Love after Death (S1) [Completed]

Chapter 33: Catching Up to the Curve

Miguel's POV

I stood there, paralyzed by the sheer momentum of everything. The air between Liam and me felt thick-charged with a kind of electricity that was both terrifying and addictive. Everything was moving at a breakneck pace, and while my mind was screaming for a manual override, my heart was already leaning into the curve.

"I'll fetch you tomorrow, then we can head to campus together?" Liam asked. He was leaning against the car door, his gaze fixed on me with an intensity that made it hard to breathe.

"Isn't that going to be a bit... obvious?" I replied, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Obvious for what?" he asked, tilting his head with a look of genuine confusion-or a very good imitation of it.

"You know exactly what I mean, Liam," I said, finally forcing myself to look away. "This is moving too fast."

"What is?"

"This. Us. Whatever 'this' thing is," I gestured vaguely between us. "It doesn't feel right yet. I'm still figuring out who I am in all of this. Just because you've accepted that I'm... different now, doesn't mean we're suddenly soulmates. We haven't even had a real chance to just be." A slow smirk spread across his face.

"So, what you're saying is... you want us to go on a date? A bonding session? Because that sounds perfect to me."

"That's not what I meant," I snapped, though the heat rising to my cheeks betrayed me.

"Then what? You want us to be super close? Inseparable?"

His rapid-fire responses were stripping away my defenses. He had this way of cornering me with logic that felt more like a dare than a conversation. I felt the last of my composure slipping.

"I don't know," I sighed, leaning my head back against the seat. "It's just a lot to process."

"I know, Miguel," he said softly. He shifted gears, his attention returning to the road as he began to drive. "But wouldn't it be easier if we stopped trying to map out the destination? Maybe we should just let things happen. Stop worrying about the 'why' and the 'how' for a second. Just go with the flow?"

"I don't know if I can do that," I admitted, watching his profile in the dim light of the dashboard. "I'm a thinker, Liam. I can't just turn off my brain when everything feels like it's shifting under my feet."

I watched him-the way his hands gripped the steering wheel, the calm set of his jaw. There was a strange duality in my chest: a chaotic swirl of confusion and a quiet, budding sense of happiness that I was too stubborn to name.

"You want ice cream?" I blinked, realizing I had been staring. Liam was looking back at me now, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Careful, Miguel. You might melt me if you keep staring like that."

"Wow. The audacity," I muttered, quickly snapping my head toward the window.

"Miguel?"

"What?"

"Why are you looking away now?"

"Are you really asking me that?" I let out a dry laugh.

"You look intense," he teased, clearly enjoying my discomfort. I let out a long, dramatic sigh.

"Chill. I'm just trying to break the tension. We've been way too serious since yesterday."