That struck a nerve. Her head snapped back toward me, eyes flashing. "That’s not fair. Nolan has his reasons." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"I’m sure he does," I said, not bothering to hide my skepticism. "But don’t use him as an excuse. If you want to just be friends with me, that’s fine. But be honest about why."

"Fine." She squared her shoulders. "I’m scared."

That wasn’t what I expected. "Of me?"

"Of this." She gestured between us. "Whatever this is. It’s intense and immediate and nothing like what I’ve ever felt before. And that terrifies me because I’ve spent years building toward a certain future. A future with someone who makes sense."

"And I don’t make sense."

Aurora laughed, but it wasn’t a happy sound. "You’re the definition of complicated, Rome. You have two girlfriends, unregistered abilities, and you’re all over the news for vigilante heroics. Plus, whatever this drain thing is between us feels... dangerous."

"Dangerous how?"

"Like I might lose control." She said it so quietly I almost didn’t hear.

My heart rate picked up. Aurora Fitzgerald, the perfect hero student who never put a foot wrong, was afraid of losing control. With me. If that wasn’t the hottest thing I’d ever heard, I don’t know what was.

"We can be friends who kiss occasionally," I suggested, only half-joking. "It’s not like you’re dating anyone."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

"You said it yourself. Nolan treats you like a teammate, not a girlfriend. No one even knows you’re together." I leaned closer. "So technically, you’re single."

"That’s not—I didn’t—" She spluttered, then took a deep breath. "We have an understanding."

"Sounds like a really shitty understanding if it leaves you wondering what it feels like when someone actually wants you."

Aurora’s hands clenched in her lap. "You don’t know what you’re talking about."

"Don’t I?" I reached out slowly, giving her time to pull away. When she didn’t, I brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. The drain surged at the contact, and she shivered visibly. "Tell me I’m wrong, then. Tell me you don’t wonder."

She stood abruptly, breaking contact. "I should go."

"Running away again?"

"I’m not running. I’m making a choice." She gathered her bag from where she’d left it. "You said you’d respect my boundaries."

"I am." I stayed seated, making no move to stop her. "But I’m also calling bullshit when I see it."

Aurora paused at that, halfway to the door. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me." I watched her carefully. "You came here for answers, and now that you’re getting them, you’re bailing."

"I’m not bailing." Her voice rose slightly. "I’m establishing boundaries."

"No, you’re hiding." I stood now, matching her energy. "You’re hiding from what’s happening between us because it scares you. Because it’s not neat and tidy like your perfect life plan."

"You don’t know me."

"I know enough," I countered. "I know you’re tired of waiting for Nolan to notice you as more than a teammate. I know you felt something when we touched that you’ve never felt before. And I know you’re curious enough that you’ll be back here again, no matter what you say right now."

Aurora’s eyes flashed dangerously. The crystalline orbs embedded in her palms pulsed with light. For a second, I thought she might actually blast me through the window.

Instead, she marched back across the room until she stood directly in front of me, close enough that I could feel her breath.

"You are the most arrogant, presumptuous person I have ever met," she said, each word clipped and precise.

"Probably," I agreed.

Then she grabbed my face with both hands and kissed me.

Aurora’s lips crashed against mine with a fury that caught me completely off guard. I’d expected lots of things from Little Miss Perfect—hesitation, gentle exploration, maybe even guilt. But this? This was pure hunger.

"Shit," I mumbled against her mouth, before diving right back in.

Her hands fisted in my shirt as she pushed me backward until my legs hit the couch. I fell onto the cushions with her following, straddling my lap without breaking the kiss. The drain between us opened wide, flooding my system with her Essentia—bright summer mornings and electric storms.

"This doesn’t mean anything," she gasped between kisses. "This is just—"

"Curiosity. Got it." I slid my hands up her sides, feeling her shiver at my touch. "Less talking, more kissing."

She bit my lower lip hard enough to sting, and I couldn’t help laughing. Who knew Aurora had this kind of fire in her? Her hips rocked against mine almost unconsciously as her tongue slipped into my mouth.

The drain pulsed harder with each passing second. Her Essentia poured into me like liquid sunshine, and I pushed some back into her. She gasped sharply when it hit her system.

"What was that?" Her eyes widened, pupils blown wide.

"That’s what happens when you don’t run away," I told her, trailing kisses down her neck. "That’s what happens when you stay."

She moaned when my teeth grazed the sensitive spot below her ear. Her fingers tangled in my hair, pulling just hard enough to hurt in the best way possible. This wasn’t the Aurora that everyone at school saw—the perfect student, the reliable teammate. This was something raw and real that she kept buried beneath all that control.

"Rome," she breathed my name like a confession.

My hands found their way under her shirt, tracing the warm skin of her lower back. Her body arched into the touch, seeking more contact. Every inch of her seemed to vibrate with need as our Essentia cycled between us.

"Still want to be just friends?" I asked, my voice rough with desire.

Her answer was to grab my face and kiss me harder, her body pressing impossibly closer to mine. The crystalline orbs embedded in her palms glowed faintly against my cheeks, responding to her heightened emotional state.

"That," she said breathlessly, "doesn’t change anything."

"Of course not," I agreed, trying not to smile.

"I’m still with Nolan."

"Understood."

"And I still want to be friends."

"Just friends who occasionally make out."

She glared at me, but there was no real heat behind it. "This was a mistake."

"The best kind of mistake." I tucked another strand of hair behind her ear, enjoying how she leaned into the touch despite herself. "The kind you want to make again."

Aurora stepped back, creating distance between us. Her composure was returning, though her pulse still raced—I could feel it through the drain that hadn’t fully closed.

"I need to think," she said finally. "This is all happening very fast."

"Take your time." I meant it. Aurora wasn’t like Mera or Cheon—she needed space to process, to reconcile what she wanted with what she thought she should want. Pushing her now would just drive her away.

She nodded, looking grateful. "Thank you for... for the movie. And the game."

"And the kiss?"

A ghost of a smile tugged at her lips. "That too."

As she headed for the door, I called after her: "Friends, right?"

Aurora paused, hand on the doorknob. She looked back over her shoulder, something complicated in her expression.

"Friends," she agreed. "For now."

Then she was gone, leaving me standing in my living room with the taste of summer lightning still on my tongue.

I collapsed onto the couch, staring at the ceiling. My heart was racing like I’d sprinted up thirty flights of stairs. Aurora Fitzgerald had just kissed me like she was trying to devour me whole, then walked out declaring we were "friends."

What the fuck was that about?