Heheardher.
Did he stand in front of her class, waiting? I did that.
Did he trail her across campus? I did that.
Did he hover when she met with teachers, pretending he didn’t care, all to hear it? I did that. And still… nothing.
I get fuck all.
I’d takeanything. A whisper of “yes”. A simple “no”. Even my name falling from her lips would make the world stop.
God, I’dkilljust to hear her say it.
Even an insult, spat at me in that soft,softvoice… I’d take it.
Anything.
Anything to know she’s capable of breaking the silence for me, even if only for a second.
A flicker from the corner of my eye pulled me out of my thoughts. My laptop on the coffee table had a new notification. I crossed the room and sank onto the couch, leaning over to check the email.
The first thing that grabbed my attention wasn’t the subject line; it was her name. Bold, clear, undeniable:Aurora Campbell.My eyes raced across every word in the email, devouring them as if each letter held a clue to her.
Subject:Shadowing Assignment –Aurora Campbell
Dear Joshua Lockhart,
You have been assigned as the primary contact forAurora Campbell, a student in the psychology programme, who will be shadowing you for the upcoming weeks as part of her research project on Sports Psychology.
Please provide her with guidance and access as needed. She will be observing your training sessions, team interactions, and related activities.
For detailed instructions and scheduling, pleaseclick here.
Thank you,
Silverwood University – Psychology Department
Holy shit… I didn’t think the universe would just hand her to me like this.
My hand shot up to cover my mouth, but it couldn’t hide the curve of my lips, curling in a way they never do.
Nothing… nothing excited me the way her name did. Especially when it involved me.
Weeks. Not just a day, not just a few fleeting minutes. Weeks. She’d be here. Watching me. Learning from me. Shadowing me.
The thought had my chest tightening, pulse quickening, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I couldn’t focus on anything else. Just the idea of her there, in my world, for hours on end.
She was going to drive me insane, but I wouldn’t care. I would take it all.
Everything.
—
I made a conscious effort not to think about her for the rest of my evening, but the moment I dropped down onto my bed, I failed.Miserably.
I sank deeper into the mattress, arms sprawled across the cushions, staring up at the ceiling as if the blank white could silence my head. It didn’t. It never did.
When I was a kid, throwing tantrums so loud the neighbours would call to complain, my mother never raised her voice. Not once. She’d kneel in front of me, hands resting lightly on my arms, and speak low. Soft. Gentle. Too soft to belong in the kind of house we lived in. That tone, steady as water, patient as time, would make the fire in my chest dim, make me listen even when I swore I wouldn’t. It was the only thing that ever cut through me.
