Leggolas1012: And lastly, that’s not intimacy, Austen. That’s pure evil. What we’re trying to write is something between two people who love each other deeply.
Then I amended,
Leggolas1012: It’s okay if you don’t want to do that scene. Scrap the dual point of view. I’ll write it from Jack’s POV.
We’d planned on writing half the scene from Raven’s POV, and half from Jack’s. Giving our readers a double prize since they’d had to wait so long.
Austentacious119: No! I want to do it the way we planned. I think it will be beautiful and it might help me heal. I just need to figure myself out.
Austentacious119: Can you give me one more week?
I stared at her words, worry pitting in my gut. But I couldn’t push her on this. She needed to do it in her own time. Even if it didn’t happen in this book at all.
Austentacious119: What if today we write a scene where they’re trapped in a tight closet and they keep bumping into each other?
I blew out my breath, determined to forget about the Reddit thread and the outcry that was going to follow. Austen’s mental health was more important.
Leggolas1012: Yeah, of course. Do you want to talk about *it*?
I stared at my last message with my finger hovering over the return key. Did I want tohearabout it? No. But she’d become a close friend. And friends listen. I pressed enter.
Austentacious119: Not really.
Austentacious119: Not trying to be mean. I’ve talked about it ad nauseam for the past nine years with my therapist. I’m all talked out.
Austentacious119: Is it okay if we start writing?
Leggolas1012: Absolutely. Let the writing commence!
Austentacious119: Wait! Not so fast. You know my next question…
Leggolas1012: *groans*
Austentacious119: Did you tell The Girl yet? Read her the poem?
I stared at her message. I could tell her about the kiss. But what Austen needed right now was something light and optimistic. Something with a happily ever after off in the distance. And my relationship with Tally was the opposite of that.
Leggolas1012: It’s my turn for the motivational quote.
Austentacious119: LEGGS.
Leggolas1012: Let the writing commence.
Austentacious119: *grumpily crosses arms* Let the writing commence.
licensed to swoon—chapter twenty one
RAVEN
The supply closet was impossibly small, barely large enough for one person. Yet here we were, Jack and I, searching for a hidden microchip, his arms were wrapped around my waist as he held me up.
"Any sign of the package?" Jack's whisper brushed against my collarbone, sending an involuntary shiver down my spine.
I steadied my breath, focusing on the task at hand. "Negative. Continuing to sweep the upper shelves."
As I reached up, my back pressed against his chest. Solid. Warm. I bit my lip, forcing my mind on the mission.
"Allow me," Jack murmured, his arm extending past mine to search a higher shelf. The movement brought us even closer, my body hyper-aware of every point of contact.
