Chapter 5

Another week passed, and honestly, a lot of things had changed around here.

Actually, nothing had really changed when it came to my main mission for Don Alistair. I hadn't even started working on my assignment because two whole weeks had gone by and Lucas Veyrmont was still nowhere to be found. But when I said a lot had changed, I meant between Alexander and me.

Alexander and I had gotten closer. Not ridiculously close to the point where we were best friends sharing deep emotional secrets, but close enough that we were practically attached at the hip. We went everywhere together. I still brought him breakfast every single morning, but unlike before when he would hide it or refuse to eat it in front of me, he now took it immediately and ate it right away. It almost felt like he was secretly waiting for me to hand it to him every day.

He was also my automatic lunch buddy, and whenever a professor assigned group work or partner activities, we were an instant pair. Because of that, I felt super comfortable messing with him and teasing him. Sometimes I would subtly tease him about Kaden, our class president, and he would just glare at me with those dark, quiet eyes.

But my absolute favorite thing to do was casually mess with him by being overly affectionate. Not in a serious or flirty way, of course, but just to test his patience. Since I knew he was gay and wouldn't feel any romantic attraction toward me anyway, I felt completely relaxed acting like a total goofball around him.

Like right now.

"Say ahh, daddy," I teased, grinning like an idiot as I pressed the sandwich I was holding directly against his lips.

Alexander froze mid-page, stopping his reading instantly. He slowly turned his head and gave me his iconic death glare. I burst into laughter at his miserable expression, pushing the sandwich even closer to his mouth.

God, he was so fun to tease.

Honestly, if I hadn't paid close attention to him over the past two weeks, I never would have guessed he was gay. He acted so manly in everything he did—his posture, his deep voice, his sharp facial features, and the way he moved. Everything about him screamed masculine. But luckily for me, I was an expert observer, and I managed to catch his hidden secret.

It was totally fine by me, though. As long as he kept his mouth shut about my secret, I would gladly guard his to the grave.

"I don't want that anymore," Alexander said in his usual flat, cold voice, pulling his head back slightly. "You keep buying me sandwiches every single day. I'm getting sick of it."

My grin instantly melted into a pout. "Hey! Don't be so picky! At least you're getting free breakfast every morning, right?" I thrust the food back at his face. "Come on, just take a bite."

He let out a long, defeated sigh. Knowing I wasn't going to back down until he complied, he leaned forward and took a bite of the sandwich right out of my hand.

Except he took way too big of a bite.

I felt the sudden, soft press of his warm lips directly against my fingers.

Both of us froze instantly.

Neither of us moved, our eyes locked onto each other in complete silence. For some unknown reason, my heart did a sudden, violent flip against my ribs. My chest tightened as I watched his dark eyes darken even further, staring straight into mine while his lips remained brushed against my skin.

He slowly pulled back, chewing silently, but my gaze stayed glued to his mouth. I watched as he casually flicked his tongue out to lick a stray crumb off his lower lip.

A sudden wave of heat rushed to my face, and my throat went completely dry.

What the hell is wrong with me? I mentally slapped myself, shaking my head to clear the strange, dizzying feeling. I forced my usual playful smirk back onto my face and leaned back against my desk.

"Tastes good, right?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Alexander blinked, his eyes relaxing as he looked down at his book again. He gave me a simple, subtle nod. "Yeah."

"See? I told you. You should thank me for being such an amazing desk partner," I chuckled, tossing the rest of the sandwich wrapper into the small trash bin near my desk.

"You're just loud," he muttered under his breath, though the faint twitch at the corner of his lips told me he wasn't actually mad.

"Loud? I prefer the word 'entertaining,' thank you very much!" I poked his shoulder, making him huff quietly as he continued reading.

The next morning, I walked through the main gates of Veyrmont Academy feeling lighter than usual. The morning air was crisp, and the usual crowd of guys in sharp blazers were hanging around the courtyard.

As I entered the high-ceilinged hallway leading to our classroom, a sudden wave of frantic whispering caught my attention.

Students were huddled in small groups near the lockers, leaning in close and talking excitedly. I slowed my pace, tuning my ears to their conversation as I walked past them.

"...yeah, I heard he came back today! Finally!"

"Man, two whole weeks of suspension. Don's family doesn't play around when it comes to fights."

"Who wouldn't get mad, though? I heard he and his cousin Cassian almost beat each other up over some girl from another school."

"Wait, seriously? A girl? That's why Lucas got grounded by his family?"

"Yup. Both of them were banned from stepping foot on campus until the old man cooled down."

My steps halted for a split second. My heart leaped straight into my throat.

Lucas?!

Lucas Veyrmont is back?!

Excitement surged through my veins like electricity. Two long weeks of waiting, worrying, and stressing over my tuition money, and my target was finally here! My mission was finally starting!

Without wasting another second, I broke into a fast jog down the hallway. I dodged a few surprised students, practically sprinting toward our classroom door.

I threw the classroom door open so hard it slammed loudly against the wall.

Every single head in the room snapped in my direction. Whispers died down instantly as twenty pairs of eyes stared at me in shock. I didn't care about looking wild or unrefined right now. I panted softly, my eyes furiously scanning the room, searching for a face I had never seen before.

And I didn't miss.

Sitting in the very last row, right across the aisle from my usual desk, was a guy I had never seen in class.

He had messy, stylish dark hair, an unbuttoned blazer that gave off a rebellious vibe, and sharp, handsome features that practically screamed 'rich heir.' He was leaning back in his chair with his legs crossed, looking at me with a confused, slightly amused expression.

My lips pulled into a wide, triumphant smile.

I locked eyes with him and started walking straight in his direction with confident, deliberate steps. This was my moment. The real reason I came to this academy was sitting right there.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alexander stand up from his seat the moment he saw me walk in. He took a step forward into the aisle to meet me halfway, extending his hand with a subtle, expectant look in his eyes.

"My breakfast—" Alexander started to say, his deep voice carrying across the quiet room.

I didn't even look at him.

I brushed right past Alexander's outstretched hand, completely ignoring him, and stepped straight up to the desk beside his.

With a smooth, practiced movement, I placed the plastic bag containing a fresh sandwich and a cold bottle of water right on the center of the handsome stranger's desk.

I leaned over slightly, resting my hands on the wood, and flashed him my brightest, most charming smile.

"Hi! I'm Avery," I said smoothly, my voice confident and loud enough for the surrounding desks to hear. "You look like you haven't eaten breakfast yet, so this is for you. Nice to finally meet you, Lucas."