Until I Met You

She stood across from him, nerves coiling tight in her chest.

Those cold, gray eyes pinned her in place—the eyes of a delinquent everyone warned her about. No matter how hard she tried to avoid him, he always found his way back to her… like trouble she couldn’t outrun.

Her breath hitched as he stepped closer.

And closer.

Until her back pressed against his desk.

There was nowhere left to go.

Her eyes locked with his, and for a moment, the world fell silent. He was… something she couldn’t put into words. Dangerous. Magnetic. Impossible to ignore.

“Why are you scared of me, Ariel?” he asked, his voice low, almost amused.

“I’m not…” she stammered, though her trembling breath betrayed her.

He leaned in slightly, studying her face as if searching for the truth she couldn’t say.

“What if I kissed you right now?”

Her heart stumbled, then raced wildly.

They were only inches apart now.

Close enough for her to feel his breath.

Close enough to forget how to breathe at all.

And then—