RED NOTES AND KISSES-Chapter 68: FRIDA -

"The synovial joint is the most movable joint in the body," Frida explained, her voice steady as she read from her textbook. "It can be found in the arms and legs, above the humerus and femur."

Lexi nodded, her blonde hair cascading over her smooth shoulders. "Right, and the hinge joint is like a counter, it only moves in one direction, like the fibula and tibia or the radius and ulna."

Frida hummed in agreement, but the rest of the conversation faded into the background. Her gaze drifted, as though pulled by an invisible force, and landed on him.

Frida had been avoiding him for two whole days.

He didn’t invade her personal space at all. Even when she walked past him at random spots on campus, he didn’t bother her.

And it was killing her.

It annoyed her how much she wanted him to bother her, to look her way, to tease her with those intense gray eyes. Yet she was the one who had told him she needed space, and now it was messing with her head.

The memories... or were they dreams?

Her darkest desires.

The things she wanted him to do to her. She clasped her thighs shut and swallowed nervously, trying to banish the thoughts.

They were currently in the library for their afternoon study session on a noisy Friday. Laz sat a few tables away, his attention deeply fixed on his book, seemingly unaware of her glances.

She kept sparing them anyway, willing him to look at her, to crave her.

What was wrong with her? Had she lost her mind?

This guy...

He did things to her, things she couldn’t explain. And what if... what if he even killed that poor girl in reality?

The thought sent a shiver down her spine.

What if he wanted to kill her, too?

That would explain the odd red note. She’d gathered all the notes last night and read each one until they became etched in her mind. Two different notes, two different writers...

...or so he wanted her to think.

"Frida!" Leah’s sharp voice snapped her back to the present. She blinked, realizing she was supposed to be studying with Leah, Reg, and Lexi.

"Yeah, yeah..." she stammered, trying to focus.

"What do you think about the musculoskeletal system? I was thinking of differentiating the joints: ball-and-socket, hinge, pivot, synovial. It’d be easier to categorize them with short mnemonics," Leah suggested, her eyes narrowing as she noticed Frida’s fluctuating gaze.

"That’s such a good idea," Frida replied, nodding absently.

Her friends shared a knowing smirk.

Lexi shrugged, arching her head to the side. "We should order lunch."

Reg’s grin broadened. "Yeah, Frida, what do you want?"

Frida rubbed her pen on her lip, her gaze darting from her textbook to Laz and back again. "Oh, a burger’s fine..." she said absentmindedly.

"Hmm, would you like Laz sauce with that?" Leah teased, her tone dripping with mischief.

Frida sighed and propped her chin on her knuckles. "Yeah..." she started, then jumped and blushed furiously. "I mean, what?"

"Good, because you look like you want to eat a lot," Leah giggled.

Lexi threw her head back in laughter. "She looks like she wants that cookie so bad."

Frida sighed, flipping the pages of the anatomy textbook absently. "Stop. We’re just friends, okay? Nothing to it."

"Friends fuck," Reg cut in, grinning as Frida’s cheeks heated. "And you look like you wanna bite it."

Frida smacked her arm playfully as Reg high-fived Lexi. "Stop, OMG. I hope he didn’t hear you. We’re not even on talking terms right now."

Leah smirked, shaking her head. "Why? I hope it’s not Alex, because that guy’s an A-hole, and I don’t know why you can’t see it."

Frida’s jaw dropped. She scoffed. "You’ve known that all along?"

Lexi grimaced with a shrug. "We’ve said it a million times. He’s hot, yes—to fuck as a one-time thing. But he’s a toxic dickhead."

Reg nodded in agreement, her black butterfly-cut hair with pink highlights bouncing. She ran her tongue over her lip ring and slung an arm around Lexi’s chair. "Yep, total shithole. Don’t know how you hung out with him for so long."

Frida sighed in exhaustion. The past two days she’d read so hard she’d given herself a nosebleed. Her insomnia was getting worse. "Is it so hard with Laz?"

The question threw her off guard, and her cheeks warmed at Leah’s query. "Quite the opposite," she whispered, sparing him a glance.

Her heart stopped as Laz held her gaze. The bookshelves disappeared. Her friends were muted. The wind stopped. The sound of turning pages ceased.

"Then what’s the problem?" Leah asked, her voice distant.

Frida’s thoughts screamed at her: You can’t trust him.

Time stood still. Someone once told her, You know he’s the one if you feel at peace even when you’re burning to your toes.

"I think that’s enough for today," she said abruptly, gathering her books and tossing them into her bag.

"What about the burgers?" Leah yelled after her.

"I’ll pay for it," Frida called over her shoulder.

Exams were on Monday. She couldn’t afford any more distractions. She bumped into someone, her head hitting their shoulder hard. Wincing, she staggered back, rubbing the sore spot.

The person gently removed her hand. Warm fingertips circled the spot, and she closed her eyes. His scent—new leather seats, musk, and oud chocolate—enveloped her.

"Does it hurt?" His voice was a gentle caress.

She opened her eyes slowly, meeting Laz’s intense gray gaze.

"I know you said you needed space, and I’m not going to invade it. But you bumped into me, and now there’s a red spot on your forehead, so..." He trailed off, noticing her stare.

Shyly, he pulled a band-aid from his pocket. "May I?" he asked politely.

She swallowed hard, unsure, but nodded. He took two steps closer, his presence overwhelming. Blowing warm breath on her forehead, he placed a red smiley-face band-aid over the sore spot with the gentlest touch.

"Does it still hurt?" he asked, his thumb brushing the band-aid.

Frida gripped her bag tightly, her voice trembling. "Did you do it?"

His throat bobbed with a nervous swallow. "What?"

"Did you kill her?" she asked.

His eyes went blank, devoid of all emotion. She trembled. This was the aura she’d felt in her crazy dream.

Her breathing turned erratic. He tried to walk past her, but she grabbed his arm. Her small hand was no match for the strength in his biceps, which he flexed even now. Their intense eye contact crackled with electricity.

He gently removed her hand from his arm. She was thankful because her palm felt like it was burning through his shirt.

Leaning in close, he whispered, "Come on. You know you liked it."

Her gasp was so loud the whole library turned to look at them.

"Oh, just kiss already!" Leah shouted, earning a sharp "Shush!" from the librarian.

Laz’s dark grin deepened as Frida bolted out of the library, her thoughts a chaotic mess.

Kiss?

The word echoed in her mind, making her squirm.

Why am I always running from him? She wondered, her pace quickening. In a public library, though? Seriously, Leah’s insane.

Her heart pounded as she pushed open the doors, her thoughts spiraling.

I definitely need to see my therapist again.