Chapter 23

Drasa's POV 

The sharp buzzing of my phone jolted me awake. I squinted at the screen, groaning when I saw the time 9:00 AM. My phone was flooded with notifications, dozens of messages that had apparently been piling up while I slept.

I rubbed my eyes and scrolled through them, quickly realizing Cassian had created a group chat for our project. The messages were flying back and forth about meeting up to discuss the assignment. My heart sank when I saw the agreed time: 10:00 AM. 

"Shit," I muttered, scrambling out of bed.

"You're awake?" My roommate, looked up from her textbook with raised eyebrows.

I nodded quickly, already rushing toward the bathroom. "Yeah, sorry. I have a group meeting in an hour."

"At 10 AM? Saturday morning."

"Tell me about it," I called over my shoulder, already turning on the shower.

I had exactly one hour to get ready and make it to the library meeting room they'd chosen. As the hot water hit my skin, I tried to shake off the grogginess and the lingering anxiety from yesterday's encounter with Cassian. His apology had caught me off guard, and I still wasn't sure what to make of it.

After a quick shower, I threw on jeans and a simple sweater, grabbed my bag, and rushed out of the dorm.

When I arrived at the library, I could see through the glass walls of the study room that everyone was already there. My stomach dropped. Great, now I'd have to walk in late and face their judgment.

I took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

"Sorry I'm late," I said quietly, sliding into the only empty chair.

My eyes caught Cassian, he was leaning back in his chair, one arm draped casually over the back, his dark brown hair slightly tousled like he'd been running his fingers through it, he was wearing a simple black t-shirt that fit him perfectly, highlighting the muscle of his shoulders and arms. 

God, why did he have to be so ridiculously attractive?

"Well, well," one of the girls. "Nice of you to finally join us."

"Yeah, we've been waiting," another girl chimed in, her tone dripping with fake sweetness.

I felt heat rise to my cheeks. "I'm sorry, I didn't see the messages until…”

"It's not a big deal," Cassian interrupted, his voice firm as he looked directly at the girls who'd spoken. "I told her she could come a bit late since she had other things to attend to."

That was a lie, but I wasn't about to correct him in front of everyone. The grateful look I shot him earned me another one of those small, barely-there smiles that made my stomach flutter annoyingly.

"Right, let's just get started," Kai said, clearly wanting to move things along.

For the next hour, we discussed our project a presentation on social dynamics.  I found myself stealing glances at Cassian as he spoke, noting how his eyes lit up when he got passionate about a point, how he had this habit of gesturing with his hands when he explained something complex. The way he commanded attention without even trying was both infuriating and incredibly attractive.

Focus, Drasa. This is exactly the kind of thinking that gets you in trouble.

By 1 PM, we'd outlined our entire presentation and divided up the research tasks. As we were packing up our things, I overheard the girls talking among themselves.

"So are we all going to the pool party by night?" One of the girl asked, not bothering to lower her voice.

"Obviously," another girl replied. "It's going to be amazing. Pool party, good music, hot guys..."

"And plenty of drinks," one added with a giggle.

For a moment, I felt that familiar pang of wanting to belong, to be included in something fun and social.

But then Elara's face flashed in my mind, her cruel smile, the way she'd humiliated me at the last party I'd attended. The memory hit me like a punch to the gut, the laughter, the pointing finger at me and calling me weird name. I quickly shook my head, banishing the thought.

No. Absolutely not. Parties weren't for me anymore.

Everyone started filing out of the study room, chattering about weekend plans and upcoming assignments. I hung back, taking my time packing my bag, hoping to avoid any more awkward small talk.

But as I reached for the door handle, Cassian appeared beside me.

"Drasa, wait."

I turned to face him, trying to ignore how the empty hallway seemed to shrink around us, making him feel closer than he actually was.

"What?" I asked, proud of how steady my voice sounded.

"I want you to get dressed up evening," he said, his eyes dark with seriousness. "We have a party to attend."

I blinked, certain I'd heard him wrong. "What?"

"The party they were talking about. The pool party. I want you to come with me."

"As what?" The question slipped out before I could stop it.

A slow smile spread across his face, and for a moment, he looked almost vulnerable.

"As my girlfriend."