Page 2 of All Your Pucking Secrets

Exhale.

One, two, three, four.

“You’re okay,” Ryan says, rubbing my back. “Just keep it up. In and out.”

I finally get a handle on my breathing, and my airways relax. I straighten, my lips trembling.

Tyler Kinsey is now a student here.

The man who tore my heart to shreds and discarded me like used baggage has followed me to my refuge.

It’s wrong. He shouldn’t be allowed here. Not when I’ve carved out a life for myself that doesn’t revolve around him, or what happened in high school.

I scrunch a napkin in my hand, twisting it over and over. Cassie and Anita are talking in whispers, looking at me as though I might be on the verge of a meltdown.

Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me if I am.

The lights overhead are too bright, and I blink rapidly. My throat begins to tighten again, and I count out my breaths until it relaxes.

“All good?” Ryan asks, his hand dropping from my back.

I glance toward the door, where Tyler was a moment ago. He’s standing tall now, a few steps away from the column he was leaning against. He cocks his head, a question in his eyes.

Oh, God.

Is he going to come over here?

I shove back from the bar leaner and slide my feet to the floor, my coffee forgotten.

“I think I need some air,” I say.

Anita drains her drink in a few mouthfuls. “I’ll come with you.”

“No.” If she does, I won’t be able to avoid Tyler without it being obvious that’s what I’m doing. “I’ll be fine. Really.”

She doesn’t look certain, but she nods and holds up her phone. “Call if you need, okay?”

“I will.”

I hurry out of there before anyone else offers to accompany me. Knowing Ryan, he’d be right on my heels if he had any idea what was going on. Thank God I’ve never spilled my past to him. And thank God there are two ways into and out of the coffee shop.

I’m outside the building in a matter of seconds. I don’t know where I’m going, but I know I can’t linger in case one of my friends—or worse, Tyler—decides to follow me. I duck behind the library and jog down the alley and around the corner, emerging into an open courtyard.

Looking around, I don’t see anyone to be wary of, so I slow my pace as I cross campus. My dorm is a couple of blocks away, and I try to ease my breathing as I walk toward it.

A cool breeze stirs my hair, and I shiver. Damn. I left my sweater in the coffee shop. Hopefully, one of the others will bring it for me later. I shoot Ryan a quick text, knowing he’s the most reliable. Anita or Cassie would most likely “borrow” it and I wouldn’t see it again for weeks.

The dorm looms ahead. Occupying almost an entire block, it stands eight stories tall and is a mishmash of chrome and brick. I make a beeline for the door, only to stop dead at the sight of Tyler standing a few yards in front of it.

He stalks toward me.

TYLER

My body thrums with anticipation as I close the distance between us.

Echo Dean steals my breath, just as she always did. I scan her greedily, eager to see what changes the years have wrought. She’s just as beautiful as ever. Slender, with dark hair, and luminous hazel eyes magnified by glasses.

She wraps her arms around her waist and glances over her shoulder, as if debating whether to make a run for it. There’s no point. I’ll catch her. I’m bigger, faster, and more determined.

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