1. Encounters

Loriah’s POV

I was running late—of course, on my very first day of class. My night shift at the restaurant had dragged on until nearly dawn, and by the time I stumbled into bed, exhaustion already had its claws in me.

Then Sister Nora called. She always did, ever since I left the orphanage.

“Promise me you’ll do your best today, child,” she said softly, her voice laced with pride.

“I promise, Sister,” I murmured, smiling even though I was bone tired.

But just as I hung up, my phone buzzed again. Brea.

“Are you even awake?” she demanded.

“Barely,” I yawned. “Didn’t you sleep?”

“I couldn’t. First day of law school, Lorie! My stomach’s in knots. I kept dreaming I showed up in pajamas.”

I laughed, picturing her striding into class in her silk floral set. “Honestly, you’d still look better than half your professors.”

“Stop it. You know I hate when you say things like that,” she sighed. “Looks don’t win cases in court.”

“Maybe not, but they don’t hurt either,” I teased. We ended up talking until sunrise.

Brea was always thinking ahead, planning her steps, never letting her guard down.

Me? I overslept.

By the time my alarm screamed, I was already late. I showered in haste and threw on clothes, barely brushing my hair, and brushing my teeth at the same time. I sprinted through campus with my backpack bouncing and my books clutched against my chest. My stomach fluttered with both nerves and excitement—I was finally here, in music school, chasing the one dream I’d never let anyone steal from me.

Then it happened.

I crashed—hard—into someone solid. My books were scattered everywhere, papers flying like startled birds. Strong hands caught me by the elbows before I toppled, steadying me against a chest that felt like it had been carved from stone.

I looked up—and everything stopped.

His eyes. Green, piercing, almost too vivid to be real. His face, devastatingly handsome, with a jaw that looked sculpted, lips curved into a slow, devastating smile.

“Are you okay?” His voice was deep and smooth, a lazy drawl that wrapped around me like velvet.

I managed a clumsy nod, crouching quickly to gather my books. My hands shook, fumbling, but before I could reach for them all, he was there too, picking them up with unhurried ease. When we stood, he didn’t let go of one. Instead, he caught my wrist lightly, his touch warm and steady.

“What’s your name?” he asked, his gaze never wavering. “Are you new here? I’m Draco Th—”

“Hey, Loriah! There you are!”

Greg’s voice cut in, breaking whatever spell had taken hold of me. He was a guy from orientation, already jogging over with a rushed grin.

“Loriah…” Draco repeated my name, as if savoring it. His smile tilted, slow and knowing. “That’s a pretty name.”

“Uh… thanks,” I murmured, heat rushing up my neck.

Greg swooped in, already tugging at my arm. “Come on, we’re late.”

“I got it from here, buddy,” he added, shooting Draco a pointed look.

Draco didn’t flinch. He just slid his hands into his pockets, a smirk still playing on his lips. “I hope to see you around.”

I managed a shy wave before Greg dragged me toward the music building.

My heart was still hammering as we hurried down the hall, though the excitement of my first day dimmed beneath something else—something sharper, deeper.

I saw him throughout the day as we switched classes. Draco. Always surrounded by the popular crowd, moving through campus like he owned it. Women clung to his arms, laughter spilling around him. He was untouchable, magnetic.

The kind of boy Sister Nora had warned me about.

Her voice came back to me in a whisper. “Promise me, Loriah. Don’t let yourself be swept away by boys with charm and easy smiles. They take what they want and leave nothing but an empty heart. You’re worth more than that, child. Much more.”

I swallowed hard, pushing the memory aside.

I knew the type.

But there was something about him—something that made me want to break every promise I’d ever made.

But later, after class, when I called Brea to check in, her voice brought me back down to earth.

“So? How is your first day going so far?” she asked.

“Chaotic,” I admitted. “I ran into some guy on the way. Almost face-planted.”

“Some guy?” Her tone sharpened instantly. “Don’t tell me he was handsome.”

I hesitated. “…Very.”

“Lorie.” Brea groaned. “No. Absolutely not. You know how you get.”

“How do I get?” I bristled, pacing outside the music hall.

“You see dimples and forget every brain cell you’ve ever had. Men like that are hurricanes, Lorie. They look beautiful from a distance, but get too close and they’ll tear you apart.”

I laughed weakly, though my chest still ached from the memory of his green eyes. “Maybe I like storms.”

“Storms don’t leave survivors,” she shot back.

I bit my lip, letting her words sink in.

I knew she was probably right. Brea was always right. She believed in rules, in steady ground, in a future that didn’t crumble beneath her feet.

Me? My life had always been chaotic. From the orphanage, to long nights waitressing just to pay rent, to chasing a dream everyone else said was too fragile to survive. Music was the only steady thing I had.

And yet, as I sat in class, I couldn’t stop replaying that one moment. The warmth of his hand on my wrist. The sound of my name in his voice. The way his eyes had locked on me like I was the only one in the world.

I should listen to Brea.

I should listen to Sister Nora.

But I knew, even then, deep down—I wouldn’t.

Because Draco was exactly the kind of boy I’d break all the rules for.