Lena should not be thinking about Ethan Blake.
But she was.
And it was annoying.
—
The next day in class…
Everything was normal.
Too normal.
Ethan walked in late like always, calm and confident, dropping into his seat without even looking her way.
Not a single comment.
Not a single smirk.
Nothing.
Lena frowned slightly.
Okay… weird.
Usually by now, he would've said something irritating just to get a reaction out of her.
But today?
Nothing.
It shouldn't bother her.
It really shouldn't.
So why did it?
—
"Ethan!"
The voice was light. Sweet.
Lena's head turned before she could stop herself.
A girl walked up to him.
Tall. Pretty. Effortlessly put together.
Long dark hair, perfect smile, the kind of girl who looked like she belonged in a completely different world.
Lena didn't recognize her.
But clearly—
Ethan did.
"Claire," he said, and for the first time that day…
He smiled.
Not his teasing smile.
A real one.
And for some reason—
That hit differently.
"I haven't seen you in forever," Claire said, leaning casually against his desk.
"Been busy," Ethan replied.
"With detention?" she teased.
Lena stiffened.
He told her?
Ethan chuckled softly. "Something like that."
Claire's eyes flicked briefly toward Lena.
Assessing.
Curious.
And then—
Amused.
"So she's the one?" Claire asked.
Lena blinked.
Excuse me?
Ethan sighed. "Don't start."
"Oh, I'm definitely starting," Claire said, grinning. "You never shut up about her."
Lena's heart skipped.
Wait—
What?
Ethan shot Claire a warning look. "Claire."
She raised her hands in mock surrender, but the smirk stayed. "Relax."
Lena quickly looked away, pretending she wasn't listening.
But her thoughts were already spiraling.
He talks about me?
Why?
Probably to complain.
Yeah.
That had to be it.
—
The lecture went on, but Lena barely heard any of it.
Because every few seconds—
Claire would laugh.
Ethan would respond.
And Lena—
Hated how aware she was of it.
—
After class, Lena moved quickly, shoving her books into her bag.
She didn't care.
She didn't.
"Leaving already?"
She froze.
Claire.
Of course.
Lena turned slowly. "Yes."
Claire smiled politely. Too politely. "You're Lena, right?"
"Yes."
"I've heard a lot about you."
Lena raised a brow. "I'm sure you have."
Claire tilted her head slightly, studying her. "You're not what I expected."
"And what did you expect?"
Claire's smile sharpened just a little. "Someone… less intense."
Lena let out a soft laugh. "And I expected you to mind your business."
Claire didn't seem offended.
If anything—
She looked entertained.
"I like you," she said. "This makes more sense now."
Lena frowned. "What does that mean?"
Before Claire could answer—
"Claire."
Ethan's voice.
Sharp.
He walked over, eyes flicking between them.
"What are you doing?" he asked her.
Claire smiled innocently. "Talking."
"It didn't look like talking."
Lena crossed her arms. "We're done here anyway."
She turned to leave—
But not before hearing Claire say softly:
"Careful, Ethan… you might actually like this one."
—
Lena walked faster than usual.
Her chest felt tight.
Annoyingly tight.
Why did that bother her?
Why did any of that bother her?
It didn't matter who Ethan talked to.
It didn't matter who he smiled at.
It didn't matter—
"Carter."
She stopped.
Closed her eyes briefly.
Of course he followed her.
She turned around. "What?"
Ethan walked up to her, expression unreadable.
"What was that about?"
Lena blinked. "What?"
"With Claire."
"Oh, I don't know," she said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Maybe she just wanted to analyze me since you apparently talk about me so much."
Ethan frowned. "She talks too much."
"So do you."
"At least I don't ambush people after class."
Lena scoffed. "I didn't ask her to come talk to me."
A pause.
Then—
"Did she say anything to you?" he asked.
Something about his tone…
It wasn't casual.
It wasn't teasing.
It was—
Serious.
Lena hesitated.
Then shrugged. "Nothing important."
Ethan studied her face like he didn't believe her.
And maybe…
He was right.
—
"Why do you care?" she asked suddenly.
He didn't answer immediately.
"I don't," he said finally.
Lena rolled her eyes. "Right."
He stepped closer.
Again.
Too close.
"You're really bad at pretending you don't care either," he said quietly.
Her breath hitched.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yeah," he murmured. "You do."
Their eyes locked.
Tension.
Thick.
Unavoidable.
And then—
Footsteps passed by.
The moment broke.
Again.
—
That evening at tutoring…
Maya hadn't arrived yet.
Lena sat at the table, pretending to focus on her notes.
Ethan walked in a few minutes later.
Their eyes met.
Neither of them spoke.
The silence felt different today.
Charged.
Uncomfortable.
Too aware.
Lena looked back down at her book.
"Your friend seems nice," she said casually.
Ethan paused. "Claire?"
"No, the other one who was flirting with you," Lena muttered.
Silence.
Then—
"Are you jealous?"
Her head snapped up. "What?! No."
Ethan leaned back, watching her closely.
"You sound jealous."
"I'm not jealous."
"Sure."
"I'm not—"
"You are."
"I am not!"
He smirked.
There it was.
That stupid, annoying smirk.
And somehow—
Lena felt relieved seeing it again.
"I don't care who you talk to," she said, crossing her arms.
Ethan tilted his head slightly.
"Good," he said.
Something about that answer…
Didn't feel right.
—
Before Lena could respond—
The lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
Everything went dark.
Complete darkness.
Lena froze.
"What just happened?"
"No idea," Ethan said.
There was a beat of silence.
Then—
Thunder cracked outside.
Loud.
Sharp.
Lena flinched instinctively.
And before she could stop herself—
She stepped forward.
Straight into him.
His hands caught her immediately.
Warm.
Firm.
Too familiar.
Neither of them moved.
The room was dark.
Too dark to see anything.
But she could feel him.
Close.
So close.
"Lena," he said quietly.
Her name.
Not Carter.
Her heart betrayed her again.
"I didn't mean to—" she started.
"It's fine."
His voice was softer than she'd ever heard it.
The rain started pouring outside.
Heavy.
Loud.
The world felt smaller.
Just the two of them.
His hands were still on her.
And neither of them seemed in a hurry to move.
"Are you scared?" he asked.
"No."
A pause.
"…Maybe a little."
His grip tightened slightly.
"I've got you."
Three words.
Simple.
But they hit harder than they should have.
And for the first time…
Lena didn't pull away.