Chapter 4

She sat up, the blanket slipping off her shoulders. She was wearing an old T-shirt Emily had given her as pajamas, the neckline a bit loose, showing off her collarbone and the line of her shoulders.

She didn't look at me, kept her head down, her long hair falling over her face.

"My boyfriend," she began, her voice calm but something inside was cracking. "He slept with my best friend. I walked in on them yesterday afternoon, in our apartment, in my bed."

I froze.

"Four years," she said, her eyes red. "We were together for four years, from freshman year all the way to graduation. He said I was the one he loved most, that we'd get married once he had a steady job. I believed him.

"I even planned to bring him to the grad dinner, introduce him to all my friends, including Emily."

She sniffled and forced a smile that looked sadder than tears.

"So what happened? The grad dinner hadn't even happened yet, and he hit me with this huge surprise," She said.

"She was my roommate. When I was heartbroken, she drank with me. Oh, wait, that heartbreak was fake. This one's real.

"She always said she envied me, always. Yeah, she sure knows how to be jealous."

I didn't know how to comfort her.

"So last night," she continued, her gaze drifting to the gloomy sky outside, "I saw you and Emily together, and I thought why is it that some people get all the luck, and others get screwed over?" She continued.

"Emily has everything, parents who love her, school was easy for her, and now she has you. And me, I've lost everything."

Her tears finally fell, one by one, hitting her hands without a sound.

My heart ached for everything she'd gone through, and for how awful things were right now.

I wanted to reach out, maybe give her a pat on the shoulder or hand her a tissue, but my hand hovered there, unable to move.

"I'm sorry," I finally said. "I don't know..."

"Of course you don't," she said, slipping back into that distant look. "Sorry for dumping all this on you," She said.

"Pretend you never heard it, okay? And don't tell Emily. That silly girl would totally freak out, make a big fuss, and stand up for me like she always does."

With that, she pulled back the blanket and started to get out of bed.

As she bent down to look for her slippers, she suddenly wobbled, maybe she was dizzy, maybe unsteady, and tipped toward me.

Without thinking, I reached out and caught her arm, her skin was cool. The instant I touched her, we both froze.

It felt like time had stopped.

I could feel the softness of her arm, the coconut scent from her hair enveloping me, and her face was inches away, her lashes trembling, and a small, pale mole below her jawline.

Her breath hit my neck, warm and hurried.

My mind buzzed, everything went blank. Reason, morals, even my guilt toward Emily, all of it shattered in that moment.

All that mattered was her: her tears, her hurt, the shattered, delicate aura around her, and the rain outside, heavy and stirring, matching the chaos inside me.

As if possessed, I tightened my grip on her.

She shuddered, lifting her head to look at me. Her eyes were wide—surprised, anxious, and something else... something I couldn't quite figure out.

"Ben..." Her voice was shaky, and she tried to step back from me.

But I held on, tightening my grip and pulling her even closer.