Sky Valen
I didn't go to class.
I didn't even move from his bed.
I woke up wrapped in his hoodie—so oversized it swallowed me whole—and Ray was already out of the shower, hair damp, wearing nothing but sweatpants and that chain he never takes off. He handed me coffee like it was medicine.
I hadn't spoken yet.
He hadn't asked me to.
I curled back under the covers, knees tucked to my chest, and stared at his ceiling like it held the answers to my life.
He didn't leave.
He didn't push.
He just sat on the edge of the bed, scrolling through his phone, making sarcastic comments now and then to pull a smile from me. It worked… once. Kind of.
And when I finally got up—legs shaky, wearing nothing but his black hoodie and his boxers underneath, my own clothes forgotten somewhere between the dorm door and the collapse—he just stood there, letting me come to him.
"You hungry?" he asked.
"No."
"You gotta eat something."
"Don't wanna."
He didn't argue.
He just walked over, took my hand, and led me to the window. Pulled the curtain back just enough for a crack of light to hit my face.
"Sun still rose," he murmured. "You did too."
I stared at him.
He reached up gently, tucking my mess of hair behind my ear. "I just wanted you to be safe for one day."
That's when my throat clenched.
I bit my lip. Hard.
Because he was trying so hard to make me feel human again when I still felt like a possession. Like a liability.
"Did you sleep?" I asked.
He nodded. "Some."
"Because you didn't look like you did."
His hand found my waist. "I wasn't about to fall asleep until I knew you weren't gonna run the second I closed my eyes."
I leaned my forehead against his chest. "I wasn't going anywhere."
"Good," he whispered into my hair. "Because I'm not letting you walk into that warzone again alone."
I pulled back, looked up.
"Are you gonna fight him?"
Ray's eyes hardened. "If I have to."
"You're insane."
"I'm in love with you."
I froze.
So did he.
He hadn't meant to say that. I could tell.
But it was too late.
I stared at him, the hoodie sleeves covering my hands like armor, voice trembling as I said, "Say it again."
"I'm in love with you."
I swallowed. "You shouldn't be."
"Too late, Sky."
I looked away, then looked back, barely whispering, "I think I might be in love with you too."
Ray let out a breath—like he'd been holding it for weeks.
And he kissed me.
Soft. Gentle. Like the world wasn't burning outside that window.
Like we were still just two college kids and not the doomed kids of rival business empires trying to burn us at both ends.