James stopped a few feet away, denim jacket in hand, his eyes flickering between me and Jace.
His brow furrowed slightly, the easy smile he usually wore fading into something a little more serious.
"You okay?" he asked, voice low, concerned.
I swallowed hard, forcing a small, shaky smile.
"Yeah," I managed to whisper, taking the jacket from his outstretched hand.
Our fingers brushed — just for a second — but it sent an electric pulse straight through me, tightening every nerve in my body.
James's gaze lingered on me for a second longer, searching my face like he was looking for cracks in my armor.
Then he turned, glancing at Jace — who hadn't moved, hadn't spoken, he's hands still in his pocket— just stood there radiating anger like a storm about to break.
James shifted awkwardly, clearly picking up on the heavy tension.
"Uh... do you know him?" he asked, nodding and pointing slightly toward Jace.
I opened my mouth to answer, but before I could get a single word out, Jace spoke — voice sharp, cutting:
"Yeah, she knows me."
James's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Jace, then back at me.
The silence between the three of us stretched tight like an over-wound guitar string.
For a second, James just stood there, denim jacket hanging limply from his hand, something unreadable flashing in his expression.
Then — with a strange, almost bitter half-smile — he said quietly:
"See you around, Vee."
And just like that, he turned and walked away.
I should have felt relieved.
I should have been terrified that everything was crumbling at my feet.
But instead...
Instead, my heart leapt stupidly at the way James said my name — so casual, so familiar, like he already owned a piece of me I hadn't meant to give away.
I watched his retreating figure until he disappeared into the growing shadows of the evening.
Only then did I turn to face Jace,with my head looking down,filled with guilty.
His jaw was clenched so tightly I could see the muscle twitching under his skin.
His hands were fisted at his sides, and when he finally spoke, his voice was dangerously low.
"Who the hell is he?"
I opened my mouth, but no words came out.
What could I even say?
The truth? That James made me feel more alive in an hour than Jace had in weeks?
"I asked you a question, Viola," he snapped, stepping closer.
I flinched at the use of my full name.
"He's just a friend," I said quickly, desperately.
"Nothing happened. We were just— hanging out."
"Just hanging out?" Jace echoed bitterly.
He laughed humorlessly, running a hand through his hair.
"You looked pretty damn cozy for 'just hanging out.'"
I shook my head, feeling the panic rise inside me.
"Jace, please, it's not what you think."
He stared at me for a long, painful moment.
And for the first time since I met him, I saw something crack behind his eyes.
Not anger — not exactly.
Hurt.
"You lied to me," he said quietly.
"You said you had class. You said you couldn't come." We were supposed to had dinner together viola.
I swallowed hard.
Tears pricked at the back of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.
Not here. Not now.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, voice breaking.
He laughed again, but this time it was hollow, empty.
"Save it," he muttered, turning away.
"Jace—" I started, reaching out instinctively.
He flinched back from my touch like it burned him.
"You know what?" he said, voice tight.
"Enjoy your 'friend.'"
And just like that, he was gone — disappearing into the night the same way James had moments earlier, leaving me standing there alone under the flickering streetlights.
---
I sank down onto the low brick wall, burying my face in my hands.
What had I done?
I should have felt guilty.
I should have been devastated that I'd hurt someone who genuinely cared for me.
But instead...
Instead, all I could think about was James.
The way he smiled at me like I was the only girl in the world.
The way he made me laugh until my ribs hurt.
The way he said "See you around, Vee" like a promise he fully intended to keep.
A part of me hated myself for it.
But a bigger part of me — the reckless, impulsive part I couldn't control — wanted more.
---
The next few days at school were a blur.
I avoided Jace like my life depended on it, and he didn't reach out either — no texts, no calls, nothing.
The silence between us was loud enough to drown out everything else.
Meanwhile, James was everywhere.
I saw him across campus — at the cafeteria, at the gym, laughing with his friends in the courtyard.
And every time our eyes met — every single time — it felt like the world tilted just a little off its axis.
He didn't approach me again, though.
Not at first.
He kept his distance, respecting the invisible boundary I had thrown up between us.
But the way he looked at me...
The way his gaze lingered just a little too long, burning a trail across my skin...
It was only a matter of time.
---
It was a rainy Thursday afternoon when everything finally cracked open.
I was sitting under the small covered bench outside the library, waiting for the storm to pass, when James appeared.
No words.
No warning.
He just sat down next to me, close enough that our knees brushed, and said softly:
"You okay?"
I didn't answer.
I couldn't.
The lump in my throat was too big, the emotions swirling inside me too messy to untangle.
We sat there in silence, the rain pounding against the pavement in heavy sheets, until finally — finally — he spoke again.
"I don't know what's going on with you," he said quietly.
"But I know one thing."
I turned to look at him, heart hammering.
He met my gaze head-on, no hesitation, no fear.
"I'm not gonna be your second choice, Vee."
My breath caught in my chest.
And before I could say anything — before I could even think — he leaned in slowly, giving me every chance to pull away.
I didn't.
Our lips met — soft, tentative at first — and then, when I didn't resist, deeper, hotter, more desperate.
The rain blurred everything else into a hazy, shimmering world.
In that moment, there were no boyfriends.
No consequences.
No reality.
Just us.
Just this.