CHAPTER ONE

Julian's pov

"I am officially a corpse," I groaned, slinging my heavy backpack over one shoulder as Nico and I walked out through the archway of St. Jude Academy.

It was already quarter past seven in the evening. The crisp night air hit my face as we stepped out onto the sidewalk, carrying the rich, roasted aroma of black coffee from a nearby café. We had spent the entire afternoon dragged through back-to-back lectures, and my stomach had been violently protesting for the past hour.

"I’m starving," I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck.

Nico grinned, throwing a casual arm over my shoulders. "Me too, Jules. Which is why we are going to grab a quick bite... and then make this utterly miserable Friday night interesting."

I narrowed my eyes at him, instantly suspicious. "Nico. What are you planning?"

He smirked, pulling me closer as we navigated through the crowd of exiting students. "Two words: Clubbing. Vespera."

I stopped dead in my tracks, throwing his arm off. "Are you out of your mind? We just spent six hours memorizing human anatomy, and you want to go stand in a sweaty, dark room with booming bass?"

"Oh, come on!" Nico laughed, rolling his eyes dramatically. "It’s Friday! You spend eighty percent of your life in the library, Julian. You’re turning into a ghost. We deserve to lose our minds for a few hours.

"I’m exhausted."

"You’ll forget you’re tired the second a drink hits your system and the music kicks in."

I shook my head, stepping past him. "No way. I have forty pages of clinical neurology to read before Sunday."

Nico darted in front of me, stepping backward down the pavement with a wide, mischievous grin. "Please? For your best friend? For your sanity?"

"No."

He leaned in closer, wiggling his eyebrows teasingly. "Look at it this way you might actually meet someone hot tonight. Expand your horizons a little."

I let out a breathless laugh, shoving his shoulder. "And who said I’m looking to get picked up at a chaotic club, Nico?"

"You're impossible," Nico wheezed, laughing so hard that a pair of passing law students turned to stare at us.

"And you're a terrible influence."

He stopped walking, putting his hands together in a mock prayer. "So... is that a yes?"

"No."

"Julian. Pretty please?"

I stared at him, letting out a long, defeated sigh. When Nico Miller set his mind on something, resistance was purely theoretical.

"Fine," I caved, pointing a stern finger at him. "Two hours. Maximum. If I’m not back in my bed before midnight, I’m locking you out of the apartment."

Nico squealed, wrapping his arms around my neck in a brief, suffocating bear hug. "That’s my guy! You won't regret it!"

"I already do," I muttered, but a faint smile tugged at my lips anyway.

"Taxi!" Nico yelled, waving his arm toward the curb.

We piled into the back of a black cab, the leather seats cold against my jacket. I leaned my head against the window, watching the historic city streets drift past in a blur of warm street lamps and dark shadows.

My mind wandered back to the anatomy lab. Medical school was brutal an endless cycle of sleepless nights, intense pressure, and relentless exams. But becoming a doctor had been the only thing I’d ever wanted. Every sacrifice was supposed to bring me one step closer to a stable, predictable future.

Tonight, Nico was determined to tear me away from that future, if only for a couple of hours.

I took a deep breath, watching the lights flicker along the street. I had no idea that by the time the sun came up, my textbooks, my medical degree, and the quiet life I had built would mean nothing at all.

I had no idea that tonight, I will belong to someone have never met