Chapter 40. Something I Wasn’t Supposed to Feel

2014

Amelia’s POV

I should have been having fun.

Darren was charming, saying all the right things, flashing that easy grin that had most girls at our school swooning. The restaurant he picked was nice—casual but cozy, the kind of place where conversation could flow naturally. And to his credit, he made it easy.

He asked about my classes, my favorite books, my dream college. He even listened attentively when I rambled about a novel I was obsessed with, nodding at all the right moments, laughing when I made a joke. On paper, it was the kind of date I should have wanted.

But I wasn’t really there.

Physically, sure. I smiled, I nodded, I answered when he spoke. But my mind kept wandering, pulling me somewhere else. Somewhere I had no business being.

Or, rather—someone.

Adrian.

I hated how my thoughts kept circling back to him, how the ghost of last night still lingered on my lips. Every time I blinked, I saw his intense