By Monday morning, Emily's name was everywhere.
She didn't have to check her phone — the way people stared as she crossed campus was enough. Some looked curious. Others looked jealous. A few looked like they wanted to pray over her immediately.
Mia's voice echoed in her head from the night before: You're officially the girl who brought Ethan Monaco into a church building.
She hadn't known his full name until then. Mia had said it with the kind of giddy excitement that made Emily suspicious. And now? Now it seemed like everyone knew.
At breakfast in the dorm's common area, she sat between Mia and Grace while the fourth roommate, Tasha, leaned across the table. "So, you and Ethan…"
"There is no me and Ethan," Emily said firmly, buttering her toast with unnecessary force.
Tasha smirked. "That's not what I heard."
"What exactly did you hear?" Emily asked before she could stop herself.
Tasha grinned like a cat with cream. "That he sat through choir just to watch you sing. That he corrected your notes. That he walked you out like…" She waved her hands dramatically. "…like you were his fiancée."
Emily nearly choked on her toast. "That is not what happened!"
Mia slid her phone across the table. A blurry picture filled the screen — Ethan, standing far too close to her outside the church building, both of them caught mid-conversation.
"Someone from choir posted this," Mia said. "Caption: 'Holy girl tames the devil?' It's already been shared twelve times."
Emily buried her face in her hands. "Lord, have mercy."
Grace snorted. "If he's the devil, he's a very attractive one."
Before Emily could respond, Mia's gaze shifted toward the window. "Speak of the devil…"
Emily turned — and froze.
Ethan was leaning against a lamppost outside the dorm, hands in his pockets, looking completely at ease. He wasn't even pretending to be casual about waiting for her.
"He's here for you," Tasha sing-songed.
Emily grabbed her bag. "No, he's not."
"He's literally looking at you," Grace said.
Emily stood, trying to appear calm. "If I'm not back in twenty minutes… call the police."
Mia grinned. "Or the wedding planner."
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