Rumor Has It I'm Dating the Football Captain

Chapter 63: Chapter 63: The Kiss She Couldn’t Deny

The campus library was almost completely empty by ten o’clock on Thursday night.

Zoya walked down the narrow, dimly lit aisle of the legal history section. Her eyes burned terribly from staring at tiny text for six straight hours. Her shoulders ached from carrying three heavy textbooks. The air in the aisle felt thick, smelling heavily of old dust and dry paper.

She reached the correct shelf and slid the first book into place.

A heavy footstep echoed directly behind her.

Zoya turned around quickly.

Jackson stepped right into the narrow aisle. He wore his thick varsity jacket. The playful, loud energy he usually carried was completely gone. He looked exhausted, and his dark eyes were heavily focused on her.

He took another step forward. Zoya was forced to take a step back until her spine hit the solid wooden bookshelf.

Jackson raised his hand. He planted his palm flat against the wood right next to her head. He trapped her completely between his large body and the shelf.

"Going somewhere?" Jackson asked. His voice was a low, rough rumble in the quiet library.

Zoya gripped the remaining two books to her chest like a shield. Her heart instantly started hammering against her ribs, but she kept her face completely blank.

"I am returning my books," Zoya stated coldly. "Move out of my way, Jackson."

"No," Jackson said simply.

He took a tiny step closer. The space between them vanished. Zoya felt the heat radiating off his broad chest. She smelled his cologne mixed with the crisp night air. The combination made her tired brain spin.

"You have been ignoring me for three days," Jackson pointed out. His dark eyes searched her face. "You sit on the opposite side of the library. You leave the cafeteria the exact second I walk in. You are running away."

"I am not running," Zoya lied smoothly. "I am simply optimizing my study schedule. You are loud. You are a distraction."

Jackson let out a harsh, bitter laugh. "I am a distraction? Zoya, you kicked me out of your bed and told me I was a mistake. And now you cannot even look me in the eye."

"Keep your voice down," Zoya hissed, looking around the empty aisle.

"There is nobody back here," Jackson said. He leaned his face closer to hers. "It is just you and me. So tell me the truth."

"I did tell you the truth," Zoya argued. She gripped the edges of her textbooks so tightly her knuckles turned white. "We were drunk. We made a poor logical decision. I rectified the error by asking you to leave."

"An error," Jackson repeated softly. The hurt flashed in his eyes again, but it was quickly replaced by pure, intense heat. "You think spending the night with me was a mathematical error?"

"Yes," Zoya said stubbornly.

Jackson tilted his head. He looked down at her lips. The sensual tension in the narrow aisle was completely suffocating. The air felt incredibly heavy in her lungs.

"You are a terrible liar," Jackson murmured.

He slowly reached his free hand up. He gently brushed his knuckles against the soft skin of her cheek.

Zoya sucked in a sharp, quiet breath. Her eyes fluttered shut for a fraction of a second before she forced them open. Her exhausted body betrayed her instantly. She wanted him to touch her again.

"Stop," Zoya whispered. She did not push him away.

"Your heart is beating so fast I can literally see it jumping in your throat," Jackson noted. His voice dropped into a rough whisper. "You analyze everything, encyclopedia. So analyze this. Tell me you feel absolutely nothing right now."

Zoya opened her mouth to speak. She wanted to say a smart, logical insult. She wanted to tell him he meant nothing.

Jackson did not give her the chance.

He closed the distance and kissed her.

It was not a gentle question. It was demanding and completely undeniable. His lips crushed against hers with all the pent-up frustration of the last three days.

Zoya dropped her textbooks. They hit the carpeted floor with a loud, heavy thud.

She did not care. All of her logic instantly melted away. She reached up and grabbed the lapels of his varsity jacket. She pulled him closer, kissing him back with the exact same frantic energy.

Jackson groaned softly. He moved his hand to the back of her neck, tangling his fingers into her perfectly neat hair. He kissed her deeper, pressing her firmly against the bookshelf.

Zoya felt completely consumed. Every single thought in her brain vanished. There were no exams, no grades, no rules. There was just the intense, burning heat of his mouth and the heavy weight of his body against hers.

She wanted him. She wanted him more than she had ever wanted anything in her perfectly planned life.

Then her brain abruptly rebooted.

The terrifying reality of her feelings hit her like a bucket of ice water. She was losing control. She was falling for the loud, arrogant football player. She was risking her entire secure, predictable world for a guy who could completely shatter her heart.

Zoya shoved her hands hard against his chest.

She broke the kiss, gasping for air. She pushed him back.

Jackson stumbled back half a step. He looked completely dazed. His lips were swollen, and his eyes were dark with heavy desire.

"Stop," Zoya breathed heavily. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Her hands were shaking violently. "We cannot do this."

Jackson stared at her. He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself.

"Why not?" Jackson demanded. "You kissed me back, Zoya. Do not even try to deny it this time. You are completely sober."

"Because it makes absolutely no logical sense!" Zoya yelled quietly. She grabbed her hair, trying to fix the messy strands. "Look at us! You are a chaotic athlete. I am a law student who needs absolute silence. We have nothing in common."

"We do not need to make sense on paper," Jackson argued. He took a step toward her again. "I like you. You clearly like me."

"I do not want to like you!" Zoya admitted. Her voice cracked with raw panic. "I do not have time for this. I need perfect grades. I need to get into a top law firm. I do not need a boyfriend. Especially not a guy who was literally kissing another girl in an alley three days ago!"

Jackson flinched, but he did not back down.

"You think I actually cared about that girl?" Jackson demanded. His chest heaved slightly. "I go on these stupid dates because I am trying to get you out of my head, Zoya. But it never works. The exact second I saw you leaning against that dumpster, I forgot she even existed. I ditched her in three seconds flat just to make sure you got home safely."

Zoya shook her head stubbornly. She built the icy wall back up, brick by brick. She had to protect herself.

"It does not matter," Zoya said coldly. She bent down and picked up her fallen textbooks. "You are a distraction, Jackson. And I eliminate distractions. This is completely over."

Jackson watched her perfectly rebuild her defenses. The anger slowly faded from his face, leaving only a quiet, heavy disappointment.

He dropped his hand from the bookshelf. He took two large steps backward, giving her all the physical space she wanted.

"You are a coward, Zoya," Jackson said softly.

Zoya froze holding her books. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Jackson stated. His voice lacked any warmth. "You act like you are so much smarter than everyone else. But you are just terrified. You hide behind your textbooks because books cannot break your heart."

He turned around. He did not look back. He walked down the narrow aisle and disappeared into the main library.

Zoya stood completely alone against the bookshelf.

Her lips still tingled from his kiss. Her heart was still racing entirely too fast.

She hugged the heavy law textbooks to her chest. She told herself she made the right choice. She told herself logic always wins.

But as she stood in the suffocating silence of the library, staring at the empty space where he had just been, Zoya tightly clenched her jaw. Logic could not fix the terrible, hollow ache spreading rapidly through her chest. And for the very first time in her entire life, she had absolutely no idea how to study her way out of a problem.