The Anatomy of Floating
- Reads 21,652
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- Parts 68
Ongoing9h 56m
Last published Mon, Aug 18, 2025
"Lie to me again. Tell me white lies, tell me big lies. Hell, tell me the sky is green and upside down, just lie to me and show me that you care."
Vera Rosenthal, known hot-head, track and field champion and debate warrior has never been the better person in any fight. She fights hard and she fights dirty, always has.
When Koda Leschi shows up out of nowhere and embarrasses her in front of her whole debate class, with barely anything but a charming smile to show for it, Vera sees red.
Suddenly Koda manages to show up everywhere: at her favorite café, on her friend's birthday, casually leaning against the wall at the frat house and worst of all next to her name on the list of assigned partners for the upcoming debate rounds.
Before long she finds herself spending precious summer afternoons with her sworn enemy who seems too keen on breaking down her walls and revealing all the secrets bubbling under the surface of her blazing eyes.
What happens when lines blur and facades crumble? Will Vera be able to keep her head above water as past traumas come crushing in waves?
Enemies to friends to lovers
Enemies to lovers, but she is the only one who hates him
Academic rivals
Sloooow burn. And by slow I mean really slow.
Forced proximity
Yearning
Female friendship
All Rights Reserved
#74
strongfemalecharacter
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Eva Graham is a guarded, no-nonsense social science major who studies human behavior to understand why people leave-and how to make sure she never lets the wrong ones in. She keeps to herself, avoids drama, and especially avoids campus athletes, whom she considers walking red flags. Cole Grayson is a third-year psychology major, a cocky ice hockey star with a grin that disarms and a fanbase full of puck bunnies. While everyone sees him coasting, Cole's under constant pressure-trying to go pro, balancing school, and keeping up a charming front to hide just how much he's cracking underneath. When Cole starts slipping in class, he's assigned a tutor: Eva. Neither is thrilled. She thinks he's a loud, lazy distraction. He calls her "Teach" just to get under her skin-she responds by calling him "Skates," with just the right amount of disdain. What begins as bickering soon turns into banter... then something softer. The nicknames stick, becoming a quiet thread that ties them together as friends-and maybe more. Cole falls first. Hard. Eva, scared of being hurt and shaped by people who've left before, fights it. Still, she agrees to go to one of his games-just once. But seeing him on the ice, in his world, adored yet somehow still alone, shifts everything. Then the bet surfaces. A stupid, careless thing made before he really knew her-and it threatens to destroy everything they've built. Surrounded by puck bunnies stirring drama, teammates with their own loyalties, and a past Eva isn't ready to share, the fragile trust between them begins to crack. Between jealousy, late-night confessions, and moments where one look says everything, Eva and Cole must decide: is love worth risking it all-even if it started with a bet, a nickname, and everything going wrong?
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