

I took a deep breath, running a hand through my hair. "I broke up with Alistair."

The room went quiet.

"Wait, you what?" Kayla asked, blinking in disbelief.

"I didn’t exactly break up with him," I clarified quickly. "He… he called off the deal."

Lynne sat up straighter, her brows furrowing. "What? Why?"

"Because of the kiss with Nathaniel," I said, feeling the familiar sting of bitterness in my words. I hadn’t realized how much it still bothered me until now.

Lily was the first to speak again. "That’s… surprising. I didn’t think it would happen like this."

I shrugged, trying to brush it off. "Neither did I. I don’t know, maybe it was just getting too complicated."

Kayla tilted her head, her expression softening. "But… do you think you’re okay with it? I mean, do you think you want to move on?"

I looked at her, struggling to find the words. "I don’t know. I just—" I broke off, the confusion and uncertainty overwhelming me again. "I don’t know."

Lynne’s voice was gentle but probing. "Do you think that kiss with Nathaniel really meant something, Ivy?"

I froze. "I—"

Kayla raised an eyebrow. "You didn’t think it meant anything? Because from the way you’ve been acting around Nathaniel lately…" She trailed off, a knowing look crossing her face.

I felt the heat rush to my cheeks. "It’s not like that," I said quickly, trying to push the growing anxiety back down. "It was just a game. I mean, we’re not even—"

"Not even what?" Lily asked.

I hesitated, glancing at each of their faces. They were waiting for an answer, but I didn’t have one that felt right. "I just don’t know what I want right now."

Kayla gave me a sympathetic look, but there was an edge to her voice when she spoke. "You need to figure it out, Ivy. Because if you don’t, you might just lose both of them."

My heart sank at the thought. "I’m not trying to lose anyone."

"Well, you might be if you don’t sort out what’s going on between you and Adrian," Kayla added, voice teasing but with an undercurrent of seriousness.

I stiffened at the mention of Adrian. "What about Adrian?"

Lily leaned forward, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "You know there’s tension between you two, right? You’ve been dancing around it since forever. And honestly, it’s kind of obvious to everyone."

I shook my head. "No, there’s nothing between me and Adrian."

Lynne’s gaze softened. "Don’t lie, Ivy. It’s not like we haven’t seen the way you two act around each other. It’s complicated, but it’s there."

I turned away, suddenly feeling like I was suffocating. "I don’t want to talk about it."

Kayla sighed but didn’t press further. "Fine. But just know that you’re not fooling anyone."

There was a pause, and then Lynne dropped her voice. "What about Lily and Sebastian?"

The question hit harder than expected.

Kayla raised an eyebrow. "You didn’t notice? It’s not like they’re all over each other or anything, but they’ve been… different. You know, quieter, more secretive. Like they’re always in their own little world."

I looked between Lynne and Kayla. "I haven’t noticed anything," I admitted, but there was a small flicker of realization deep inside me. "Wait, are you saying there’s something going on between them?"

Lynne shrugged, but the smallest smile tugged at her lips. "Who knows? They’re both good at keeping their cards close to their chest."

Lily, who had been quiet until now, suddenly sat up straighter, her face slightly pink. "There’s nothing going on," she said quickly, a little too defensive.

Kayla smirked. "Right."

Lily groaned and buried her face in her hands. "I hate you guys."

Kayla laughed. "You’ll survive."

I sat down on my bed, trying to absorb everything. The tension between me and Adrian, my confusion about Nathaniel, and now… Lily and Sebastian?

The realization that I had been so distracted with my own drama that I hadn’t even noticed the subtle shifts in their dynamic made my chest tighten.

"I hate this," I muttered, falling back on my pillow.

Kayla, always the optimist, smirked. "Oh, trust me, you’ll survive. But you’ve got some figuring out to do."

I groaned. "I know."

For a moment, there was silence in the room as we all let the weight of the conversation hang between us.

Then, suddenly, a knock echoed from the door.

Before I could react, the door swung open and Nathaniel stepped in, a serious look on his face.

"Can we talk?" he asked, his voice calm but with an underlying urgency that immediately set my nerves on edge.

The girls exchanged glances, and then, as if reading my expression, Kayla grinned. "Looks like you’re going to have a fun night, Ivy."

I glared at her, but my heart wasn’t in it. I knew this wasn’t going to be easy.

Nathaniel stepped aside to let me pass, his gaze never leaving me.

As I walked out into the hallway, I could feel the eyes of the girls on my back, the weight of their unspoken thoughts pressing in.

This was it. Everything was about to get a whole lot more complicated.

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