Page 174 of Red Zone
Because whatever this thing is eating me alive whenever Lyla’s around—it’s bigger than anything I’ve felt before.
And I don’t really know what to do with it.
But the way Jaxon’s jaw is set, the way his eyes are hollow even behind the faint smirk he throws me—it’s clear this isn’t the time to ask.
He’s already got enough of his own wreckage to carry.
So instead, I just grab the bar again, settling back onto the bench.
“Doesn’t stop us from showing up, though,” I say under my breath.
Jaxon gives me a faint smile, though it’s more sad than anything.
“Nope,” he says quietly. “Doesn’t stop us.”
He steps back up to his rack, loading more weight, and I lie back, staring up at the ceiling.
And I tell myself the question can wait.
Even if the answer feels like the one thing I really need.
44
LYLA
Lyla I sink deeper into the bath, letting the water lap at my collarbones, my knees pulled just slightly to my chest.
The faint scent of eucalyptus and lavender clings to the air. The only sound coming from the crashing waves video playing from my phone.
But none of my normal tricks are working to quiet my thoughts.
I can’t stop Grayson’s words from repeating on a loop in my head.
You’re good at what you do, Lyla. Don’t let anything get in the way of that.
He said it so casually, like the choice should be simple.
But nothing feels simple now.
Because he’s not wrong.
I’ve worked so hard for this. Every late night. Every summer class. Every internship no one thought I was qualified for, but I clawed my way through anyway.
This is my dream.
And risking it all for Carter?
It feels reckless.
I trail my fingers absently through the water, watching little ripples spread and fade.
The worst part isn’t even what it could do to me.
It’s what it could do to him.
Carter’s on the verge of everything he’s ever wanted. The scouts are watching. The media’s watching. Every move he makes is already under a microscope, and he doesn’t even know how much.
I see the way they would spin it.
