Elena's POV

The hum of the lab lights filled the silence, a constant, low buzz that matched the one in my head. I sat hunched over the experiment table, scribbling down measurements while trying to ignore the fact that Blake Thornton was sitting right across from me tapping his pen like he was drumming in some band I wanted to strangle.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

“For the love of science,” I muttered through clenched teeth, “if you don’t stop doing that, I’m going to shove that pen somewhere ...