THE FALLS BEGINS

She stood there, heart pounding, Peter's eyes locked on hers with that smug, infuriating expression. He leaned in closer, voice low. "You've been running from me, baby girl. What are you so scared of?"

And that was it — the last straw.

Before she could think twice, she grabbed his collar and kissed him.

It wasn't soft or sweet — it was bold and frustrated and filled with every ounce of defiance she had left. And when she pulled back, his stunned silence was the most satisfying thing she'd experienced all day.

But then the weight of what she'd just done hit her — because the room was silent.

Dead. Silent.

Christine blinked, slowly turning her head — and sure enough, the entire library was staring. Wide eyes. Dropped jaws. And right at the edge of the aisle, Marvin stood frozen, books in hand, his face a perfect mix of shock and disbelief.

"Oh my God," she whispered under her breath.

The sound of someone dropping a book broke the stillness, followed by a hushed murmur spreading across the room. Christine felt her face go hot, and Peter — of course — was still just standing there, his eyes fixed on her with that same stunned expression.

"Scared?" she said quickly, trying to ignore the fact that half the library was watching them like it was a reality show. Her voice was steady, but her heart was anything but. "Is that what you think? That I'm scared of you?" She let out a soft, bitter laugh, hoping the words would drown out the sound of her pulse pounding in her ears.

"You wanna know what I'm scared of, Peter? I'm scared of falling for your stupid humor and the way you keep showing up when I'm trying to avoid you. I'm scared of how easy it is to like you — when I know you're gonna pull the rug out from under me the second I do."

She shook her head, stepping back — aware, the whole time, of the audience still holding their collective breath.

"But you? You're just as scared as I am, aren't you? You act like you want me close, and then you push me away. At the end of the day, we're both terrified of the same thing, Peter — love."

And for once, he had nothing to say.

The whole room was waiting — waiting for him to speak, to react, to do something. But the shock on his face was priceless. His mouth opened like he wanted to argue, but no words came out. And when the silence stretched a little too long, Christine turned and walked away, her heart racing, her chest tight.

Marvin was still standing there, his eyes wide as she passed him.

*"What—" he started, but Christine held up a hand.

"Not now, Marv," she said quickly, her voice barely above a whisper. She needed to get out of there — fast.

She was almost at the library's exit when she heard Peter's voice — low and urgent.

"Christine." He called out

And she kept walking.

But then she felt his hand on her wrist, gentle but firm, and she stopped. Slowly, she turned, meeting his eyes — and this time, there was no teasing, no smugness. Just something raw and vulnerable that she hadn't seen before.

"You think I'm not scared?" he said quietly, his voice rough. "You think this is easy for me?"

He stepped closer, his grip on her wrist loosening but his eyes never leaving hers. "I push you because… it's the only way I know how to keep you close. But you're right — I don't know how to want this without being afraid of it."

Christine's breath caught. This was the first real thing he'd said — the first time he'd dropped the act.

Behind them, she could still feel the weight of every curious eye watching. But suddenly, it didn't seem to matter.

"So what now?" she whispered.

Peter's eyes softened, his thumb brushing against her wrist. "I don't know," he admitted. "But I don't want you to walk away."

For a moment, the air between them was heavy, charged with something neither of them was ready to name. And maybe they didn't have to — not yet.

"Then stop making me want to," she said softly.

And this time, when she pulled away, he let her go — but she felt his eyes on her the whole way out of the library.

When she finally pushed through the doors and stepped into the cool air, Marvin was right behind her, his face still filled with disbelief.

"Christine, "What the hell just happened in there?"

She opened her mouth — then closed it. What was she supposed to say? That she lost her mind? That Peter Hayes drove her so far up the wall she just… snapped? That the kiss wasn't even the craziest part — it was the way her heart was still racing from the way he'd looked at her after?

"Nothing," she said, her voice too thin to be convincing. "It was— it wasn't—"

"Nothing?!" Marvin's voice rose an octave. "Christine, you kissed him. In front of the entire library!"

"I know!" she hissed, eyes wide, panicked. "God, I know — you don't have to remind me!"

"Then explain it!" He folded his arms, his frustration clear. "Because a few hours ago, you couldn't stand the guy. Now you're — what? Making out in the middle of study hour?"

She groaned, dragging a hand down her face. "I don't know, okay?!" The words burst out of her before she could stop them. "He— he gets under my skin, and he's always so smug and annoying and— ugh — and I just— I wanted him to shut up!"

Marvin blinked. "So you kissed him?"

Christine buried her face in her hands. "I panicked!"

The silence stretched between them for a beat. Then, quietly, Marvin asked, "Do you… like him?"

Her stomach flipped — and that was the most terrifying part. Because she didn't know. Or maybe she did and didn't want to admit it. Either way, the question sat between them, heavy and dangerous.

"I don't know," she whispered.

Marvin watched her, his face softening, but there was something guarded in his eyes. "You need to figure it out, Christine. Before he messes with your head more than he already has."

And the worst part? She knew Marvin was right.

But it was already too late. Because Peter Hayes was already under her skin — and she had no idea how to get him out.

They walked in silence for a few moments, Christine's head spinning. The kiss had been a mistake — hadn't it? But the way Peter had looked at her afterward, the way his voice softened when he asked her not to walk away… that didn't feel like a mistake. And that was what scared her the most.

When they reached the dorm building, Marvin stopped at the entrance, still looking like he didn't know whether to laugh or panic. "You're gonna tell Jessie, right?" he asked.

Christine sighed. "Oh, she's gonna love this,, thanks for the escort by the way."

"No worries," He replied as he walks away, leaving her to walk in to the building too

*_*

Christine practically slammed the door behind her as she walked into the hotel room, her bag slipping off her shoulder and hitting the floor with a heavy thud. She stood there for a second, frozen, still trying to process the absolute disaster that had just happened.

Jessie, lounging on her bed with a face mask on and scrolling through her phone, barely glanced up. "Oh good, you're back. How was—" She paused, finally looking at Christine — and her eyes immediately narrowed. "Okay, what happened? Why do you look like you just committed a felony?"

Christine let out a strangled sound — part groan, part scream — and flopped face-first onto her bed. "I did something stupid."

Jessie sat up instantly, peeling the face mask off like it was an emergency. "Oh my God. What did you do?"

"I kissed him," Christine mumbled into the pillow.

"What?" Jessie blinked. "Sorry, I must've misheard because it sounded like you just said—"

"I kissed Peter!" Christine shouted, lifting her head just enough to glare at Jessie before collapsing back down.

There was a beat of silence. Then—

"You what?!" Jessie's shriek could probably be heard two floors down.

Christine rolled over, staring up at the ceiling. "I don't know how it happened! One second he was being his usual annoying, smug self — and then I just— snapped! And now the entire library thinks I've lost my mind, Marvin is probably writing my obituary, and Peter—" She sat up, clutching her head. "Peter looked so shocked. I actually managed to shut him up. But then— then he ran after me and—"

Jessie's eyes went wide. "Oh my God, this is better than reality TV. What did he say?"

Christine hesitated, her heart thudding just at the memory of it. "He said… he's scared too."

Jessie's face softened. "Scared of what?"

"Of… this. Of whatever's happening between us. He said pushing me away was the only way he knew how to keep me close." Christine's voice got quieter. "Jess… what if I'm falling for him?"

Jessie stared at her for a long second — then hopped off the bed and grabbed Christine's shoulders. "Okay, listen to me. First, breathe. Second, you need to figure out what you want. Because if Peter Hayes is scared? He's gonna play more games. And you, my love, are already in so deep."

Christine nodded, her head spinning. "So what do I do?"

Jessie grinned. "Simple. You play the game better

Jessie grinned wickedly, flopping back onto her bed like this was the most entertaining thing that had ever happened. "Simple. You play the game better."

Christine groaned, dragging a hand down her face. "Jess, this isn't a game. I literally kissed him in front of half the student population. Marvin looked like he saw a ghost."

Jessie shrugged. "Yeah, well, you did kind of detonate a social bomb in the middle of the library. Iconic, by the way."

Christine threw a pillow at her. "Not helping!"

Jessie caught the pillow, laughing — but then her face turned serious. "Okay, but real talk? You know what this is, right? This whole back-and-forth thing with Peter? It's a game of who's gonna break first. And right now…" She stretched out her arms dramatically. "You're both hanging by a thread."

Christine sighed, flopping back on the bed. "Great. Just great."

Jessie grinned again, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "But I wish you a death wish, babe. Because basically a

nd technically? He's gonna win. Like he always does."

Christine shot her a look. "Whose side are you even on?"

Jessie just winked. "Entertainment's."