Chapter 2
Selena
I drove aimlessly through Brooklyn's streets, my mind a complete mess.
Streetlights flashed past my window one by one, like they were mocking my pathetic state. I needed to find somewhere to cool down—this damn condition was about to kick in.
I could feel that familiar heat spreading through my body, like flames licking every inch of my skin.
Emotional stress always triggered this reaction, and tonight's drama had made my body even more sensitive than usual.
Brooklyn Bridge Park was eerily quiet at this hour, with only the occasional glimmer of light on the river and a few dim streetlamps.
I parked in the empty lot and stumbled toward a bench by the water. The cold wind cut across my face like a knife, but the fire inside me made me completely numb to the chill.
"How could I be so stupid?" I collapsed onto the bench, head in my hands. "Trusted him for so long, thought he had at least some decency left."
The park was dead silent except for the wind—not a soul in sight. I curled up on the bench, feeling like the whole world had abandoned me.
Even worse, my body was starting to betray me.
That hunger washed over me like a tidal wave, making my breathing shallow and rapid. I bit down hard on my lip, trying to control myself, but it was barely working.
"Fuck, why now?" I cursed under my breath.
Usually at times like this, I'd text Tyler and he'd come running. But now?
I'd rather die than ask that asshole for help!
I pulled out my phone, mindlessly scrolling to distract myself.
Instagram was full of boring daily posts, Twitter was all political garbage, so I finally opened Whisper, the anonymous campus platform.
This was where Juilliard students came to vent and gossip. I rarely checked it, but tonight I needed something to take my mind off things.
I scrolled through random anonymous posts—people complaining about coursework, bitching about roommates, various confessions and breakup drama.
Then one post made my heart skip a beat.
[Been crushing on this dance major for ages. She always wears red dresses and has the most beautiful smile. Every time I see her at the coffee shop, I want to talk to her but never have the guts. She has a boyfriend who's my roommate—he's a jazz pianist, but I don't think that guy deserves her.]
My hands started shaking. Red dresses? Dance major? Jazz pianist boyfriend?
Was... was this about me?
I quickly scrolled through the comments—mostly generic advice telling OP to confess, but one comment made my heart nearly stop:
[Dude, are you talking about that girl Selena? My buddy Tyler always mentions her, says she's his fuck buddy.]
Another person replied: [Yeah! That's gotta be her! So if that's the case, your roommate must be Tyler? Selena's boyfriend! That means you're definitely S.D.! OMG, please tell me I guessed right!🤣]
S.D.? Tyler's roommate?
Seth Donovan?
My brain exploded. Seth... that gentle, quiet guy had been crushing on me?
"No way..." I whispered, but my heart was racing faster and faster.
In this awful night of Tyler's betrayal, someone had been quietly watching me?
That spark of hope suddenly ignited in my sea of despair.
I tried to remember every interaction I'd had with Seth.
He was Tyler's roommate, a grad student in music theory, two years older than us. Tall and lanky, always wearing black-rimmed glasses, very bookish.
Last month at the campus coffee shop, some drunk creep tried to grope me, and Seth stepped in to help. His face turned red as a tomato as he stammered: "She doesn't want to be bothered, please leave."
And in the library, when I couldn't find a music theory book, he handed it to me and had thoughtfully marked the important chapters with sticky notes.
Most memorable was last week's campus concert—Seth was playing piano on stage, and he chose Debussy's "Clair de Lune"—my absolute favorite piece! After the performance, his eyes searched the audience, and when they met mine, he immediately looked down, blushing.
At the time I thought he was just shy, but now...
"Was he playing that for me?" My heart pounded even faster.
All those things I thought were coincidences, those gentle little gestures—had he planned them all?
I imagined Seth sitting at his computer, typing out that anonymous post word by word. I imagined him secretly watching me at the coffee shop, imagined him choosing to play my favorite piece just to get my attention...
Warmth flooded through my entire body. The feeling of being genuinely liked by someone almost brought me to tears.
Compared to Tyler's mutual exploitation, Seth's crush seemed so pure, so precious.
My body grew even hotter from this emotional rush, but this time it wasn't just physical need—it was something I hadn't felt in a long time... butterflies?
"Seth Donovan..." I whispered his name, and it tasted sweet on my tongue.
If he really wrote that post, if he'd really been crushing on me all this time...
I suddenly remembered his fingers—long and graceful, dancing across the piano keys. I remembered his gentle voice, and those eyes behind his black-rimmed glasses that always sparkled with kindness.
My breathing became even more labored, not entirely because of that damn condition, but more from an unprecedented sense of anticipation.
Maybe... maybe Tyler's betrayal wasn't the end of the world. Maybe when God closed one door, he opened a window for me.
I stood up, making a decision in the cold wind by the river.
Tomorrow, I was going to see Tyler, but not to make up with him—to get closer to Seth. I needed to find a way to test him, see if he really wrote that anonymous post.
If he did...
I bit my lip, imagining Seth's gentle hands touching me, imagining his deep voice whispering sweet things in my ear.
My body was practically on fire, but this time, I didn't feel desperate.
"Seth Donovan," I said softly to the river in the darkness, "if you really like me, then show me your courage."
On the drive home, my head was full of plans for tomorrow. I'd wear that red dress he mentioned in the post, I'd find an excuse to visit their apartment, I'd let him know...
That I'd noticed him too.