LOGINTyler found her on one of the quieter paths between the humanities building and the student union. Aria had her hands stuffed into the pockets of her coat. Her hair scattered around her face against the wind as her thoughts swirled around the anonymous post from the night before.A certain professor and their TA.She remained numb to her surroundings from the time she left her shift at the cafe the previous night to now. “Aria!” Tyler called out as he jogged up to meet her. He carried two paper cups and a crinkled paper bag, his cheeks pink from the cold. “Wow! I didn’t know you walked too fast.”She tried to smile. “I have to get to class early today.”“Here you go,” he said, handing out the cup and the bag toward her. “Emergency fuel. Latte, with your ridiculous amount of caramel, and a muffin. I noticed you didn’t come around the kiosk to eat until like, three. I refuse to be complicit in your malnutrition.”Warmth seeped into her fingers where they brushed his. “You didn’t have t
Aria loved the third floor of the main library at this hour. It was late afternoon as the light came through the tall curtains, making it look like the dust motes were glowing. Downstairs, the open study tables were packed with students and their half-eaten snacks, but up here among the literature stacks, it was quieter, except for the occasional rustle of paper and a soft cough.She sat at a small table that was wedged between two shelves, spreading out her things: Jason’s tutorial outline, a stack of undergrad essays, and her own notebook with color-coded tabs. The first tutorials she would co-lead with Ethan were tomorrow, and she wanted to be ready. She couldn’t afford to mess this up. The scholarship committee was evaluating her progress as well.“Okay,” she muttered, circling a paragraph in one essay. “You can’t just say ‘the patriarchy is bad’ and then drop the mic, Dylan. Give me something better.”She made a quick note in the margin and moved to the next paper. After an hour
Jason woke up before his alarm, like he always did. The bedroom was dark and cool, the faint hum of the city seeping through the double-glazed windows. He turned to look at the digital clock that glowed in soft blue on the bedside table. 5:42 AM.For a moment, he lay still on his back, staring at the ceiling, listening to the sound of his breathing and the quiet, even breaths from the other side of the bed.Victoria lay with her back to him, her long brunette hair spilling across the pillow. Even asleep, she seemed composed; her side of the bed was neat, her phone faced down on the nightstand with a glass of lemon water, still half full. The space between their bodies was a practiced distance.It’s been five years of sharing a house and this bed, and he could count on one hand the number of times they’d accidentally brushed against each other in the night.He dragged a hand over his face as his mind flashed to Aria, pulling him back to that fateful night weeks ago, the one that had sh
Aria’s hand hovered for a second on the cold metal handle, trying to think of possible responses that would save her ass and scholarship, should the conversation steer towards her inappropriate relationship with Professor Jason. Then, she turned the handle and stepped inside.Dean Hargrove’s office was bigger than she expected. Floor-to-ceiling bookcases lined the walls, filled with neat rows of academic journals and leather-bound volumes. A large window looked out over the campus quad, winter-bare trees clawing at the sky. The room smelled faintly of paper, furniture polish, and old coffee.Behind the heavy oak desk sat the man himself. He was in his late sixties, had a silver buzz cut, his broad face lined more by worry than age. His tweed jacket matched the chairs, and half-moon glasses perched low on his nose as he looked up from a file.“Miss Jenkins,” he said as he gestured toward a leather chair. “Please, sit.”Aria perched on the edge, her back straight, fingers clenched aroun
Aria stood outside Marcus’s apartment complex, the Toronto dusk casting long shadows on the cracked pavement littered with beer cans. It’s been two months since she was last here. Eight years of their life was gone… just like that.She remembered the curve of his sleepy smile whenever she kissed him awake, his gentle surprise everytime she prepared pancakes on Saturdays, even though he faked it just to make her happy, how they whispered their plans while running around, laughing. The betrayal still stung her so badly.With her heart hammering in her chest, she pressed the buzzer with her thumb. That was new. They never installed one while she was here. Marcus answered quickly, almost as if he’d been waiting. His frame filled the door. He was a little heavier than she could remember, his jaw was rough with an overgrown beard. He was sweaty from the workout gym tank that clung to his meaty chest.“Babe. Finally,” Marcus said, his smug smirk curling. “Didn’t think you’d show up for anoth
Aria pushed through the glass door of Brew Haven, the cafe where she had clocked countless shifts for the past 3 years. The smell of fresh espresso beans roasting and cinnamon scones baking wrapped around her like a comforting hug, mingling with the chatter of customers packed around their seats. The place was packed as expected since this was one of the cafe’s peak times.She spotted the girls at their usual corner booth as Lena waved frantically to get her attention. Mia was scrolling on her phone with her signature sharp eyeliner framing a smirk. Jade hadn’t arrived yet, I thought, since she wasn’t at the table. This was her tight circle, a makeshift sisterhood that made the world seem less cruel. “Finally! I thought you’d never leave campus,” Lena teased as Aria took her seat in their booth opposite them. She shoved a steaming latte across the table to her.Just then, Jade arrived and joined them, her energetic grin lighting up as she dropped her DJ headphones on the table with a







