Hello?? Did he catch you taking his picture?? OMG LILA ANSWER ME
I quickly type.
He just asked what I was doing. I think he noticed. I’m mortified. Thanks a lot.
Worth it. Does he have a brother?
My fingers hover over the keyboard, tempted to add something—anything—to downplay it. That we barely know each other. That I’m not drawn in by the way he focuses, or how he gets when he’s deep in thought. But that would be overcompensating. And lying.
And if there’s one thing I’m not, it’s a liar.
My middle-of-the-night confession already proved that. I want to bury myself under a pillow for even going there with him.
Am I attracted to him? Yes. I’d have to be blind not to be.
But attraction doesn’t change reality. When this experiment ends, so do we. Our lives were never meant to run parallel for long—just cross briefly, like intersecting storm paths before pulling apart again.
“So,” Jonah’s voice cuts through my thoughts again. “I’ve been analyzing the data from yesterday’s formation, and there’s something interesting here.”
I set my phone down, grateful for the distraction. “Yeah?”
“Come see.” He gestures to the space beside him.
I hesitate for a second before crossing the invisible boundary between our sides of the room. I shift from the bed and make my way over to the desk. He scoots over, giving me space. The motel desk chair creaks as I perch on its edge, trying to keep a respectable distance while being able to see his screen. It’s not working. His cologne fills my nostrils as I lean in, and I’m suddenly hyperaware of how close our shoulders are.
“See these patterns?” He points to colorful swirls on the screen, his finger tracing along a particular formation.
I nod, focusing on the data instead of the warmth radiating from his body.
“This is fascinating,” I say, and I mean it, despite the distraction of his proximity. I lean closer to the screen, trying to focus on the data instead of the fact that our arms are nearly touching. “The rotation is much more intense than what your model predicted. That could explain why it escalated so quickly.”
“Exactly.” His voice has that excited edge it gets when science is happening. “And look at these temperature differences.” He points to another part of the screen, his finger tracing a line that makes absolutely no sense to me but clearly means everything to him.
I nod, watching his profile instead of the screen. The light from the laptop highlights the stubble along his jaw, which has grown more pronounced throughout the day. I should not be noticing this.
“So what does this mean for your research?” I ask, pulling my attention back to the actual work.
“It means we need more data. If this pattern holds with other formations...” He trails off, looking at me with those eyes that seem to see straight through my carefully constructed walls. “It could change everything about how we predict rapid intensification.”
My phone buzzes again from across the room, and I’m grateful for the excuse to put some distance between us. I retreat to the bed where Max has stretched out, taking up more than his fair share of space.
So??? What’s happening now? Is he mad? DETAILS.
I ignore her and flip my phone over, focusing on scratching behind Max’s ears.
My phone buzzes again. I groan.
“She’s persistent,” Jonah notes without looking up.
“It’s her superpower.” I reluctantly check the message.
ARE YOU IGNORING ME? I’m sending a search party if you don’t answer in 5 minutes.
I’m fine. We’re working. Talk later.
Three dots appear immediately.
Working or “working”?
