By the time Emily got back to her dorm that evening, the hallway outside her room was buzzing. Not loudly, but with that particular hum that meant people were talking about someone — and she had a sinking feeling she knew who.
The moment she stepped inside, three pairs of eyes snapped toward her.
"You were with him again," Naomi blurted, her voice somewhere between awe and accusation.
Emily blinked. "With who?"
She regretted asking the second it left her mouth.
"Ethan Monaco!" This time it wasn't Naomi — it was Faith, the self-proclaimed campus gossip network in one body. She practically bounced on the bed. "First ice cream, now strolling across campus like you're starring in a drama series."
"I wasn't—" Emily started, but Faith cut her off.
"Do you have any idea what people are saying? He's never been seen walking with a girl before. Never. And you? Twice in one week?" Faith's grin was too bright. "Girl, you're either in trouble or in love."
Emily set her tote down carefully. "Neither," she said, wishing her voice sounded more certain.
But Naomi wasn't smiling. She was watching Emily the way someone might watch a friend about to step into traffic. "Just… be careful, okay? Monaco's not—" She glanced at Faith, then lowered her voice. "He's not like other guys here."
Emily tried to laugh it off. "You mean because he drives a car that probably costs more than this building?"
Naomi didn't laugh.
Before Emily could press, Faith leaned closer, lowering her voice dramatically. "I heard he's dangerous. Like… mafia dangerous."
Emily almost choked. "That's ridiculous."
Faith shrugged, clearly enjoying herself. "Maybe. Or maybe that's why the guy in the leather jacket stopped him today near the chapel."
Emily's stomach tightened. She saw that too.
She forced a smile she didn't feel. "You two really need new hobbies."
But later, lying in bed with the lights out, the image of Ethan smiling at her after the man disappeared wouldn't leave her mind.
You're safer with me than without.
She didn't know whether to believe him — or run.