MELISSA’S POV

The cab ride back was a blur, like someone had pressed fast-forward on reality. I don’t even remember giving the driver my address. I don’t remember taking out my wallet. One moment I was standing in Xavier’s doorway, my pulse thundering like I’d just sprinted for my life, and the next I was in my apartment, leaning against the closed door as if it were the only thing keeping me from collapsing.

“What the fuck was that?” The words burst out of me, my voice ...