It Burns Within Us | Wildfire Series Book 1

T W E L V E

M A D I E

September Twenty-Second

Two

Some people say

when it rains, it pours...

—

Bren and I walked in relative silence across campus.

This guy was a total enigma to me.

I'd tried so hard to listen to that nice lady about how to get organized and stay on top of my schoolwork. But it had been a challenge of a lifetime with Bren across the table, his eyes darting between Mrs. White and me. He'd sat with his head in his hand, his fingers occasionally flexing, dragging across his jawline, every movement a telltale sign that something was bothering him.

And every flex of his fingers reminded me of how the same hand had clenched his hair that night. It reminded me of how his other hand had gripped Nessa's hair while—

Nope, I needed to stop thinking about him like that. Guilt attacked my conscience for daring to picture the moment, and it made me hesitant to go with Bren to the coffee shop. I needed to get away from him. Or, more accurately, I needed to get away from the flickers of inappropriate images that seemed to accompany his presence.

But Bren had implied that I wouldn't go with him because of Quinton, and I wanted to prove to him that he misunderstood my relationship. So I agreed. Besides, Bren was a good study partner; I just needed to expel any unwanted thoughts about him.

The moment the cafe came into view, I froze.

It was a small, brick building, smashed between a boutique and a dinky pub. Massive glass windows overwhelmed the front of the cafe. The Coffee Grounds was etched across the glass in decorative lettering, giving it the air of a small-town cafe despite the big city it resided in.

But what surprised me wasn't the cafe itself but the face that lingered behind the words on the window.

Bren spun around, confused why I'd stopped.

"What?"

It all made sense now. Bren didn't want to come here because he was sick of whitewashed dorm room walls. He wanted to come here because this was where Nessa worked.

I raised a brow at him, and his look of bewilderment only grew.

"Madie?"

This guy was using me to get to my roommate again. My roommate, who'd already caught sight of me through the window, waving excitedly as she wiped down a cafe table.

Clearing my throat, I pointed to Nessa. "This is where Nessa works."

Bren's head whipped around, following my finger.