Chapter 8 Chapter 8

Mika

The problem was not that I almost kissed Imani. It was the fact that I still wanted to. It was hours later and I was laying awake in my apartment with one arm thrown over my eyes. I could still feel her against me, her hand on my chest, her breath on my mouth, and the way her eyes softened just before they closed.

I replayed the moment so many times that it almost felt like punishment. The ring had gone silent around us. There was no rivalry. Fellowship, Gideon. It was only her…

And for one reckless second, I had forgotten every reason I was supposed to stay away. I dropped my arm and stared at the dark ceiling.

“Idiot,” I muttered. “I swear you just forgot who you are. You literally went ahead and forgot everything just for a fucking kiss.”

The word sounded weak compared to what I deserved. Imani Cole was Gideon’s sister.

My partner in a program already drawing too much attention.

My phone rested on the nightstand beside me. I grabbed it, checked the time, and saw a notification from the fellowship group.

Reminder: Joint project planning session tomorrow, 10:00 a.m.

My stomach tightened. Because tomorrow I was expected to sit beside her and pretend that I did not spend the entire night imagining her mouth against mine. I tossed my phone onto the mattress. It was the only sensible thing to do. Avoid her. Just until I got myself under control.

It was just until I remembered that wanting someone did not mean that I was always allowed to have them. So by morning I had already convinced myself that it was a good plan.

And by nine-thirty I already knew that I was being a coward. I still followed it anyway because I knew that it was the better option I had.

I arrived at the fellowship building early and chose a seat on the opposite side of the room. Normally, I would have sat beside her without hesitation. I would have smiled when she glared, made some comment about her Crestmont hoodie, and watched her fight not to laugh.

Today, I kept my eyes on my laptop. Because the last thing that I would have wanted to do was look at her.

Students filed their own tears. Scraped voices filled the room, and I heard her voice before I saw her. “Sarah, I told you, nothing happened.”

Sarah laughed. “You said you almost fell. Like you're about to save you almost fell with her. That part was absolutely important. I'm sure that something else had happened. You're just trying to keep it from me.”

“Nothing happened, Sarah. Trust me when I say nothing did. If it happened you would have been the first to know.” Imani said, speaking casually. I hated at the fact that I was listening to this conversation. Even the idea of becoming girls gossip was one that I did not want to have, given the fact that it was Imani. Now I knew that I really did not want to have it.

There was a moment of silence, then Sarah’s voice dropped. “But you wanted it to.”

My jaw tightened. Imani did not answer. She did not have to. Her silence struck more than any other confession.

I forced my shoulders to relax as footsteps approached, then the door opened and I saw her reflection on my screen before I allowed myself to look up.

She wore black leggings, white sneakers, and a fitted Crestmont jacket zipped halfway up. Her curls fell loose around her face. She was beautiful. Her eyes dropped across the room and found me immediately. For a second, everything from the rink came crashing back.

Then I looked away, forcing myself to breathe. It was cold over me, I knew that. The silence between us changed and Imani stopped walking. I could feel her stare from across the room.

It was going to be better for her to think that I was busy.

But rather than walk away, she chose to walk to the chair directly across from mine. “You know that there are empty chairs elsewhere.” I said calmly.

She dropped her back onto the floor and sat down, her eyes studying my expression as I avoided looking at her. “Well, good morning to you too.”

“Morning.” I said without looking up. I clicked open a document I had already opened twice. And I watched as she shifted across the table, knowing that she felt uncomfortable.

“I didn't expect you to be so early. Normally you are the last to attend.” She said, and I hummed in response.

“If there's anything that you need, Imani, just let me know. If not, I have a few things to take care of.

“Is everything alright?” She asked, frowning in confusion.

"We should focus on the project.” I said, nodding at the laptop. The smile on her face disappeared almost instantly and her expression changed. The teasing disappeared and guilt twisted in my chest as she turned towards the doctor who just walked into the room.

“I'll send you my part later today. I already got to work on it last night.” She said, looking at me over her shoulder. “I'm glad that you chose to be honest, at least. You know, about us needing to focus only on the project.

“Imani…”

“Did I do something wrong?” She asked, taking a deep breath. “You know, after last night I thought that something would have changed between us.”

“You are Gideon's sister.” I said, making her frown as she looked at me. “And if there is anything that should happen between us, I think that we're going to stop it. Because I'm not going to date…”

“That was in your opinion, when I was laying on top of you last night.” She said, stopping me.

“That is because last night was a mistake. I just don't know why you don't want to see it as so…”