Brandon's POV
Sleep eluded me that night. I spent the long hours staring into the dark, my sheets twisted around me like restraints. Not after what she said to me. How was I supposed to avoid her the way she asked? How was I supposed to pretend I didn't care, when every part of me burned with the need to be near her?
Sleep never came.
I lay flat on my back, eyes fixed on the ceiling that blurred in the shadows. Every few minutes, the glow of my phone lit up the room like a pulse of lightning, another notification demanding my attention. I silenced it. Twice. Flipped it face down. Shoved it under my pillow. None of it worked. My mind wouldn't shut off.
Every buzz made me think of her. Chloe.
We were just beginning to bridge the gap between us—slowly stepping into something that felt like friendship, maybe more—and somehow I had already managed to ruin it. How the hell did I mess it up this quickly?
