Page 14 of Lunar Crest University

Bringing her arm up to cuddle further into my chest, she sighs and mumbles, “Under th’mat.”

I swallow the slur of curse words that threaten to burst from my lips at her answer. Having her key in the most obvious place on the planet like she doesn’t care an ounce about her safety.Fucking hell.

Crouching down, I prop her on my knee as I dig underneath the mat to grasp the key, hoisting her back up with a grunt as I unlock the door and whisk it open. Shutting it behind us with my boot, I shuffle her toward the couch as I carefully lay her down on the unnecessary amount of throw pillows she owns.

And then, her phone slips from her pocket and to the floor with a loudsmack.

My entire body tenses up as I wait for her to jolt awake, but instead, she curls up into the pillows and pulls my jacket over her like a blanket. After a few seconds, she’s snoring once more.I’m frozen for a while, listening to her sleep as if moving around will awaken her from her peaceful slumber.

But her phone screen lights up, beckoning me to peer down at Levi’s name as a text comes through. I know I shouldn't be here. I should mind my business and leave, but I haven’t had much willpower lately. Picking it up from the floor, my eyes quickly scan over the message.

Levi

You make it home, Finn?

That fucking bastard.

She could’ve been kidnapped, fallen and hit her head, or fucking killed. Now he cares about her well-being?

Before doing something I regret, I place her phone on the coffee table, in plain view for her when she wakes up. It’s better than the alternative—crushing it in my palm. I contemplate leaving a note for her in case she doesn’t remember tonight, but I don’t want to rummage through her apartment trying to find a pen and paper. The last thing I need is to be caught looking through her things.

Tiptoeing toward the door, I take one last glance at Finley’s sleeping figure before creeping back outside. Using the spare key, I twist it in the lock and shove it into the light fixture next to the door. For my own peace of mind.

There are worse things out there than me.

Chapter Five

FINLEY

MONDAY, OCTOBER 2ND, 2023

Sweat pricks my forehead as I make my way down the sidewalk toward the English Hall, my arms clutching my notebook to my chest as I suck in a deep breath. Even the crisp air outside can’t manage to cool me down. My skin emits heat, as if I’m running a fever. On the contrary, I feel perfectly fine, except for the ball of bundled nerves in my stomach at the thought of seeing Professor Serrano again.

I could avoid him, enter the classroom without a second glance or word toward him. That is, if I didn’t have to turn in myBeowulfresponse paper to his desk before I could scurry away. I have to stand up in front of him, lay the paper down, bear the chance of him staring up at me over the top of his glasses, and feel the somersaults that my stomach would do in response.

There’s no escaping the inevitable.

I knew it the moment I woke up on my couch yesterday morning, still wrapped in his jacket that smelled profoundly of him. It meant that what I had hoped was a nightmare, puking everywhere and him carrying me inside, was actually real life.Much to my dismay. It’s humiliating enough that I’d been caught red-handed in his office after hours. Everything that happened was like a stack of disasters piling up, one by one, until I ultimately crumbled with embarrassment.

He probably thinks I’m a lunatic.

My palm hesitates on the handle of the classroom door for a moment as I swallow the lump in my throat. Whisking open the door, goosebumps trail down my arms beneath my uniform blazer as my eyes fall on him. Perched at his desk, he stares down at papers as he twirls a pen around in his large fingers, completely oblivious to me. Meanwhile, I have increasingly alarming heart palpitations as I approach his desk.

Hoping to drop the response paper down without him even bothering to glance up, I hurry to place it atop the stack that has already accumulated. I bite back a squeak as his head lifts, his dark eyes observing me slowly as I gulp. Twisting on my heels, I make a bee-line for my desk as I sit down, keeping my eyes on everything but him.

“Good morning, class,” Professor Serrano greets, standing from his chair as he looks around the room. “And by the looks of some of you, it appears you had a good weekend, too.”

His joke is met with a few giggles, but one in particular is obnoxiously prevalent. Genevieve Pierce flicks her blonde hair over her shoulder as she laughs softly, crossing her leg over her knee as she leans back in her seat. Cocking her head sideways, she bats her annoyingly thick eyelashes up at him.

I peek out of my peripheral at Levi, not shocked in the slightest that he’s pouting.

“And how wasyourweekend, Professor Serrano?” Genevieve questions innocently.

Before I can grimace at her forwardness, Levi grumbles next to me as he rolls his eyes. He doesn’t have to say anything for me to know he’s jealous, which also means he must’ve not made anyprogress at the party. I wish I could say I felt surprised, but this is the usual.

“Eventful,” Luca responds.

And then, his eyes flash toward me for a millisecond, barely long enough for it to be considered a passing glance, but it was enough to almost send me into cardiac arrest. Tugging my bottom lip between my teeth, I press my thighs together as I avert his gaze just as quickly.

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