"Rosie." She stopped, pulling me to the side of the hallway. "I'm your friend. And I'm telling you this because I care: whatever's going on between you and Derek, you need to be careful. Aaron's already suspicious. And if Sebastian's noticed..."
Ice shot through my veins. "Sebastian?"
"He mentioned something to Maddox about you wearing Derek's hoodie. About the way Derek looks at you. About seeing you too look very cozy leaving the studio." Nova's voice was gentle but firm. "I'm not saying anything's happening. I'm just saying... be smart about it."
I swallowed hard. "Nothing's happening."
"Okay." Nova didn't look like she believed me, but she didn't push. "Just... be careful. That's all I'm saying."
She squeezed my arm and headed off to her next class, leaving me standing there with my stomach in knots.
Sebastian had noticed.
If Sebastian had noticed, who else had?
I pulled out my phone.
We need to talk. Sebastian's suspicious.
Derek
Fuck
Studio. Now. Skip class.
I can't just...
Derek
Please. This is important.
I looked at my schedule. Biology was next, a class I couldn't really afford to miss with midterms coming up. But the urgency in Derek's texts made the decision for me.
On my way.
The studio was empty when I arrived, but Derek showed up minutes later, slightly out of breath like he'd run the whole way.
"What did Nova say exactly?" he asked, locking the door behind him.
I repeated the conversation, watching his expression darken with each word.
"Sebastian." Derek ran his hands through his hair. "Of course it's Sebastian."
"Why of course?"
"Because he's been after my starting position since I got injured. If he thinks he has dirt on me, something that could distract me or cause team drama..." Derek shook his head. "He'll use it."
"What are we going to do?"
"I don't know." He pulled me into his arms, and I melted against him, breathing in his scent. "Maybe we should just tell Aaron now. Get ahead of it."
"Before the Westpoint game?" I pulled back to look at him. "Derek, you need to focus. You need to be mentally ready for that game. If we tell Aaron now and he freaks out..."
"It might be worse if we don't tell him and someone else does." Derek cupped my face. "I don't want to hide anymore, Rosie. I'm tired of pretending you're not everything to me."
"I know. Me too." I kissed him softly. "But let's get through Halloween first. See what Sebastian actually knows. If we tell Aaron right before Westpoint and it goes badly, you won't be able to focus on the game."
Derek pressed his forehead to mine. "When did you become the logical one?"
