Loving Him For 30 Days

He arrived at the gates at seven fifty-two, thirty minutes earlier than usual, Cassian appeared at his shoulder with coffee and said nothing, which made Lucien more uneasy.There were a few athletes, some first years, and a thin morning crowd that was totally normal.Then he saw him.Eli Thorne was leaning against the stone pillar just inside the entrance, like he’d been there a while and he didn’t mind. He wore a track jacket, with his hair still damp and a white pastry box tied with a pale pink ribbon in his hands. He looked up when Lucien came through the gate and his whole face did something Lucien wasn’t prepared for, that wide, unguarded grin, full of expression, like Lucien walking through that gate at seven fifty-two was the best thing that had happened to him all week.Beside Lucien, Cassian made a sound that was not quite a laugh.“Good morning,” Eli said, as if this were normal. He held out the box.“Strawberry mille-feuille, It takes longer than a tart so I started at fou

The photo dropped at seven forty-three in the morning.@saintaurelius_confessions: a slightly grainy shot of Café Maren’s corner table, two figures leaning slightly toward each other over coffee cups, one of them unmistakably Lucien Vale. The caption underneath was short and did not try to be subtle.‘so we’re just letting this happen? Lucien Vale and the scholarship transfer? someone talk to me’The comments came fast;‘he literally just arrived’ ‘what does he even have to offer?’‘i give it a week before lucien gets bored and this kid goes home crying’‘feel bad for him actually. Lucien doesn’t do this. something’s off’By the time Eli read it at breakfast, there were two hundred and fourteen comments and climbing. He scrolled through them with one hand and ate his toast with the other.Noah watched him from across the table.“You okay?”“Yep.” Eli put his phone face down. “Toast is good today.”“Eli”“I grew up being the wrong kind of person in a town that had opinions about every

Lucien knocked on Cassian’s door before seven.Cassian answered in a t-shirt, not fully awake, and took one look at Lucien’s face and stepped aside without a word.“Let it end, today” Lucien said. “What’s that?.” “The bet” “Is that all you came to say?” Cassian sat on the edge of his bed. “Yes.”Cassian looked at him for a moment. “Luce.”“I’m asking one thing.”“Are you falling for him?”The room went quiet.“No,” Lucien said.“Okay.”“I’m not. It’s thirty days, it’s a bet, it’s” he stopped.Cassian didn't move, he just stared at him. “It ends today,” Lucien said, and walked away.He made it through two lectures before his phone buzzed.@saintaurelius_confessions posted at eleven forty-three. ‘Since we’re all invested in the Lucien Vale situation, here’s something; He and Adrian Cross were a thing? Why did they split up? Is it because of Eli Thorne?’The comments ran fast.‘What?’‘Adrian cross?? fencing captain??’‘Does Eli Thorne know about this?’Lucien put his phone away a