Unkept Promises

They say college is supposed to be the best years of your life. For me, it feels more like holding my breath, waiting for the next crack in the surface to split me wide open. Ever since my mom died, it's been easier to build walls than let anyone see what's left behind them. Safer that way. Cleaner. Less chance of losing someone else.

But of course, Tristan Linwood has never been good at following rules-especially the ones I set.

He's been around as long as I can remember. The boy next door, my brother's best friend, the golden boy of our small town. Now the campus basketball star with a cocky grin that makes every girl within a ten-foot radius go weak in the knees. Every girl except me. At least, that's the story I keep telling myself.

Because here's the thing about Tristan-he's off-limits. Always has been. There's an unspoken rule in our families: I'm the Blake sister, he's the Linwood son, and nothing good could ever come from crossing that line. My brother would kill him, my dad would never forgive me, and everything we've built between our families could shatter in an instant.

And yet, the more he hovers close, the more I notice things I shouldn't. The way his hand lingers at the small of my back when he pushes past me. The way his eyes soften when they catch mine, like he knows more than he should. Like he remembers the secret we promised to bury.

What happens if I let him in?

Or worse-what happens if I don't?