"I believe you"

CHANGE OF POV: MIA'S POV

I knew I had been a little harsh on Ray earlier, but I just wanted to be sure of my feelings for him and his feelings for me. It was hard to admit, but I was feeling jealous.

Actually, I'm still feeling jealous. I couldn't stop imagining him with Lily or any other girl, and it was driving me crazy. I couldn't shake the image of him in the gym with Lily on top of him.

But I was able to calm myself down in Kira's room, and I eventually fell asleep feeling a little bit better. When I woke up, I checked the time and saw that it was already 3pm. I sighed, thinking that Ray would have gone home by now.

Or so I thought.

When I got back to my room, I was surprised to see him asleep on the floor. He had waited for me. I couldn't believe it.

My heart skipped a beat as I watched him, looking peaceful and innocent in his sleep.

I could see the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, and I felt a warmth spread through my body as I remembered the good times we had shared together.

I still wanted to talk to him, to hear his side of the story and be reassured that Lily was just making things up.

So I closed the door behind me and sat down beside him, taking his hand in mine. I knew we were about to have a heart-to-heart, and I didn't want to be disturbed.

As I sat there, watching him sleep, I couldn't help but feel my feelings for him deepening. I don't know if I wanted to be with him or not, but I know I want to hear from him and confirm Lily's claims were just baseless.

He must be a light sleeper as he stirred almost immediately. When he finally woke up, I knew that we would be able to work everything out together.

CHANGE OF POV: RAY'S POV

"Hey, babe." My voice was rough and sleep-laden as I greeted her. It was surprising to see her sitting on the floor beside me.

"I wasn't expecting to still meet you here." she said.

"I can't go with you still angry at me," I replied, nervously playing with her fingers. "Are you ready to listen to my side of the story now?" I asked, hoping for a chance to clear things up.

She nodded quietly, her piercing blue eyes fixed on me as I began to speak.

"Lily was the first person I met when I moved here. She was really friendly and we became close friends, maybe even too close. She always wanted us to be more than just friends, but I wasn't ready for that kind of commitment.

"The thing is, Lily could be really mean to people who didn't meet her standards or weren't in her 'class'. One day, she said something really rude to a guy named Sam and I stood up for him. That's how Sam and I met and eventually became friends.

"Most people at school assumed that Lily and I were dating because of how close we were, but it wasn't like that. In fact, she even spread rumors that we were together, which I didn't find out about until later.

"We ended up making out one night after having a little too much to drink. It was getting intense and I had to leave. That's when I decided to end our friendship.

"After that, I became the captain of the football team and Lily, who seems to have a thing for popular guys, started coming on to me again. But there was never anything romantic between us."

"Hold on," I said, fumbling through my pockets for my phone. "These were the pictures she showed you, right?" I asked, handing the phone to Mia so she could see them.

She nodded, quickly looking away.

"Most of these pictures were taken at a summer camp when we were role-playing. Lily always had her camera on. All of this happened before we stopped being friends. Believe me, Mia."

"Go on," she said, her face devoid of any emotion. I couldn't even begin to guess what was going through her mind.

"So yesterday, when you left the gym, a girl came up to me and said you had sent her to give me a drink. I was thirsty, so I took it and drank it. I didn't suspect anything was wrong, but after a few minutes, I started feeling light-headed and then my body went numb. I couldn't move. Lily came in and...I just blacked out. I woke up in the hospital."

"Mia, I swear there's nothing between Lily and me. We were just close friends, maybe too close to give the wrong impression." I added, hoping to reassure her.

There was a moment of silence between us as I waited for Mia to speak. As the silence stretched between us, I couldn't help but wonder what was going through Mia's mind.

She seemed lost in thought, her eyes fixed on a spot just past my shoulder. I sat there, my own thoughts racing, waiting for her to speak.

Finally, she broke the silence with a simple but powerful statement.

"I believe you," she said, her voice laced with emotion.

I was shocked. I had never expected her to believe me so easily, especially after everything that had happened. "You do?" I asked, my voice trembling with disbelief.

"Yes, I do," she replied, her eyes locked onto mine. "I just needed to hear it from you. When I met Lily on my way to get us drinks, she said all those things that made me so angry. And then she said she could prove it all in just 15 minutes. I was so angry that I agreed to her deal." She spoke with a hint of sadness and regret in her voice, and I could see the pain etched on her face.

"I'm sorry you had to go through all that," I said, taking her hand in mine and giving it a squeeze. "I never wanted to cause you any pain."

"I'm sorry too," she said, her voice heavy with apology. "I shouldn't have agreed to Lily's deal. I should have trusted you and our relationship."

"So we're good?" I asked cautiously, trying to gauge where we stood.

She didn't answer right away, but instead came closer to me and pressed her lips against mine.

And that was all I needed. If according to Sam, I should go all in, now's when to start.

The kiss was intense, filled with all the emotions and feelings that had been bottled up between us.

We kissed each other with abandon, pouring all of our love and desire into the long-awaited embrace. It was a moment of pure ecstasy, and I knew that everything was going to be alright.

As we kissed, I could feel the tension melting away, replaced by a sense of love and contentment. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close as we lost ourselves in the moment.

It was a perfect end to the tumultuous episode, and I knew that we would be able to weather any storm as long as we had each other.

As I reached out and encircled her waist with my hands, I lifted her up and gently placed her on my lap. Our lips met in a heated embrace, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of electricity coursing through my body.

I explored every inch of her mouth with my tongue, savoring the taste of her and the feel of her soft lips against mine.

She responded with equal passion, her fingers threading through my hair and her other hand holding my face as we lost ourselves in the moment.

I couldn't help but notice how our kiss seemed to be even more intense than the last. It was as if our connection was growing stronger with every passing moment, and I couldn't get enough of her.

Eventually, we broke apart, gasping for air and still remaining close, with our heads touching and our eyes locked on each other.

Mia let out a joyful laugh, and the sound was like music to my ears. It was the most beautiful sound I had heard all day, and it seemed to lift her mood and brighten her entire face.

Her eyes, already a stunning shade of blue, seemed to sparkle even more in that moment.