For the entire day, she had done everything she could to avoid Jase. She hadn't taken her usual routes between classes, ducked out of sight whenever she caught a glimpse of him in the hallway, and even skipped her usual lunch spot—choosing instead a quiet, empty stairwell near the back of the building just to stay away.
She had barely seen him all day, and that was exactly what she wanted. Or at least, what she told herself she wanted.
But even in his absence, he managed to linger—woven into every corner of her thoughts, no matter how hard she tried to push him out.
The sky had looked ready to rain all afternoon, but Celeste hadn't expected it to pour this hard. By the time she stepped outside the school gates, the rain was coming down in sheets.
Of all days, she had forgotten her umbrella, and now she had to walk home in the heavy rain.She thought about waiting under the awning, but it was already late—and Granny would worry if she didn't get home soon.
With a resigned sigh, she took a step into the rain, only to instantly regret it as the icy water soaked through her uniform, the cold biting against her skin. She shuddered, quickening her pace, but before she could take another step—A sleek black car pulled up beside her, its headlights cutting through the rain like sharp beams of light and the window of the car rolled down.
And there he was.
He sat in the driver's seat, one hand resting easily on the wheel, his golden eyes flicking toward her with that usual look—hard to read, but clearly amused. The soft glow from the car's interior light cast shadows across his sharp features, making him look almost unreal, like he didn't quite belong to the same rainy, messy world she was standing in.
While the rain poured down outside, he looked completely at ease, calm and dry, watching her like he had nowhere else to be.
"Are you seriously planning to walk home like this?"
Celeste stiffened, heat creeping up her neck despite the freezing cold. Of course he would say something like that. She didn't thought about running into him—not here, not now. She opened her mouth to protest, to say something, but nothing coherent came out. "I—"
Jase sighed, the sound heavy with the kind of exasperation that said he had already expected her stubbornness. He tapped his fingers against the wheel once, twice, before speaking again, slower this time.
"Get in."
Celeste hesitated.
The chill in her bones warred with the unease curling in her stomach. The logical part of her mind screamed that this was not a good idea, that getting into a car with Jase, of all people, was crossing some invisible line she wasn't sure she could uncross. But at the same time, the wind howled around her, the rain soaking through her clothes, and she could barely feel her fingertips anymore. The warmth of the car—of him—was too tempting, too inviting.
"I—" she started again, still searching for an excuse she didn't have.
Jase's gaze sharpened slightly, his golden eyes pinning her in place. "Celeste."
Her breath caught.
His voice wasn't forceful, wasn't commanding, but there was something in the way he said her name—low, steady, like an unspoken promise that left no room for argument. It wasn't a request. It was inevitable.
"You're already drenched," he continued, tone maddeningly calm, like he was merely pointing out the obvious. "Either you get in, or I drive alongside you while you walk and make you look ridiculous."
Celeste's eyes widened. "You wouldn't—"
Jase arched a brow, the corners of his lips quirking up just slightly.
…He absolutely would.
Biting her lip, Celeste let out a sharp, defeated sigh before hurrying around to the passenger side. She pulled open the door and slipped inside, the leather seat cool beneath her as she shut the door behind her. And the second she did, the contrast hit her immediately.
The warmth of the car wrapped around her like a cocoon, making her shiver again—though this time, it wasn't entirely from the cold. The soft hum of the engine, the subtle scent of leather and something distinctly him, the silence—it was all too much, too overwhelming. She clenched her hands in her lap, her fingers still damp from the rain, her pulse annoyingly erratic as she tried to pretend this wasn't a big deal. It wasn't. She just needed a ride home. That was all.
Jase smirked, shifting the car back into drive, his voice effortlessly smooth. "Smart choice."
Celeste huffed, crossing her arms tightly as she turned toward the rain-streaked window, desperate to avoid his gaze. "You're annoying."
Jase chuckled, the sound deep, slightly amused, as if he found her entire existence endlessly entertaining. Celeste shot him a glare, but he only grinned in response, completely unaffected. Something fluttered in her stomach, and she hated it.
This was going to be a very long ride home.
The sound of rain beating against the windshield filled the silence between them, a rhythmic, steady backdrop to the quiet tension inside the car. The occasional swish of the wipers swept across the glass, clearing streaks of water only for more droplets to take their place, creating an endless cycle of motion that did little to distract Celeste from the fact that she was trapped. Not in the physical sense—Jase wasn't keeping her here against her will—but there was something about the space between them, about the unspoken weight pressing against the air, that made escape feel impossible. She shifted slightly, uncomfortably aware of how her damp clothes clung to her skin, how the warmth inside the car wrapped around her like a heavy blanket, making her body sluggish, her mind dangerously unfocused.
But what was truly impossible to ignore—what had her fingers digging into the fabric of her pants, her pulse betraying her—was him.
Jase.
The way his hands gripped the wheel, fingers long and steady, veins subtly pronounced beneath his skin. The way his sleeves were pushed up slightly, revealing strong, lean forearms that flexed with the slightest movement. The way the dim glow of the dashboard lights sharpened his already unfairly perfect features, accentuating the sharp angles of his jaw, the curve of his lips, the way his golden eyes flickered with quiet amusement, as if he was completely aware of the effect he had on people and chose to wield it with ruthless ease.
Her stomach twisted, her heartbeat stumbling against her ribs.
Why does he have to look like that?
She quickly turned her gaze toward the rain-blurred window, hoping the sight of the storm would somehow ground her, calm her, distract her from the fact that she was sitting in a confined space with the one person who seemed to effortlessly unravel every single ounce of common sense she had. But then—
"You're blushing."
Her head snapped toward him so fast that she nearly gave herself whiplash. "I am not!"
Jase's smirk widened just slightly, a quiet satisfaction gleaming in his eyes. "You totally are."
Celeste turned away immediately, mortified, her arms tightening around herself in a futile attempt to contain her frustration. "It's just warm in here," she muttered, hating the defensive edge to her voice, hating the way her face burned even hotter because now she was thinking about it—thinking about how he was right, how her skin was betraying her despite every effort to not react to him.
Jase hummed softly, clearly unconvinced, clearly enjoying this way too much.
Celeste clenched her fists in her lap, holding back the sharp reply at the edge of her tongue.
Why did he have to say things like that so casually? Like it meant nothing, when it sent her thoughts spinning.
She couldn't do this—couldn't sit there one more second pretending she wasn't completely aware of everything: how close he was,
The car ride suddenly felt way too intimate.
She needed to get out immediately.
*****
By the time they stopped in front of Celeste's house, her clothes were still damp, clinging uncomfortably to her skin. The warmth of the car hadn't helped much—she was stuck between the lingering chill of the rain and the heat that had taken root inside her.
And it wasn't from the heater.
It was from him.
She shifted slightly in her seat, trying to ignore the way her clothes stuck to her, trying to ignore the way her body still felt his presence beside her, even though they weren't touching. Jase sat in silence, one hand draped over the wheel, his golden gaze flicking toward her with something unreadable, something that sent a slow, crawling shiver down her spine. His voice, low and smooth, broke through the hum of the engine.
"You should change before you get sick."
Celeste nodded quickly, too quickly, reaching for the door handle in a desperate attempt to escape this feeling—this awareness that had wrapped around her like a second skin. But as she grasped the handle, she realized her fingers were trembling slightly, stiff from the cold, her movements sluggish.
Jase let out a soft sigh.
"Here."
Before she could react, before she could even think, his hands were on her.
Warm. Gentle.
His fingers brushed against her chilled skin as he tucked a damp strand of hair behind her ear, knuckles grazing the side of her face with a softness that made something in her clench. Celeste froze, her breath catching painfully in her throat, every nerve in her body suddenly on high alert. The warmth of his touch sent a deep shiver through her, but it wasn't from the cold—it was something else, something dangerous.
Jase's golden eyes flickered, his gaze lowering slightly as another damp strand of hair clung to her collarbone, his focus shifting. For a second, she thought he was going to pull away. That he had realized what he was doing and would retreat like he always did, back into his carefully crafted walls of control.
But he didn't.
Instead, his fingers brushed down her neck, moving the strand with slow, careful ease. His touch was light, but she felt it everywhere.
A sharp jolt ran through her, heat pooling low in her stomach. Her breath caught, and that's when she realized just how close they were. Close enough to feel the warmth radiating off his skin. Close enough to count the flecks of gold in his eyes.
His touch lingered. Jase's jaw tightened, the muscle twitching for a brief second before his fingers finally—reluctantly—stilled against her skin. But he didn't move away.
Neither did she.
Their eyes locked, neither of them blinking, the air between them thick with something heavy and unspoken—something dangerous and magnetic. Celeste swallowed hard, her lips parting just slightly, her pulse rushing in her ears.
And for one wild, breathless moment, she wondered—if she leaned in just a little more, if she tilted her head ever so slightly, would he meet her halfway? Would he close the gap like she was something he shouldn't want… but couldn't help reaching for?
But before she could figure it out—before the thought could turn into something more—Jase let out a slow breath and pulled back, his hand slipping from her skin like he was breaking some unseen connection.
His voice was lower than before, quieter. "Go change."
Celeste barely nodded, her movements numb, her mind a chaotic, tangled mess as she hurried out of the car, stepping inside without another word, her pulse still racing. And as she closed the door behind her, pressing her back against the wood for support, one thought refused to leave her mind.
Celeste knew that it wasn't just a Luminary showing concern to a Mortalis. That was something else. Something neither of them were ready to admit.