Melanie Parks had it all. An amazing childhood best friend Lauren Porter, they're attending one of the best colleges in the country together, a great family, and a longtime boyfriend, Jamie Sanders, she loves and who loves her back.
Or so she thoug...
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Sunday rolls around all too soon and despite everything my head is telling me about keeping my distance from Spencer, here I am getting ready for our weekly project meeting.
I knew what he was doing when he followed me after class on Wednesday and I tried, I really did try, to get away from him as fast as possible once we were dismissed. I said goodbye to him, told him I had to go, but I didn't get far before he cornered me and dragged me into that damn supply closet.
I'm not going to lie, I did think he was going to kiss me again once we were alone in the small space, but I think he knew it wasn't right, despite him fighting the urge from the look I could see in his eyes as we talked.
The feel of his hands, the way his lips pressed against my forehead before I snuck out like a coward, was overwhelming.
Even now, I can still picture us standing so close together, his hands cradling my face, my own twisted in his navy shirt he wore. My knees almost buckled when he kissed my forehead.
My anxiety starts to rise and I fiddle with my rings, using the gap in-between the tiny moon and star decorating the far frontal edges of the band to keep me grounded with the slight pinch it gives the pad of my thumb.
"Hey," Lauren knocks on my door frame as she pokes her head in.
My head snaps up from looking down at my lap where I'm sitting cross legged on my bed to find her leaning back against the open door. "Hey," I give her a fake smile. I'm dressed for comfort in my sky cropped sweatshirt and light gray leggings and my hair is down with its natural wave.
She's wearing an oversized slouchy racerback seafoam green onesie layered on top of a ribbed high neck heather gray racerback sports bra. "You okay?"
I shrug, still playing with my ring.
Her bare feet softly pad across the room until she's sitting in front of me. "What's going on, Mel-Mel? You've seemed off even more since we got back from Cancun."
"I don't know."
"Is it Jamie?" she asks. "Spencer?" she adds when I don't answer her.
"Both of them I guess. Jamie has been running so hot and cold with me since this semester started and Spencer has inserted himself into my life in a way I wouldn't have ever imagined."
"Okay, so what exactly does that mean? You said you guys talked in class, but didn't tell me about what."
"I don't know. The whole thing has been so weird."
"Did he kiss you again?"
"No," I shake my head. "No, he didn't. But I think he wanted to."
"What?!"
"He chased me down after class and then trapped me in a closet with him."
