Page 63 of Claiming Pretty

To my right, Ty sat with one hand poised over his notebook, taking meticulous notes, and the other absently twirling a strand of my hair around his finger. He didn’t even look at me as he did it, so casual it was maddening.

My lips pressed into a thin line as I caught a group of girls sitting a few rows ahead. They weren’t exactly subtle, their stares darting from Ty to me, their jealousy so palpable it felt like another presence in the room.

“If he’s going to follow me to every single one of my classes,” I murmured to Lisa, my voice heavy with sarcasm, “the least he can do is take notes for me.”

Lisa straightened. “Can he take notes for me, too?”

I leaned toward Ty, lowering my voice. “Can you make sure Lisa gets a copy of my notes, too?”

Ty finally looked up from his notebook, the faintest smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “For you, anything.”

He punctuated the statement by tapping the tip of my nose with his finger.

I leaned back quickly, a flush creeping over my cheeks. I tried to mask it by turning my attention to my notebook, but my thoughts betrayed me.

It had been… nice. Too nice. Having Ty by my side all day, every day, since Ciaran disappeared.

And the last two nights… they were a mirror of how it used to be when we were younger.

Drowsy, half-asleep, I felt the familiar dip of my mattress and the warmth of Ty settling in beside me. Even in the haze of near-dreaming, I knew it was him.

A small shiver ran down my spine as his breath brushed against my hair, and his scent, that familiar sandalwood and musk, wrapped around me like a cocoon.

“If he finds you here, you’ll get into trouble,” I mumbled, my voice thick with sleep.

“Worth it,” he murmured, his arm slipping around me, pulling me into his chest.

“Ty…” I protested again, even as I sank into the comfort of him. “He’ll literally kill you.”

He shrugged, his movement pulling me tighter against him. “I can take him.”

It wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair. I had chosen Ciaran. IlovedCiaran. But he had just fuckingleftme.

And Ty wasn’t making it easy to push him away. Not in the way he moved around me, anticipating what I needed with open doors or a fresh coffee, exactly the way I liked it, pushed into my hand.

He made me feel like I wasn’t fighting this battle alone. Like I could rely on him for anything. Like he’dalwaysbe there.

Even now, as he sat beside me, his fingers brushing over the ends of my hair, he felt steady. Unyielding.

I forced my focus back to the lecture, but the weight of Ty’s presence was impossible to ignore. And as much as I hated to admit it, Ilikedhaving him by my side.

The lecture hall door banged open with a thunderous crack, jolting everyone.

My heart leaped into my throat, and I turned sharply toward the noise.

There he was.

Ciaran stormed in, his eyes blazing, his jaw set like stone. Gasps and whispers erupted throughout the hall.

“Oh my God, there’stwoof them!” someone hissed, audible over the rising chatter.

Heat flooded my face as conflicting emotions swirled through me: relief at seeing him, guilt for the kiss with Ty, embarrassment at the scene he was causing, and something else—something primal—at how his presence commanded the entire room.

Ty visibly stiffened beside me. And I fought the urge to reach out and squeeze his knee in comfort.

Lisa elbowed me, her eyes wide as she glanced between Me, Ty, and Ciaran, her expression screaming,What in the fucking fuck are you going to do?

“Excuse me, sir,” the professor said, his voice laced with irritation as he gestured toward the door. “This is a closed lecture.”

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