She sat in the back row, hood up, determined to be invisible. The caffeine homicide from yesterday was still trending in certain corners of campus social media. She'd seen a meme.
She kept her eyes glued to her notebook as students filed in. When a familiar, broad-shouldered silhouette slid into the emptyseat beside her, she didn't need to look up. The subtle shift in the air, the faint scent of clean laundry and coffee, a new, traumatic association for her, gave him away.
"Hazard," Jace murmured, his voice a low rumble.
She didn't look up. "Don't call me that."
"Why not? It's accurate. My favorite hoodie is evidence."
"It was an accident."
"My laundry room floor would argue otherwise."
Finally, she shot him a glare. He was smiling, relaxed, looking at her like she was the most entertaining puzzle he'd ever encountered. He'd worn a black t-shirt today. A smart choice.
"Shouldn't you be sitting closer to the front?" she whispered. "Somewhere more… visible?"
"I like the view from back here."Before she could retort, Professor Harper clapped his hands at the front of the hall. "Alright, settle down. Today, we begin our major semester project. You'll be analyzing social dynamics within a chosen campus group."
A collective groan echoed through the lecture hall.
"You'll be working in pairs," Harper continued, ignoring them. "I've already assigned them."
Sienna's stomach dropped. Pairs. Assigned. This was a disaster in the making.
Harper started reading from his tablet. "Anderson and Li. Chen and Garcia. Cole and Rivera…"
The world narrowed to the sound of her own name, violently yoked to his. Her pen stilled on the page.
Jace leaned over, his shoulder brushing hers. "Destiny, Cole. It's becoming a pattern."
"It's a conspiracy," she corrected, her voice tight.
"Rivera!" a bright, feminine voice called from two rows ahead. A gorgeous girl with sleek black hair turned around, flashing Jace a brilliant smile. Lydia Park. Sienna recognized her from the campus newspaper society pages. "Looks like we're in the same boat! We should compare notes later."
Lydia's eyes flickered to Sienna, the smile not quite reaching them. It was a look of coolassessment, and Sienna was found decidedly lacking.
Jace gave a noncommittal wave before turning back to Sienna. "So. A project."
"Looks that way."
"I work better at night," he said, a smirk playing on his lips.
Sienna groaned internally, exactly as she'd predicted to Tasha. "Night? You mean party hours."
"I mean focused hours. My brain kicks in after sunset. We can use my place. It's quiet." He paused. "Mostly."
The idea of being in his apartment, at night, was a uniquely terrible one. "The library is a perfectly good institution."
"The library is a tomb. My couch is comfortable.I'll even promise to hide the jump rope."
Professor Harper handed out the project packets. Theirs landed on the desk between them. Social Stratification within Varsity Athletic Teams.
Sienna stared at the title. Of course.
"Well," Jace said, picking up the packet. "This shouldn't be awkward at all." He glanced at her, his expression turning uncharacteristically serious for a moment. "Look, I know you think I'm just a dumb jock…"
"I never said that."
"You didn't have to. It's in the 'Cole Glare' handbook, chapter three." He tapped the packet. "But I can actually do schoolwork. I'll pull my weight."
It was the second time he'd surprised her with a moment of raw honesty. She found herself nodding slowly. "Fine. But we set a schedule. And we meet at the library first as a trial run".