Once I got to the school hall, I had no idea where my class was. I wandered through endless corridors, my footsteps echoing, until a guide finally appeared and pointed me toward a lecture hall. Relief washed over me—until I realized it wasn't my class either.
And then I saw him.
Tall. Composed. Effortlessly striking.
His dark hair looked almost black under the fluorescent lights, and his eyes… they didn't just look at me—they studied me, like he could see straight through the chaos I was trying so hard to hide.
I froze.
He stared.
I stared.
"Are you lost?"
The voice snapped me out of it. A girl about my height stood beside me, her hair just as dark as his. She gave me a small, knowing smile.
I quickly explained, my words slightly rushed, and she pointed me in the right direction.
"Thank you," I said, already turning to leave.
And that's when my heart sank.
Standing by the doorway—right next to him—was Amara.
The nerve.
She waved at me, her smile smug, like she had been waiting for this moment. Like this was all part of some plan.
I didn't even acknowledge her. I just turned and hurried away, heat rising to my face—anger, embarrassment, frustration… all tangled into one.
When I finally stepped into the right lecture hall, every single head turned toward me.
I hated attention.
Their eyes felt heavy, like judgment pressing down on my skin. The lecturer paused mid-sentence and looked at me sharply.
"You must be the one taking over the next lecture," he said, his tone stern—with just a hint of amusement.
A few students chuckled.
I swallowed hard, wishing the ground would open and swallow me whole.
Please… let me disappear.
And then, without meaning to, I glanced back.
I caught his gaze again.
Just for a second.
But it lingered long enough to make my chest tighten.
There was something about him… something unsettling. Familiar, almost.
Or maybe it was just the fact that no one had ever made me feel this… aware of myself.
Confused.
Curious.
Meanwhile, at the back of my mind, one truth remained clear:
Amara was here.
And this semester?
It was going to be complicated.
Very complicated.