Chapter 4

GIOVANNI

I stood frozen in disbelief as I stared at the matte black Lora Piano bag and cashmere sweater now swallowed by empty water bottles and greasy napkins. She didn't even wait to see my reaction, she simply turned, grabbed her friend, then disappeared into the hallway not even sparing me a glance.

“Ouch,” Nathan drawled, stepping out from the shadow of the hallway, his voice filled with amusement. “ Gio, it seems your charms are malfunctioning. You might want to get that checked out before midterms. Could be terminal”

“ Shut up, Nate,” I hissed, my jaw tightened and my fists balled until my nails bit into my palms.

“ She's a tough nut to crack, Gio.” Alessandro pushed off the wall, hands in his pockets, his expression caught between concern and amusement. “Oh well,that's Zero for one, brother. She ain't playing.”

I ignored both of them, walking towards the east wings. My pulse hammered against my ears, I needed space to think properly and cool down. I shoveled through the first door I came across, it was a single occupancy bathroom. I slammed the door shut, leaning against the sink, I splashed cold water on my face but it didn't cool down the burning sensation under my skin.

The door opened, a red haired girl slipped in. I recognized the face. Her name was Eloria or was it Elena? I can't remember her name, but she was one of the flings I'd met at the club last summer. She shuts the door behind her flipping the lock, and she walked close to me, I could smell her shampoo and perfume; coconut and vanilla.

“ You looked pissed,” she said, voice low. Heard about the hallway incident with the scholarship girl, everyone on campus is talking about it.

I didn't turn. “ Get out.” I said, my voicefilled with anger.

But she didn't move, instead she pressed against my back, her hands sliding up my untucked shirt, nails grazing through my skin.

She laughed softly against my neck “ You're hard already Giovanni. I could help you forget about her for twenty minutes.”

I spun around pushing her against the tiled wall, she gasped in surprise. She tilted her head back, exposing her throat. Her skirt was already riding up when she hooked one leg around my hip.

I didn't kiss her gently. I kissed her like I was trying to erase something. Hands rough, mouth bruising, fingers digging into her thighs she moaned into my mouth, arching, and tugging at my belt impatiently.

Her skirt was bunched around her waist now. My hands were high on her thighs, pushing her pants aside. She was dripping wet, I pressed hard against her, swallowing her moan.

Elena suddenly gasped against my lips as if she was caught cheating by her boyfriend. I slowly lifted my head and my gaze landed on Adina. I immediately pulled away from Elena. And For a split second, nobody moved. I looked up at Adina to see her expression filled with pure disgust.

She tilted her slightly. "Oh, please excuse me, you don't have to stop on my account. I was just about to leave” she said, voice flat and cold.

“ You two looked busy when I walked in, I'm just going to take my leave so you guys could continue. Once again I apologize for interrupting. She said, bowing her head dramatically.

She stepped aside holding the door open like a gracious hostess. “ Carry on, guys. And oh do have a lovely day.”

She let the door swing shut behind her as she left.

“ So? Where were we?”Elena said, reaching for my belt again.

I caught her wrist, my grip firm. “ We are done, Elena.”

Her eyes widened, “ What? Why? Is it because of her? The scholarship girl? Giovanni, she's a nobody. She’s…

“Out,” I said , my voice dropping to a dangerous octave.

I didn’t look at her. My eyes were fixed on the spot Adina had stood, her disgusted expression replayed in my mind. I had always thrived on being noticed and desired. But seeing Adina's face utterly unimpressed and dismissive, I was shaken in a way I couldn't ignore.

Elera scurried out and I leaned against the marble sink splashing cold water on my face. I pulled out my phone, it was time to clear the roaster. One by one, I ended things with my flings, putting a hold on the reckless lifestyle I had embraced for too long. I needed to prove to Adina that I was more than a pretty face and a charming smile.

10:30PM

I was in my penthouse, seated on a plush leather sofa , I couldn’t sleep. The day's incidents kept replaying in my head and wild thoughts on how to infiltrate Adina ran through my mind. I found myself scrolling through social media, looking for any sign of her, as I shifted through accounts looking for her my gaze landed on her small notebook coated with a single dried coffee, which she had dropped during our disastrous encounter at the hallway on my table.

I looked through the note, I came across her daily routine list; 04:00AM: Review, 06:00AM: Morning Walk/Run, 08:00AM : Campus Library, 10:00 AM — 01:00PM: Lectures, 2:30PM: Shift at Tutoring Center, 06:00PM: Shift at a Local Dining Restaurant. And her must-achieve list; Graduate top of her class, Secure a high paying job, and Start a family afterwards all before she turned 26.

There were no coffee dates on the list, no parties, no me time. Every minute was a battle for a future I had been handed at birth. I looked back at the list and one entry caught my eyes; 06:00AM Morning Walk/Run at Riverside park.

A wave of determination passed through me, although Adina had made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with me. I’m going to show her that I was capable of changing and I'm going to become a part of her routine

I grabbed my phone, set my alarm for 5:00AM, turned off the lights and settled into my bed, a sense of anticipation washed over me. I closed my eyes, but Adina’s face etched into my mind.

“ See you at dawn, Ice Queen.” I muttered, before falling asleep.