Chapter 1 - Chapter 0: The Last One Out

The library smelled like old paper and the ozone of a dying fluorescent light—a flickering rhythm that matched the frantic thrum in Maya's chest. It was 5:01 PM. Technically, the school was closed."You're still here," a voice drawled from the shadows of the history stacks.Maya didn't need to look up to know it was Julian. She could feel him like a change in air pressure. He was the kind of person who occupied more space than he actually took up—all lean muscle, sharp jawlines, and a reputation for breaking rules that Maya spent her life following."Physics doesn't study itself, Julian," she said, her voice steadier than she felt.He stepped into the light, his tie undone and his uniform shirt unbuttoned just enough to be a violation. He didn't sit in the chair across from her; he leaned over the table, hands flat on the wood, closing the distance until she could smell his peppermint gum and the faint, cold scent of the rain outside."You've been staring at the same page for twenty minutes," he whispered, his eyes dropping to her lips for a fraction of a second—just long enough to be a dare. "Is it the gravity? Or is it me?"The tension between them was a physical weight, the kind that makes your skin feel too tight for your body. Maya finally looked up, meeting his gaze with a defiance that felt like a match being struck in a room full of gasoline."It's the friction," she countered, her breath hitching as he moved a fraction of an inch closer. "And how much of it you're wasting."He let out a low, rough laugh that vibrated in her bones. "I'm not wasting anything, Maya. I'm just getting started."