Hailey’s POV
I barely made it up the stairs before I had to stop and breathe. My hands were trembling so hard I almost dropped the box. The air in the hallway felt thinner somehow, and no matter how many deep breaths I took, the taste of guilt still coated my tongue.
Ryan kissed me.
That single truth pulsed through my veins like poison.
I didn’t kiss him back — I didn’t. But still, the feel of his mouth on mine, the heat of it, the shock — it clung to me like smoke I couldn’t wash off.
I turned sharply down the hall, desperate to escape before Roy saw my face. But fate, apparently, had other plans.
Because the moment I rounded the corner, I bumped straight into him.
The box slipped from my hands, thudding against the floor. Roy caught my arms instantly, steadying me before I fell. “
