Lost But Found | ✔️ - Chapter 3: Chapter 3

Unexpected Encounters
Saturday mornings were supposed to be for sleeping in, but Ava Carter had never been that lucky.
She woke before the sun, like she always did. Years of conditioning made it impossible to sleep past dawn—not when she had spent most of her childhood on edge, waiting for the next explosion from her father. Even though she lived alone now, the habit stuck.
The house was quiet, just the way she liked it. She moved through her morning routine with precision—coffee, a quick stretch, a few pages of a book. Anything to keep her mind busy.
But no matter how much she tried to focus on other things, her thoughts kept circling back to the night before.
To Jaxon Reed.
To the way he'd looked at her like he actually saw her.
She hated that. Hated how easily he had cracked the armor she'd spent years perfecting.
Ava shook off the thought, grabbing her keys. The last thing she needed was to get distracted by a guy like Jaxon.
She had too much to lose.
Jaxon groaned as he pushed himself up for another rep.
His ribs still ached from the hit last night, but there was no way he was skipping his morning workout. If he wanted a shot at a college scholarship, he had to stay ahead—stay disciplined.
But as much as he tried to focus on the weights, his mind kept drifting.
To Ava.
He had seen something last night, something deeper than the ice-cool exterior she liked to project. And for some reason, it nagged at him.
Jaxon wasn't the type to get caught up in things that weren't his business. But there was something about her—something that made him want to push.
After finishing his workout, he decided to grab coffee from the café near school. He needed caffeine, and maybe, if he was lucky, he could shake the thoughts of Ava from his head.
But as he walked inside, he spotted her immediately.
She sat at the corner table, a book in one hand, a steaming cup of coffee in the other.
Alone.
She was always alone.
Without thinking, Jaxon walked over and dropped into the seat across from her.
Ava looked up, startled. "Do you make it a habit of invading people's personal space?"
He smirked. "Only when they look like they need company."
She narrowed her eyes. "I don't."
Jaxon leaned back in his chair, studying her. "You sure about that?"
Ava sighed, placing her book down. "Jaxon, what do you want?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I just think it's weird that you always seem to disappear when you're not cheering."
"Maybe I like it that way."
Her tone was sharp, but he caught the flicker of something behind her words.
A challenge. A warning.
Jaxon had never been good at listening to warnings.
"You ever think that maybe people want to get to know you?" he asked.
She scoffed, looking away. "People like things that are easy, Jaxon. I'm not easy."
He didn't know why, but the way she said it made his chest tighten.
"You don't have to be," he said quietly.
For the first time, her expression faltered. It was only for a second, but it was enough.
Ava stood abruptly, grabbing her book. "This was fun, but I have things to do."
Jaxon watched as she walked away, his smirk fading.
Ava Carter had walls.
But now, more than ever, he wanted to know what was on the other side.