Chapter 6 Living In My Head

~Nicole~

I woke up in a house I didn't want to be in, in my bed, with a whole attitude I didn't bother hiding.

This was supposed to be a fresh start. New school. Dorm room. Peace.

Instead?

Back in the spider web.

Thanks to her.

I sat up, hair wild, mouth dry, and cursed under my breath.

"God, I should've fought harder."

But you don't argue with H.P.

Not if you like your spine intact.

She was already downstairs, dressed like she was headed to a boardroom or a funeral...hard to tell with her.

"Five minutes," she said without looking up.

"I had a dorm room, you know," I muttered, grabbing a piece of toast.

"You wanted to be here.. So deal with it," she corrected, sipping coffee like her words weren't a punch in the throat.

"No. I wanted to be in the Royal Academy. Not back in the same house I stayed while attending Weakers Academy."

"You're lucky you were accepted."

I scoffed. "You mean I had a chance to not sneak out of a car like some spy on the run."

Her gaze lifted, cool. Unbothered.

"You know the rules."

"Yeah. Rule one: never let anyone see us breathe the same air."

She didn't flinch.

Of course she didn't.

H.P. never blinked unless it was on purpose.

The car ride was dead silent.

Tense in that way only we knew how to master.

I leaned against the window, watching other cars pull into the student lot like actual parents dropping off their actual kids like normal human beings.

But not us.

Nope.

H.P. pulled to a stop two blocks away from the main entrance.

"Here's fine," she said.

I blinked. "You're joking."

She put the car in park.

"This is ridiculous," I muttered. "We're not even on campus."

"You'll walk."

"I could've stayed in the dorms and walked less."

She didn't answer.

Just tapped her fingers once on the steering wheel.

I grabbed my bag, shoving the door open harder than I needed to.

"You know what?" I said, turning back to face her. "One day, I'm gonna figure out why you keep hiding me."

She looked at me...just for a second.

Something cold in her eyes..

Then she smiled.

"I look forward to it."

And with that, the car peeled off.

Leaving me in the middle of nowhere.

Again.

My boots hit the pavement fast.

Every step tighter than the last.

I was tired of being handled. Tired of being hidden. Tired of..

"Lost again, Winter?"

The voice slid over me.

My heart stuttered.

I looked up.

Liam.

Leaning against a fence post. Hoodie half-zipped. Lip ring glinting. Fingers tucked into his pockets.

He grinned.

"Didn't think I'd see you walking from this side of town," he said. "Detention already?"

I opened my mouth...snapped it shut...then glared.

"None of your business."

He pushed off the fence, falling into step beside me like we did this every day.

"I make it my business," he said smoothly. "You've got a look on your face."

"What look?"

He grinned.

"The one people get when they're two seconds from exploding."

I rolled my eyes.

He leaned closer.

"Want me to help with that?"

My thighs clenched.

Dammit.

"With what?" I asked. "The slow death of my sanity?"

Liam's eyes flicked to my clenched fists. Then lower. A slow, lazy drag down my body.

"The tension," he said. "You're vibrating like a live wire."

I scoffed. "I'm not tense."

"You are."

He stopped walking.

So did I.

"Your jaw's tight," he said, stepping closer. "You clench your fists. Your eyes? Screaming."

He leaned in just a little. Enough for his voice to drop.

"Wanna know what else gives you away?"

"Nope."

"Your thighs," he said.

I blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You're squeezing them."

My face flamed. "No, I'm not."

His mouth twitched. "You just did it again."

I took a step back.

Mistake.

Because he stepped forward, closing the distance between us.

His body heat hit me like a furnace. He smelled like chocolate chip cookies.

He leaned down.

"I could take the edge off," he whispered.

My throat tightened. "You're joking."

"Not really. Just an offer."

"What kind of offer?"

His smile deepened.

"Hands-on therapy."

My whole body locked.

"W-What the hell does that even mean?"

He didn't answer.

His eyes burned into mine. Then drifted down... to my lips.

And lower.

God.

My stomach twisted.

His voice dropped to a murmur. "You're like a glass ready to crack."

He reached up.

His fingers barely grazed my wrist. Just a whisper of a touch.

"You're warm," he said softly.

I pulled back.

He caught my hand.

Not forcefully. Just... there. Holding.

Thumb brushing gently over my palm.

"You think I haven't seen this before?" he murmured. "The girl who says she's fine but is burning from the inside out?"

I swallowed. Hard.

"I don't need therapy," I muttered.

His mouth tilted into a smirk. "Yeah? Then why are you shaking?"

"I'm not."

He laughed. Soft. Low. Way too hot for 8:30 a.m.

"Sure you do," he said.

He stepped even closer.

Now our chests were almost touching. His breath brushed my cheek.

And then..

"I don't kiss girls who flinch," he whispered.

My brain short-circuited.

He leaned in.

I forgot how to breathe.

His lips hovered near my ear. "But only if they beg."

Then...just like that...he pulled away.

Hands in pockets. Like he didn't just make my brain think things in seconds.

"Coming?" he called, already walking toward the gate.

My knees were jelly.

But I straightened, threw my hair back, and called out..

"You wish," I said, forcing my legs to move even though my thighs still remembered his voice.

Liam didn't answer, just smiled like he already knew he'd be living in my head rent-free.

I was just starting to recover when-

"Yo. Liam!"

A voice. Deep. Familiar.

My whole body tensed.

No. No way.

Liam turned toward the sound casually.

"Hey, man."

I turned too.

And when I saw who was walking toward us..

My breath caught.