Page 18 of Hymns of the Broken

Blake doesn’t notice until the shadow falls over us.

I can feel Jasper behind me before he even speaks.

It’s not just his presence—it’s a pull. One that I will be denying as long as possible.

“Hey,” Jasper says, voice low and amused. “You made it.”

Blake turns toward him, looking him up and down. “Yeah, she did.” His tone is friendly, but only on the surface. He puts his hand out, going for a handshake. “I’m Blake. Her boyfriend.”

Jasper doesn’t take it. Doesn’t even glance at it.

Instead, his gaze locks on Blake for a unreadable beat before shifting to me.

Eyes dark. Curious. Knowing.

“Oh?” His mouth twitches, but there’s no humor in it. “Didn’t realize she needed someone to keep her on a leash.”

Blake tenses, his handshake dying mid-air before he drops his hand. “Just seeing her off. She’s got everything she needs.”

Jasper’s gaze doesn’t move to him. It stays on my face like he’s memorizing every freckle, then drags slowly down to where Blake’s hand still grips my waist like he’s staking a claim that doesn’t hold.

Then back to me.

“You ready, Sawyer?”

I nod my head, not trusting my mouth right now.

Blake shifts beside me. His hand tightens on my side, and I feel his thumb press into my hip bone like he’s trying to anchor me—to remind me who got here first.

Jasper reaches out and grabs the handle of my suitcase. “Come on,” he says. “Bus won’t wait forever.” Then he turns and walks off, not looking back.

My boots crunch across the gravel, each step louder than it should be.

“Sawyer.” Blake’s voice, sharp and desperate, stops me.

I turn, and he’s already stepping into my space.

“Just—one more thing.” Then he kisses me.

It’s messy. Forceful… Too much.

His hand cups my jaw as the other grips my waist like ownership. His tongue pushes against mine like he’s trying to drown me in goodbye. He grinds his hips into me, putting on a show—not for me, but for everyone else. As if his desperation can be described as devotion.

It’s the kind of kiss that’s supposed to prove something, but all it proves is that he’s already losing.

The only reason I let it go on as long as I do is so maybe Jasper will take the hint.

When he finally pulls back, my breath is uneven, but not because of him.

Jasper stands just ahead, watching, as still as stone. But his stillness isn’t empty. His eyes lock onto mine, unmoving, unforgiving, and unreadable at first glance. Yet beneath the surface, I can see it—a fire. Something primal that doesn’t flinch or fade. He has seen everything, and he doesn’t look angry…

He looks certain.

Like something just clicked into place. Like a decision was made the second Blake’s mouth touched mine, and now the outcome is inevitable.

Fuck. I may have just made this even worse.

Blake’s hand slides down my arm, his fingers trailing off like an afterthought he doesn’t want to release.