Chapter 4

I nodded softly. "Okay."

Trey stepped closer and gave my shoulder a reassuring pat. "Don't worry. I'll be right there with you."

Even the simplest touch sent my heart racing again.

It was a bizarre feeling. Every time he came near me, a wave of inexplicable nerves washed over me.

When class let out, Trey didn't seem in any rush to leave. He took his time packing up his things as if he had all the time in the world.

Once the room had mostly cleared out, I finished packing my bags to leave, but he called out to me, "Shall I show you around campus now?"

"…Sure."

Walking alongside a campus celebrity naturally drew a lot of eyes.

I kept my head down the entire way, awkwardly maintaining my distance to avoid giving anyone the wrong idea.

Noticing my hesitation, Trey chuckled. "What, are you afraid I'm going to eat you?"

"No… I just…"

As I scrambled for an explanation, he spoke up with a smile. "We've been walking for a while. Let me buy you lunch."

I waved my hands frantically. "Oh, no, it's fine. Thank you, Mr. Gomez."

"Mr. Gomez?" Trey raised an eyebrow. "You guys all call me that, but we're around the same age. You can just call me by my name in private."

I bit my lower lip and carefully tried it out. "Trey."

Saying his name sent a strange sensation through my chest. This overwhelming sense of familiarity left me completely bewildered.

He gave me a subtle glance. "Alright. Let's go."

We ended up stopping at a restaurant right outside the campus gates.

I looked at the menu on the wall, hesitating. "I'll just have a bowl of chicken noodle soup."

Trey turned to the owner. "Two bowls of chicken noodle soup. No celery, please."

I looked at him in surprise. "You're allergic to celery too?"

"Yeah."

That single word sent ripples through my mind.

My Carthen University online crush had been allergic to celery, too. The guy standing in front of me didn't just share a similar voice. Even his random traits lined up.

I cleared my throat, trying to play it cool. "I guess quite a few people are allergic to celery."

"Have your grades always been good since high school?" Trey asked. "Bellridge isn't exactly an easy school to get into."

I shook my head. "Actually, my grades were pretty terrible at first. I only made it because a pro was tutoring me."

"Family? A friend? A teacher?"

Instead of answering, I just shook my head again and buried my face in my soup.

Throughout the meal, Trey kept finding topics to break the silence.

Under his constant care, my mind began to drift again.

After lunch, Trey walked me all the way back to my dorm. I said goodbye and turned toward the building.

I had only taken a few steps when he suddenly called out, "Alisha."

"Yes?"

"Are you having trouble adjusting to the new environment?"

The question caught me off guard, and I stared at him blankly.

He was dressed in casual clothes, and his sharp eyes were shining beneath his neat haircut.

Seeing me stare at him in silence, Trey looked a bit self-conscious and cleared his throat. "I asked if you're having a hard time adjusting to the new environment."

"No…"

"That's good to hear."

With that, he turned to leave.

I stood there watching his retreating back. A nagging feeling told me that he had wanted to say something else.