Elijah was done.
Done with her games. Done with the push and pull. Done pretending he didn't care when clearly… he did.
The moment their tutoring session ended, he grabbed his books and made for the door without a word.
Brielle, slouched in her chair, didn't stop him.
Until he actually left.
She jumped up and followed. "What, no sarcastic goodbye today?"
He didn't turn. "Let's just skip the part where you mock me."
Brielle blinked. That one… stung a little.
"Elijah..."
"I'm not your emotional punching bag, Brielle." He turned sharply, voice low but tight. "I'm not here for you to tease when you're bored or ignore when you're not."
She flinched. Not because of the volume, but because he meant every word.
"You think I'm doing this for fun?" she snapped.
"Isn't that what you do?" His eyes burned. "Mess with people to feel like you're in control?"
Silence stretched between them like a wire pulled too tight.
And then it snapped.
"You know what?" he said, voice cracking. "This tutoring thing? I'm done."
He started to walk off again, but this time, she stepped in front of him.
She didn't speak. She didn't explain.
She kissed him.
Right there in the empty hallway of St. Augustine's, where the lights flickered and lockers echoed the quiet.
It wasn't soft or romantic. It was chaotic, desperate. A mess of confusion and emotion and unspoken things.
When she pulled back, he just stared at her.
Brielle bit her lip, the mask cracking. "I didn't mean to."
"You did," he said. "You just didn't plan to feel anything after."
More silence.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
For once, Elijah didn't know what to say.
And that terrified him more than anything.
Can one kiss really undo everything, or is it the start of something neither of them is ready for?