we meet at the library first. As a trial run."
"Deal." He grinned, the seriousness vanishing. "See? We're a great team already."
As the lecture ended and they stood to leave, Lydia materialized at Jace's side, seamlessly inserting herself between them.
"Jace, a bunch of us from the paper are grabbing lunch. You should come! We can brainstorm for the project," she said, linking her arm through his with practiced ease. She completely ignored Sienna.
"Uh, maybe," Jace said, gently extracting his arm. "I've got practice soon. Sienna and I need to figure out our timeline first."
Lydia's smile tightened. Her eyes finally cut to Sienna. "Right. Well, good luck with that." The dismissal was clear.
As Lydia walked away, Jace turned back to Sienna,running a hand through his hair. "Sorry about that."
"Don't be." Sienna shoved her notebook into her bag. "It's your social circle. I'm just your project partner."
He looked like he wanted to say something else, but she didn't give him the chance. She slung her bag over her shoulder and headed for the door, the project packet feeling like a lead weight.
Her phone buzzed as she stepped into the hallway.
Tasha: WELL?!?! What's the project?? Who'd you get??
Sienna typed back, her fingers flying.
Sienna: The project is on athlete social dynamics.
Tasha:NO.
Sienna:Yes.Tasha:WHO IS YOUR PARTNER???
Sienna took a deep breath and hit send.
Sienna: Take a wild guess.
The three bouncing dots appeared instantly. Then Tasha's response, in all caps:
Tasha: I AM BUYING THE WEDDING ARCH. YOU ARE GETTING MARRIED IN THE LAUNDRY ROOM.
Sienna didn't reply. She leaned her head back against the cool lockers, the memory of Lydia's possessive smile and Jace's easy "Destiny, Cole" echoing in her mind.
"Trouble in paradise?"
She opened her eyes. Jace was leaning against the lockers opposite her, his arms crossed.
"There is no paradise," she said. "There's a project. And a very misguided sense of destiny."He pushed off the lockers and fell into step beside her as she walked. "You know, for a smart person, you fight the obvious pretty hard."
"And what's the obvious?"
"That the universe is shoving us together. First neighbors, then laundry, then coffee, now this? You've got to admit it's a little statistically improbable."
"It's statistically annoying."
He laughed, and the sound turned a few heads down the hallway. "So, the library. Tomorrow night? Seven?"
She stopped walking and turned to face him. "Why are you so invested in this?"
The question seemed to catch him off guard. He shrugged, a gesture that was a little too casual. "It's a big part of our grade. And despite my charming reputation, I do care about my GPA."
"That's not what I meant, and you know it."
He held her gaze, the playful glint in his eyes softening into something more thoughtful, more real. "Maybe I just like the challenge," he said, his voice dropping slightly.
"What challenge?"
"Figuring you out, Sienna Cole."
Her breath hitched. Before she could form a response, his teammate Mason called his name from down the hall, waving him toward the gym.
"Duty calls," Jace said, the moment broken. He started walking backward, that infuriating smirk back in place. "Seven o'clock. Don't be late, partner."
She watched him go, her mind reeling. Figuring you out. The words echoed, far more unsettling than any flirtatious line he could have thrown her way.Her phone buzzed again. Tasha.
Tasha: HELLO??? I NEED DETAILS. IS HE SHIRTLESS IN THE LIBRARY? IS THAT THE PROJECT DYNAMIC?
Sienna looked down the now-empty hallway where Jace had disappeared, a strange mix of dread and anticipation coiling in her stomach. This wasn't a truce anymore. This was a partnership. And as she stood there, she had a sinking feeling she was dangerously underprepared for whatever game they were now playing.