It's been a week.
A full, awkward, too-long week since Raye last saw Kyle.
She told herself she didn't care. That if he wanted to vanish, fine. Maybe he got busy, maybe he lost interest in the tutoring thing altogether—she wasn't about to chase him.
Except now she sat in the library, surrounded by half-open books, the sound of quiet pages turning, and her stupid heart that just wouldn't stop glancing at the door every time it creaked.
Jane had teased her that morning.
"You're looking at the door like it owes you an explanation."
Raye had rolled her eyes, muttered something sarcastic, but deep down… she kind of was.
She told herself she was only waiting because she needed help with a particular formula that looked like a math demon in disguise. Definitely not because of him.
But when she finally looked up again—he was there.
She blinked twice but he was still there
Am I dreaming Raye asked titling her head with a confused face but yeah he was still there .Leaning against the library doorframe, in that effortless way of his, like he hadn't disappeared for days and like she hadn't gone through the five emotional stages of irritation.
Her pen froze mid-sentence.
Kyle stepped through the library doors, his usual calm aura trailing behind him. His hair was slightly damp, like he'd just showered after basketball practice. His white shirt was untucked at the hem, sleeves rolled to his elbows, revealing the veins along his forearm. He wasn't even trying — and still managed to make half the girls at the nearest table glance up.
And just like that, her brain decided to stop functioning again.
He spotted her almost immediately.
He didn't even walk in right away. Just watched her. Quiet. Intense. Until she dropped her pen because her fingers forgot how to function.
Then he moved, smooth and deliberate, his steps silent until he came behind her chair. Raye froze, feeling his presence before he even said a word. His cologne—clean, dark, sharp—wrapped around her.
"Still jumpy," he murmured, his voice low, a little too close to her ear.
Raye blinked, turning slightly in her seat, "You—you're late. A week late actually."
He leaned down, just enough that she could feel the air shift. "Had things to handle."
"That's all you're gonna say?" she asked, trying to sound annoyed but it came out softer, almost questioning.
He didn't answer. Instead, he brushed his lips against her hair—barely a touch.
Raye froze.
Her heart flipped. "Kyle—"
"Relax," he interrupted quietly, stepping back with a smirk that wasn't playful—it was something else. Something that made her pulse skip. "Missed me?"
Raye rolled her eyes and forced herself to face the book again. "I missed understanding basic algebra. Not you."
"Seat taken?" he asked, voice low, casual.
Raye blinked up at him, heart doing weird somersaults. "There's like a hundred other seats."
He shrugged, sliding into the chair next to her anyway. "None with you in front of them."
Her cheeks warmed.
Oh this boy Raye thought deciding to focus on her book rather than talk or look at him .
He chuckled—low and deep. The sound brushed down her spine. Then, without another word, he pulled the chair a little closer to hers and reached for the textbook.
"Page seventy-two," he said, flipping through as if nothing had happened. "You're mixing your variable placement again."
Raye frowned, leaning closer to see. Their shoulders almost touched, and she hated how aware she was of that tiny space.
He explained the formulas, his voice steady, serious. No teasing, no joking—just pure focus.
That was the thing about Kyle. When he got serious, he really got serious. His pen moved fast, his handwriting sharp. Raye tried to follow, but her attention kept drifting to his hands, the veins on his wrist, the ring he always wore—black, matte, minimal.
"Hey," he said suddenly, catching her staring. "You listening or daydreaming?"
She blinked, heat crawling up her neck. "I was—uh—listening."
He didn't buy it. A slow smirk tugged at his lips. "You're bad at lying."
"Then stop giving me reasons to," she shot back.
For a second, their eyes met. And stayed there.
Something electric moved between them, wordless but loud.
Raye tried hard to focus , but what made focusing impossible was how comfortable he seemed beside her — leaning in when she couldn't get an equation, tilting his head close when he checked her work, his shoulder occasionally brushing hers.
It wasn't helping.
At all.
At one point, she dropped her pen, and when she bent down to grab it, so did he — and their foreheads nearly collided.
They froze, faces just inches apart.
Raye's heart skipped, her breath catching. His eyes — deep brown and unreadable — flicked down to her lips for a second before he cleared his throat and straightened up.
"Careful," he murmured, pretending to write again. "Wouldn't want to knock me out, would you?"
"Tempting," she muttered, cheeks still hot.
He chuckled, low and quiet, before sliding her notebook back. "Better. You're learning."
Raye didn't even know what to say — she just smiled faintly, staring at the equations that suddenly made sense.
Then, as if on cue, her phone buzzed.
Raye glanced down—Danielle.
She sighed, picking up. "Hey, Dani, I'm in the middle of—"
"Raye," Danielle's voice cut in, urgent, shaking. "Please—can you come over? It's really important. Just—please hurry, okay?"
Raye straightened, brows furrowing. "What's wrong?"
But Danielle had already ended the call.
Kyle's eyes narrowed. "Problem?"
"I—I don't know." She started gathering her things, heartbeat racing. "Danielle sounds upset."
He reached out, fingers brushing her wrist lightly—barely enough to hold her. "You sure you want to go?"
"I can't just ignore her," Raye said, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "She's my friend."
"Fine," he said, voice low again. "Go."
Raye gave a small nod, rushing off through the quiet aisles, her mind spinning with worry and guilt.
Behind her, Kyle stayed seated, tapping the end of his pen against the table, eyes dark and unreadable.
He ran his ahnd through his hair staring at the table before getting up from the chair . He was tempted to follow her , cause he felt worried ...something didn't feel right .
Especially when it was from that girl , he didn't even know they were friends , but he shrugged It off as he walked back to the gym to meet Rod.