CHAPTER 5

Sebastian POV

I watched her walk with that usual quiet defiance, skateboard tucked under one arm, her hood covering most of her face like a veil she never let fall. She always moved like a ghost in the daylight—silent, unbothered, untouchable. But something was different today. I couldn’t explain it, but her steps felt... heavy. Slower. Not like the Blair I knew, or thought I knew. The one I’d been watching for weeks. The girl who had walls higher than anyone I’d ever met.

Where was she going on foot this late? My curiosity had gotten me in trouble before, but this time it came with a weird knot in my chest. I followed her in my car slowly, careful not to alert her. Not that she ever looked back. Her eyes were always focused forward, like the past was poison and she’d rather not touch it ever again.

She kept walking and walking… past our neighborhood, past familiar sidewalks and into the outskirts—towards the woods. My grip tightened on the steering wheel.

What the hell? The woods?

I parked quietly on the side of the road, leaving the car behind and following her on foot. She was so deep in her thoughts that she didn’t even notice the sound of twigs cracking beneath my boots.

Suddenly, she stopped—and then she ran.

“Whoa,” I whispered to myself, half-jogging to keep up. She was fast. Like, really fast. Especially for a girl her size. Not that she was big, but she had curves. The kind that people usually showed off, not hide under baggy hoodies.

She darted into a small clearing, a quiet, grassy spot tucked away in the trees. She sat down in the center, legs crossed Indian-style, like a monk ready for meditation. Curious and cautious, I lowered myself quietly to the ground behind a tree, far enough not to be seen.

That’s when she pulled out her phone and a small speaker. A familiar melody floated in the air.

“Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran.

Unexpected. And kind of... soft, for someone like Blair.

Then she stood up. I swear my breath caught when she took off the hoodie.

Holy shit.

From behind, she looked like an entirely different person. Her black crop top clung to her figure, revealing a body that didn’t match the cold front she gave the world. Her legs—long, toned, steady—carried her gracefully. She removed her high-heeled boots and stood barefoot in the grass.

Then came her hair.

She pulled the band from her bun, and it cascaded down her back like a slow-motion waterfall. Long, dark, and stunning.

She started to dance.

It wasn't the kind of dancing you saw at parties or school events. It was something else—like a story she’d buried deep inside her was crawling its way out through every move. She leapt, spun, twirled in the air, her body following every beat like it was born from the music. I’d never seen anything like it.

She bent backward so far I thought she might fall, then lifted one leg in a flawless standing split, balanced only by her hands. The strength it took—the grace—it was... breathtaking.

I was so mesmerized I didn’t realize she’d stopped.

Our eyes locked.

Oh shit.

She fell, crashing hard onto the grass. I stood up instinctively, brushing dirt off my jeans, panicking.

She stared at me with rage. I could feel it pulsing in the air between us.

Storming over to her speaker, she shut off the music, shoved it and her phone into her pocket, and yanked her hoodie over her head, covering everything again like she had to shield the world from herself.

She grabbed her skateboard, and without a word, began to stomp away. Her hair still bounced freely as she walked, like some part of her rebellion refused to be tucked away again.

“Hey! Wait up!” I called out, but she didn’t even flinch.

“I’m sorry!” I said louder, jogging behind her.

She was fast even when walking—so determined to get away from me, it was like I’d committed a crime. Maybe I had.

I trailed her until we reached the road again, and she dropped her skateboard and pushed off, skating away like I didn’t exist. I scrambled into my car, keeping up beside her.

“Please, just listen—I didn’t mean to spy on you!” I said through the open window.

She said nothing.

Even her hair betrayed nothing now—she pulled the hood over her head, shutting me out completely.

We reached our neighborhood. She stopped. I stopped.

She carried her board and walked up her porch like I was less than the wind.

I sat in my car, rubbing my hands over my face.

If I wasn’t on her blacklist before, I was definitely at the top now.

Blair POV

The nerve of him.

He followed me. To my place. My safe space. My secret.

I stormed into the house, trying to hold in the burning humiliation swimming in my chest. I wanted to scream, to cry, to tear something apart. That moment in the woods—that was the one thing I had for myself. My body’s way of speaking when my mouth refused to. And he ruined it.

I threw my skateboard down beside the shoe rack with a loud thud. My mother was asleep on the couch, for once. Thank God. I didn’t have the energy to pretend, not tonight.

I crept upstairs like a thief in my own house, careful not to wake her. When I finally made it to my room, I collapsed on my bed. My phone buzzed, lighting up with a stream of messages.

All from Max.

Max: When should I pick you up??

Max: The pay is real good, you should dance tonight.

Max: Why aren't you replying?!

Max: Please reply

Max: Are you serious right now?

Max: I'm coming over, hope nothing happened?!

Max: I can not believe you're missing this!

I tossed the phone to the side. He was relentless. But then again, weren’t they all?

I peeled off my hoodie, letting my hair fall free. It smelled like grass and pine, like freedom—and betrayal. I pulled it into a messy ponytail and flopped face-first into my bed.

Thud.

I ignored it.

Thud.

Seriously?

Thud.

What the hell?

Groaning, I dragged myself toward the window and yanked it open.

Nothing.

I rolled my eyes. “Stupid bird,” I muttered, turning back to bed.

“Hey…”

I froze.

I turned so fast that my ponytail whipped my face. He was already inside.

Joe?

Standing in my freaking room.

“What the—”

“I’m sorry,” he said quickly, hands raised like I might attack him. “I didn’t mean to invade your space. I know I shouldn’t have followed you into the woods—let alone into your room—but I just… I needed to say it to your face.”

I stared at him, jaw clenched. My eyes darted to the window, then back to him. He followed my gaze, understanding the silent accusation.

“Yeah, I know,” he said sheepishly. “Still invading your privacy. I’ll go.”

He started toward the window.

“Oh, and—” he paused, glancing back over his shoulder.

“You dance beautifully.”

Before I could say anything, he hopped over the ledge and disappeared into the night, slipping back into his own house.

I stood there in stunned silence.

Beautiful?

My cheeks grew warm. Damn it.

“Honey?” My mom’s voice came faintly from behind my door.

I instinctively groaned, rubbing my temples.

“Are you awake?” she called again.

“No,” I shouted before I could stop myself, slapping a hand over my mouth. Crap.

She paused, then said softly, “Please come have dinner. I promise it’s just you. I made your favorite.”

I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to see her, didn’t want her apologies, her tears, her half-baked attempts at redemption.

But my stomach had other plans. It growled like an angry beast.

“...k,” I replied grudgingly.

I waited a few minutes, then tiptoed downstairs. The dining room was dimly lit, the table set for one. She really had kept her word.

Rice and chicken sauce.

She sat on the couch, curled up with a book, watching me quietly with a hopeful gaze. I didn’t look at her. I just sat down and dug in.

Say what you want about Carolina, but the woman could cook.

The food was warm. Comforting. Almost enough to make me forget the storm in my chest.

Almost.