The Game

𝟐𝟎

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑻𝒘𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒚 - 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝑹𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈

We made it to the library in silence, but my thoughts weren't quiet at all.

My hands were stuffed in my pockets. I'd kept my eyes front the entire walk — didn't trust myself not to glance down and get even more worked up. But I still felt her next to me. Heard the soft swish of those damn shorts. Caught the sweet hint of vanilla from her perfume every time she moved too close.

She led us to a table tucked in the far corner near the windows, quiet and mostly hidden from the rest of the room. I dropped into the chair beside her, trying not to let my body language scream just how hard I was trying to chill.

Aliya pulled out the worksheet and uncapped her pen. "Okay, we're on question eight, right? Sine and cosine identities?"

"Right," I muttered, looking down at the problem like it was written in Greek. "I'm not gonna lie, none of this makes sense."

She giggled — low, soft, and warm. "Trig is easy once it clicks."

Easy for her to say. She bent forward, leaning closer to the page, and pointed at the equation. "So you're gonna isolate the sine function, then simplify. Here —"

She stood and moved beside me, one hand resting on the edge of the desk while the other held her pen to the paper.

And that was it.

That was all it took.

She leaned down beside me, just slightly — barely more than a tilt — but it was enough for her tank top to shift, her back arching in the prettiest goddamn curve I'd ever seen. Her spine dipped right into her waist, hips jutting softly back... and those shorts. Fuck. Those shorts.

The fabric stretched tight over her ass, high and snug. One of the legs rode up just a little, teasing the bottom curve of her ass. I swear I could see the edge of her skin pressing against the cotton.

And she was right next to me. Close enough to feel the heat coming off her. Close enough for me to imagine exactly what that skin would feel like under my hands.

"Chris?" she asked, head still tilted toward the page.

"Huh?" I blinked up at her, voice a little too thick.

She straightened, one brow raised. "Did I explain it weird? I can try again. I'll go slower this time."

No, please don't. That'll only make it worse.

"Yeah," I cleared my throat. "Yeah, that'd help."

She nodded, eyes kind, totally innocent. She sat beside me again and turned the paper toward me. "Okay. So we're breaking the function into smaller pieces. If you memorize the unit circle, you'll see—"

I wasn't hearing any of it. Not really.

I was watching her lips move, how they shaped every word. Soft and plush and pink — they looked so kissable. My eyes dragged up to hers, that preey hazel-like green shining under the library lights. Her lashes flicked as she glanced at the paper, and her voice dipped into something soothing. Rhythmic. Hypnotic.

It started playing tricks on me.

My mind filled in the gaps between her words, twisting them into things she wasn't actually saying.

Do I make you nervous, baby?

I shifted in my seat.

Let's get out of here... go somewhere you can touch me...