Page 112 of Embrace

Kian:You need a ride from your house?

Scarlett:No.

Kian:Ok, no ride. No problem.

Scarlett:Sorry, I mean I’m already getting a ride to go to the library.

Kian:But I’ll see you after practice. Summer’s home, she’ll let you in.

Scarlett:Okay.

Kian insisted on driving me to the prison to visit Victor. I told him he would probably be exhausted after practice, but he didn’t seem to care about that. So after my classes, I’m heading to the hockey house.

“Easy classes today, Rosie?” my dad asks when I put down my phone.

“What makes you say that?”

“You’ve got an extra pep in your step. And you ate an entire bran muffin. You hate bran.”

I hadn’t even realized I’d done that. The only thing in my head is the call from the prison, and Risa’s “see you soon” that has me wired.

My dad drops me off at Porter’s again, and just like every other time, I go straight to the photo booth, push some coins through the slot, and take my pictures.First visit with Victor.

When I get to Research Methods class, we have a long lecture and my brain is absolutely fried at the end of it.

Sierra:Do you have a shovel I can borrow?

I stare at the text on my phone, unsure if I should laugh or be worried. But when I check the time, I realize my best friend is still at practice, which means there’s only one reason she’d want a shovel. Her boyfriend.

Scarlett:Depends. Will you also be needing an alibi?

Sierra:No. I’ll confess to this one. I’ll be pretty proud of myself if I can pull it off.

Scarlett:Deep breaths, Si. You can’t kill your skating partner this close to finals.

Sierra:No promises.

I head to my last class of the day and am in desperate need of a nap. I left my lecture with droopy eyes and had to immediately graba coffee from one of the shops on campus. If I were to take advice from sophomore-year Scarlett, she’d chug down an eight-hour energy drink and power through her classes, then get her work done on a quiet rampage in the library.

But by the time my sociology professor hands us an in-class assignment for the last half of the lecture, I’m flying through it, handing it in, and practically sprinting to the hockey house.

Summer opens the door for me, smiling big as she cradles her phone between her ear and her shoulder and mouthing “Mom” when she points at her phone. I let her take the call and head to Kian’s room. When I text and ask him if I can take a shower, his response is quick.

Kian:Without me? :(

But by the time I’m finished in the shower, Kian’s already home and sitting at his desk. The lights in his room are dim, and the curtains are drawn tight, save for a faint sliver of gloomy afternoon sky slipping through the fabric. A low vinyl crackles in the background, the soft notes blending with the quiet hums from him.

He’s shirtless, wearing nothing but loose, low-slung jeans, and hunched over his notebook, scribbling with that familiar, relentless focus.

“Feeling inspired?” I ask, leaning casually against the bathroom doorframe.

His head lifts, dark strands sticking to his forehead as his eyes flick to me. I’m swallowed in the oversize T-shirt and boxers he already had laid out for me. We’re not leaving for another hour so I didn’t wanna sit in my uncomfortable jeans. His gaze lingers on me for a second before the corner of his mouth twitches.

“Right now? Definitely,” he says, leaning back in his chair, his muscles flexing as he folds his arms across his chest, the curve of his biceps straining beneath his skin. My eyes trail the veins snakingup his forearms, following the sharp lines and shadows etched across him, until I land on my favorite part, his mouth. That easy smile he always wears like armor. There’s art inked across nearly every inch of him, but nothing can pry my gaze from his face.

When I saunter toward him, he twists in his chair, watching me with a mischievous look until I’m close enough that he just grabs me by the waist and pulls me in to straddle his lap.

“Are you feeling all right?” he asks, leaning in until his nose drags along the curve of my neck. He breathes me in like he’s lost my scent and places it carefully back into his memory bank. “You took a while in there.”