Breaking the ice

Grace

It was the kind of morning where the sun wasn't quite awake yet. The sky was still soft with the early morning mist as I dragged myself out of bed. I had a long day ahead of me—one filled with lectures, assignments, and a certain school project with Jaxon.

I tried not to think about it too much. I mean, I wasn't exactly thrilled about working with him. Sure, we'd had some good moments recently, but there was something about the idea of teaming up with Jaxon for school that just seemed... wrong. I wasn't sure how I felt about mixing this side of him—the one that seemed to always get what he wanted—with the side of him I'd seen glimpses of: the guy who could listen, who could actually care.

But here we were, the project looming over us like an unavoidable storm cloud. We were supposed to work together on a history assignment—something that, if I'm being honest, I was dreading. Not that I wasn't capable of it; I just knew that when it came to Jaxon, things were never just about school.

I met him at the campus coffee shop, per our plan. I was there first, which wasn't surprising considering Jaxon's tendency to run late. The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the air, a welcome distraction from my thoughts. I ordered my usual black coffee and found a quiet corner by the window to settle into.

I didn't even have time to open my laptop before Jaxon walked in, his presence unmistakable. He was in a hoodie and jeans—casual, but it still somehow worked for him. His brown hair was messily tousled, and his eyes lit up the second he spotted me.

"Grace," he said, as if surprised to find me here first. "You actually beat me to it."

I rolled my eyes, barely looking up from my coffee. "I'm capable of being on time, you know."

Jaxon pulled out the chair across from me, dropping his backpack onto the ground with a heavy thud. He grinned, his lips pulling up in that way that always made my heart do this weird flip. "I never said you weren't. I just didn't expect it."

"Well, consider yourself impressed," I shot back, taking a sip of my coffee.

Jaxon started to pull out his laptop, clearly ready to dive into the project. "Okay, so, history project. I'm thinking we should just split this up—each of us takes a section, and we put it together afterward."

I set my cup down, trying to ignore how close he was, how his presence seemed to dominate the space. "Yeah, that works, I guess."

I was more than ready to focus on the work, to get this thing done. But as soon as we began, my mind couldn't help but wander to other things. To Jaxon's smile, to the way he'd kissed me the other night to calm me down after my nightmare. I was still processing it all, unsure if I should act like it was no big deal or confront him about it.

"So," Jaxon said, breaking me out of my thoughts. "How do you feel about taking the section on the historical figures for our topic? I'll do the section on the events surrounding it. Sound good?"

I nodded absently. "Sure, I can handle that."

There was an odd quiet between us as I opened my laptop and began typing up notes for my part. Jaxon worked on his side of the project, occasionally looking over to see if I was still paying attention. I wasn't really—my thoughts kept drifting back to him. To that damn kiss, to how I felt when he kissed me, how safe and warm it had made me feel even though I knew I was supposed to be freaking out about it.

"So, about the other night..." Jaxon's voice was suddenly softer than I'd expected. He was looking at me, eyes searching, almost hesitant.

I froze, my fingers hovering over the keys. Oh no. I wasn't ready for this conversation. Not now. Not when I was still trying to sort through my feelings.

I glanced up at him, trying to stay composed. "What about it?"

His gaze didn't break from mine. "I just wanted to check in. You were... a little shaken up, and I wanted to make sure you were okay. I mean, I know we didn't really talk much after, but I just want to make sure you're not freaking out or anything."

I took a deep breath. "I'm fine, Jaxon. Really. It was just a nightmare."

He raised an eyebrow. "Just a nightmare?" His voice was gentle, but I could hear the concern there.

I let out a soft laugh, but it didn't sound right, not to me anyway. "Yeah, I know it probably doesn't make sense, but it's not the first one. I'm used to it by now."

Jaxon's expression softened, and for a brief moment, I could see something real in his eyes. Something more than just the cocky, confident guy who'd always had everything handed to him. "Grace," he said quietly, "it doesn't have to be just a nightmare. If you ever want to talk about it, or if you need me for anything... I'm here."

I wasn't sure what to say. The words felt heavy, tangled in my chest. Part of me wanted to brush it off, to tell him not to worry about me. But I couldn't quite shake the feeling that maybe he wasn't just offering empty words.

For a moment, neither of us said anything. We just sat there, the weight of the unspoken conversation hanging in the air between us.

Jaxon cleared his throat. "Alright, let's get back to the project," he said, trying to make light of it.

I nodded, picking up my notes again, but this time my focus wasn't on the history. It was on him. On his words. His offer. Maybe he really did care more than I thought.

Maybe I was starting to believe it.

And that scared me more than anything else.