Fire Burning

Flowers

Riley didn’t rush me when we stood up from under the oak tree. He just smiled — easy, lazy, like the world could spin slower if I needed it to. His hand brushed lightly against my arm, fingers gliding down until he curled them in offer, palm up, casual but steady. Like he wasn’t forcing me. Like he was just there if I needed something to hold onto.

Without thinking, I slid my hand into the crook of his arm. His body was solid and warm beneath the soft fabric of his hoodie, a steady weight beside me as we wandered slowly back toward the school building. I tightened my grip without meaning to, clutching onto him like I could hold the new hollow inside of me closed just a little longer.

Neither of us said much as we moved through the halls, the empty echo of our footsteps bouncing off the lockers. A few stragglers rushed past, laughing, shouting, their lives still intact, unbroken. I kept my eyes down, focusing on the faint scuff marks along the floor, on the distant hum of the vending machine near the stairwell.

Riley kept close, his voice low when he did speak — tossing out soft jokes under his breath that made me smile despite everything ripping me apart inside. Every time I smiled, even a little, he bumped my shoulder lightly, like he was stitching me back together with every brush, every glance.

We rounded the final corner toward AP Chemistry, walking slower than we should have been, and Riley tugged gently on my sleeve, pulling me to a stop just outside the door. The soft pressure made my heart stutter painfully.

"You sure you wanna go in there yet?" he murmured, voice dipped low, teasing but careful.

I tilted my head slightly, heart still heavy, and before I could answer, he stepped closer — the space between us disappearing like it had never been there. His hand lifted slowly, brushing a loose strand of hair behind my ear with a tenderness that undid me in ways I couldn’t name.

Then he leaned in, slow and sure, his mouth brushing the corner of mine in a kiss so soft, so careful, it made my throat close up.

It wasn’t demanding.

It wasn’t desperate.

It was... safe.

A warmth I didn’t realize I’d been starving for.

The kiss barely lasted a second, but it wrecked something inside me. Left me breathless, weightless, desperate for more of something I didn’t know how to ask for.

And then —

Footsteps.

Voices.

I blinked, startled, pulling back just in time to catch Aristotle and Jeremy rounding the corner.

Aristotle froze the second he saw us.

His body locked — fists clenching, jaw snapping tight like a loaded gun. His eyes burned into mine, raw and furious and aching all at once. Jeremy slowed beside him, confusion flashing over his face, quick and ugly, before he masked it under something colder.

Riley didn’t even blink.
He just smiled — slow, lazy, devastating — and slid his fingers down to catch mine, lacing them gently together.

He squeezed once — soft but firm — like he was claiming me right there, in front of them.

"Let's go to class, pretty girl," he said low against my ear, voice a warm breath that made the hair on my neck rise.

Still holding my hand, Riley pushed open the classroom door and pulled me gently through with him.

I didn’t look back.

I didn’t see Aristotle's shoulders stiffen further, or the way Jeremy grabbed his arm like he was stopping a brawl from starting right there in the hall.