Leighton Katmere chose to jump off the roof of the tallest building on campus at 3:04 a.m., but she didn't choose to be saved. Ronan Fitch was everything Leighton didn't trust, rich, reckless, gorgeous, and infamous for never taking anything seriously, but the night he pulled her back from the edge, he didn't leave. He kept showing up, he kept choosing her, and somehow, in a house full of chaotic frat boys, a very grumpy cat, and late night pancakes, Leighton started to feel something she hadn't felt in a long time: Safe. And when he found the list, scribbled like to her future self, full of small, impossible things she never thought she'd live long enough to do, Ronan decided they were going to start crossing it off. One by one. But surviving the night doesn't erase what came before. It doesn't fix the scars Leighton hides under sleeves, or the rumors that cling to Ronan. It doesn't stop the people who still think they get to touch her life, and when the campus finally shows its teeth, Leighton realizes safety can be taken as easily as it's given. Ronan wants her anyway, patiently, like he's not afraid of the messy parts, quiet promises and a hand held tight enough to keep her here. Leighton doesn't know how to trust a boy like him. She doesn't know how to be someone's choice, but with every item they cross off, she gets closer to the scariest one of all: Being happy. Even if it's just for a little while.

Ava Baker has always been careful. Careful who she trusts, careful who she lets in, careful not to let the darkness of her past define her. But when Miles Bacardi-the boy who was once her everything-disappears the day she needs him most, she's left to face grief, secrets, and a world that doesn't forgive mistakes. Years later, they're thrown back together as college lab partners. He's colder now, sharper, and distant in ways that make her heart ache. She's hiding bruises no one can see, chaos behind every smile, and a fear that some things can't be fixed. Every glance, every argument, every accidental touch sparks memories they both tried to bury. Old feelings stir alongside new desires, and the past refuses to stay buried. Ava doesn't want saving. Miles doesn't want to care. But some connections won't be ignored-and some fires refuse to die. As secrets, lies, and lingering danger threaten to tear them apart, can they survive the past-and each other-or will everything they've fought to protect burn away?