Page 49 of Lunar Crest University

Where is everyone?

Genevieve hums in disappointment as she peers up at me from her seat. “And here I was, thinking it was just going to be me and Professor Serrano.”

Jealousy at the mere thought of them being alone together makes my nostrils flare, but I swiftly compose myself and force a semi-friendly smile instead.

“I’m not sure the dean would allow that.”

There’s a strange smirk on her face as her blue eyes look me up and down for a moment. Her perfectly plucked eyebrow raises, and it only draws my attention to howput togethershe is. Her skin is so clear, there’s not a single hair out of place on her head, and her makeup is…perfect. How annoying. “Where’s your boyfriend? Is he not coming?”

“B-boyfriend?” I practically choke out. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“Then who is the curly-headed guy you’re always with?”

Oh my God.“Levi?”

“I’m askingyou, babe.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” I manage to say, shuffling into the seat a few chairs down from her before my wobbly knees give out. “He’s my best friend. But no, he didn’t sign up to come on the trip.”

Of course, she knows Levi exists, but only because she’s under the impression we’re dating. The thought makes me want to blanch. The new revelation would send Levi into a pout festfor weeks, so I definitely opt to keep this information to myself for now.

It’s silent for a while as we sit there, but for that, I’m thankful. I’d much rather forget the last ten minutes ever happened and never speak to her again, but as the seconds keep ticking by without anyone else showing up, I can’t help but wonder what’s going on.

“Where is everyone?” I ask softly, perching my chin in the palm of my hand as I exhale quietly.

“The flu is going around.”

I hum in response, swallowing down anything else that might escape my lips. I hate small talk.

Just when I think the energy in the room can’t possibly get any more awkward, Luca enters with Dean Maddon right behind him. My heart soars and stutters in the same breath at the sight. He looks devastatingly handsome in his comfy airplane outfit—regular blue jeans and a beige-colored hoodie—but I can’t observe him the way I want when my mind is running in a million different directions.

The dean is here.

Shit.

Chills cascade down my spine because, for a split second, I’m convinced we’ve been caught. It’s over. Done. My poor stomach can’t handle any more stress. Otherwise, the next thing on the list is an ulcer. But as I overhear them talking quietly amongst themselves, I realize they’re discussing the fact that no one else is showing up.

My body relaxes at the information, and I sink into the seat as I bury my face in my cashmere scarf. Peeking up over the fabric, I watch as Luca rubs a palm down his face—very obviously stressed out. His hair is extra messy this morning, probably from running his hands through it over and over again. As disarrayed as he may seem, his face is cleanly shaved, and hismustache is trimmed to frame his full lips—lips that make my mind pitifully wander to dark, inappropriate places when I look at them.

As Dean Maddon finally leaves, he sends Genevieve and me a friendly smile. Meanwhile, Luca stands by his desk, tugging his glasses from the bridge of his nose as he heaves a sigh.

“Alright, ladies. Let’s go,” he says. “The bus is waiting outside to take us to the airport.”

It doesn’t take but a second for me to notice he doesn’t look at me. Not once. His eyes stay on his hands, his shoes, or the floor. His head doesn’t lift at all before he walks out of the classroom, not even bothering to check if we are following behind him. I try not to let the disappointment consume me as I stand to gather my things, bustling out of the room with Genevieve on my tail, because maybe he’s just being cautious.

Maybe he’s just as on edge as I am.

It’s raining steadily now as we walk back outside, the droplets painting the sidewalk and clinging to my hair on the way to the bus that waits in the parking lot designated for the English Hall. Tension permeates the damp air as Luca rushes toward the bus, flinging the compartment open on the side to load our luggage in an impatient manner. I swallow the thick wad in my throat as he takes my suitcase, still not looking at me—even as his fingers brush mine.

The annoyance creeps its way into my system as I watch the way he acts like I’m not even here. Genevieve at least got a small glance as he took her luggage, but that only further irritates me. My blood is practically boiling as I lick my lips, twist on my heel, and climb onto the bus without another glance in his direction.

I can play this game too.

Is it a coincidence that every time things have gotten physical between us, he gives me the cold shoulder afterward?

I want to believe he wouldn’t do that, but then again, I have to remind myself I don’t know him fully. I only know what he shows me, which hasn’t been much. He’s an odd professor who gets beat up in alleys and wields a gun, and when I look at it that way, I want to palm myself as hard as I can against my forehead. What am Idoing?

Since everyone is out with the flu, the bus is completely empty, aside from the three of us and the driver. I make my way toward the very back seat, slumping down onto the cold leather as I wrap my jacket tighter around myself and put my headphones in. I’m highly aware of Luca as he climbs onto the bus after Genevieve, but I keep my eyes on the rain droplets gathering on the window, honing in on each one until it trickles down and disappears out of sight.

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