Author's Preface
Working with Adrian wasn't nearly as dramatic as I imagined.
There were no secret meetings under the moonlight. No plotting. No complicated love triangles.
Just two people trying to help what they believed was an inevitable romance.
"You've been staring at that page for five minutes," I said one afternoon in the library.
"I've been reading."
"You haven't turned it."
"I read slowly."
"...That's terrifying."
He looked at me over the rim of his glasses. "You talk too much."
"And yet you haven't asked me to leave."
"I've considered it."
"I knew you liked me."
"I tolerate you."
"I'll take that."
A tiny sigh escaped him.
I counted that as progress.
The days passed surprisingly quickly. Adrian was exactly what everyone expected him to be: quiet, intelligent, disciplined. I, apparently, was exactly what everyone expected me to be: loud, dramatic, and somehow always involved in rumors I hadn't even started.
Our plans were simple.
If Noah happened to be studying nearby, we'd find a reason for Eleanor to ask him a question.
If Eleanor looked lost, we'd quietly point Noah in her direction.
Nothing manipulative.
Nothing cruel.
Just... little pushes.
One afternoon, as we walked across the courtyard, a first-year student dropped an entire stack of books.
Without thinking, I knelt to help.
"There you go," I said, handing the last notebook back.
The boy smiled shyly before hurrying away.
When I stood up, Adrian was still looking at me.
Not past me.
At me.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You've been doing that lately."
"Doing what?"
"Staring."
"I wasn't."
"You were."
"I was thinking."
"About me?"
"...No."
"Liar."
He looked away, adjusting his glasses as though they had suddenly become the most fascinating object in the world.
I smiled to myself.
Maybe he wasn't as emotionless as everyone thought.
Across the courtyard, another pair of eyes had been watching.
Noah.
His jaw tightened.
His hand slowly curled into a fist.
For a brief second, something flashed across his face before disappearing just as quickly.
When our eyes met, I gave him a small smile.
His expression turned cold.
Blank.
Like I'd done something to upset him.
I tilted my head.
...Weird.
I shrugged and continued walking beside Adrian.
Maybe Noah was just having a bad day.
It wasn't like he was supposed to pay attention to the villain anyway.