Page 15 of Lunar Crest University

“I have a few things to go over before we start,” Luca continues as he clears his throat, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his slacks. “First, we’re going to be readingDante’s The Divine Comedythis week. There will be a quiz next Monday on the Middle Ages.”

His dark curls jostle around as he paces back and forth, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose every so often. I catch myself staring pitifully at his movements as if starstruck, tearing my eyes away from him. It’s frustrating how enamored I am with him against my will, like a hostage in my own body.

“In three weeks, there will be an opportunity to take a literary tour in Britain. It’s a seven-day trip. We’ll fly and stay at a hotel. I’ll pass out the forms at the end of class, which will cover all the details and costs. I need to know who is staying and who is going by the end of the week.”

My ears perk up at the information. I’d always wanted to visit outside of the country but never had gotten the chance before. The farthest I’d gone on vacation with my family was the sunny coast of California. Beaches were never my cup of tea, though. England was beautiful and historic—the perfect trip. Except for the fact thathewould be there.

Sounds like a punishment, almost.

Or an opportunity.

And it was sadly all my poor mind could think about for the next hour as Luca droned on about the three major pieces thatmade upThe Divine Comedy. Every so often, his eyes would fall on me as his lips moved, swiftly fleeting elsewhere before they lingered too long, but every time, it made me feel more breathless than the last. Do I really want to be stuck with that for an entire week in another country?

Passing looks. Dark brown eyes. Him.

I still can’t decide whether he’s annoyed by me or likestoannoy me. Perhaps it’s both. One minute, he’s telling me to forget our strange encounter in the alley, and the next, he’s driving me home and carrying me princess-style into my apartment. The confusion only makes me want to stay further away, save myself the embarrassment of what else I would say or do in his presence.

Three minutes before class ends, Professor Serrano walks to each desk and places the form in front of each student. As he makes his way to the third row, putting the paper down on my desk as he studies me briefly, his fingers linger faintly before he pulls them away.

“Let me know if you have any questions about the form,” he instructs the class.

I focus down on the paper as he walks away, my mouth suddenly dry as I attempt to swallow. I marginally skim over the print, which talks about the specifics of the tour and which hotel we’d be dwelling in for seven days, summarized at the bottom with the cost and a one-word note scribbled in his handwriting.

Come.

And now I’m even more confused.

If I wanted to, I could just say there wasn’t anyone else to cover my shifts at work or that I didn’t want to miss my other classes for an entire week.

Or I could go.

“I wonder if Mr. Hotshot knows that most of us are college kids who can hardly afford ramen noodles for dinner,” Levi grumbles with a snort, crumpling up his form as he shoves it into his bag. “This is a joke.”

Levi Matthews can be a brat—the biggest one I’ve ever met—but he’s like my brother. He gets on my nerves, but I love him anyway. He has a tendency to project when he’s upset. The tension of his crush on an oblivious Genevieve has been building for months now. I’m surprised he hasn’t blown up sooner.

“I think it’s kind of cool.” I shrug.

“God. Not you too.”

My brow furrows as I glance over at him. “What are you talking about?”

“You’re another one of hisbiggest fans, aren’t you?” he huffs. “Like every other girl in thi?—”

“Mr. Matthews, I suggest you keep whatever insult that was about to leave your mouth unspoken,” Professor Serrano warns lowly from behind us, making me freeze. It’s not loud enough for everyone to hear, but it doesn’t make him sound any less scary. “Or you can find another class to attend.”

I suppress a smile, ducking my head as I lean forward and listen to Levi grumble something under his breath. As much as the words stung a little, I know he’s just taking his frustrations out on me. He’d come down off his high horse and apologize—he always does. We may be close like siblings, but we fight like them too.

Luca’s words hang in the air around me, heavy and protective, in aweird, hot way. It probably seemed like a professor scolding a student to Levi, but to me, there was a deeper meaning. I know him better than anyone else in this room. I found him bleeding in an alley and cleaned him up as he sat on my toilet. It took medaysto scrub the evidence from my carpet.

And that was really all the convincing my naive brain needed to decide I would go to England.

“I’m sorry,” Levi murmurs to me as Professor Serrano walks further down the aisle, pressing his cheek against my shoulder. “You know I’m sorry, right?”

“Yes,” I say. “But that doesn’t make it okay.”

“I know,” he mumbles. “I’m an ass.”

I nod, side-eyeing him. “One of these days, you’re going to have to get over her, Levi. I’m not always going to be your punching bag when you’re pouting over her.”

---