Jayden's POV
Jasmine's body went rigid against mine.
She sat perfectly still on my lap, her muscles tensing like a wire pulled too tight. Her gaze was fixed on something beyond the cafeteria windows, but when I followed her line of sight, I saw nothing unusual. Just the usual dance of light and shadow, mixed with the steady drone of student conversations.
"What is it?" I murmured, my breath warm against her ear.
She gave a barely perceptible shake of her head. "Nothing important."
The lie was obvious. I could feel the change in her immediately - the way her shoulders drew up defensively, how her eyes dropped to her phone screen instead of meeting mine. Something had rattled her badly, and she was shutting me out completely.
The lunch bell cut through the air, signaling the end of our break. Without warning, Jasmine slipped off my lap and stood up. Her hand didn't seek mine the way it usually did.
