Mag-log inI pushed open the door to our dorm room at 4:47 p.m., still riding the high from a decent day—psych lecture finally made sense, cafeteria had edible chicken tenders for once, and Isabella had texted me a meme about Freud that made me laugh out loud in the hallway. My backpack hit the floor with a soft thud. I kicked off my sneakers, ready to collapse on my bed and scroll until dinner.Then I saw him.Kai.Sitting on Luca’s bed like he fucking owned it.Legs spread wide, elbows on his knees, leather jacket open over a black tee that clung to every line of muscle. Dark hair falling into his eyes, jaw sharp, gaze already locked on me the second the door opened. He didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Just watched.I froze.My Heart slammed uncontrollably, then it started racing like it wanted out of my chest. My mouth went dry. Inside I was a mess: nerves twisting, stomach flipping, skin prickling like every nerve ending suddenly remembered he existed. He was so good-looking it felt unfair. Dark g
The day started almost too good.I woke up before my alarm—sunlight slicing through the blinds in perfect golden bars, Luca still asleep on his side of the room, breathing slow and even. No headache. No lingering guilt from last night’s party. Just that quiet buzz of possibility you only get in the first week of college, when everything feels new and nothing has gone wrong yet.I showered fast, dressed quick—black jeans, gray hoodie, sneakers—and grabbed my backpack. Luca stirred when I opened the door.“Class?” he mumbled, voice rough with sleep.“Yeah. Econ. You?”“Later. Skate first.”I smiled. “Don’t break your neck.”“No promises.”The quad was alive when I stepped outside—frisbees sailing, coffee cups everywhere, kids in orientation hoodies still looking lost in the best way. I walked to Gates Hall with music in my earbuds—some indie playlist Luca had sent me last week—and for once my head felt clear. Classes were easy. Econ lecture flew by—professor drawing supply curves that f
Lisbon nights are colder than people expect. The Atlantic wind cuts through the narrow streets like it’s angry at the city for existing. I stood on the balcony of my rented apartment—fourth floor, no elevator, iron railing chipped and rusting—smoking a cigarette I didn’t finish. Below, the musician was back again: same corner, same battered guitar case, same mournful fado that sounded like someone crying in Portuguese. Tourists tossed coins. Locals walked past without looking. Life kept moving. I hated it.My laptop was open on the small table beside me. Screen glow lit my face blue-white. Three browser tabs:1. Dark-web mirror status — timer ticking down: 68:14:22 remaining.2. Berlin PI dashboard — new photos uploaded thirty minutes ago.3. Encrypted chat with the Istanbul forger — documents ready tomorrow. Two clean passports. New names. New lives.I clicked the PI folder.New batch: six images, timestamped this afternoon.Elias and Isabella at the quad fountain.Him crouching b
I woke up to the sound of Vane’s suitcase zipper.He was already dressed—dark jeans, charcoal sweater, leather jacket slung over the chair. The room still smelled like last night: sex, his cologne, the faint sweetness of Isabella’s vanilla body spray from when she hugged me goodbye. Sunlight sliced through the blinds in thin gold bars across the floor. Luca’s bed was empty again—skateboard gone, bag missing. He’d left early. Again.Vane looked over his shoulder while he folded a shirt.“Morning.”I sat up, sheets pooling around my waist. “You’re leaving already?”“Flight’s at 11:40. I have to be at the airport by 9:30.” He zipped the suitcase, set it by the door, then crossed the room and sat on the edge of my bed. His hand found my cheek—thumb brushing the faint bruise Luca’s stubble had left. “I didn’t want to wake you.”I leaned into his touch. “Stay one more day.”His eyes softened. “I can’t. Chicago’s still on fire. But I’ll be back next weekend. Promise.”I nodded—swallowed the
I texted Lucas Vane to tell him that Vane came by if he could crash somewhere else and luckily for me Luca’s text came back almost immediately after I hit send.No problem. I’ll crash on Jayden’s couch. Tell Vane I said hi. Or don’t. Up to you. GoodNight Elias.No emojis. No questions. No “why is he there?” or “everything okay?”Just calm. Easy. Understanding.I stared at the screen for a second longer than I needed to.Guilt twisted in my stomach—sharp, familiar—but it wasn’t the crushing kind. More like a dull ache. Luca didn’t deserve the brush-off. He didn’t deserve to be pushed aside so Vane could show up unannounced and take over my night. But he also didn’t fight it. Didn’t guilt-trip. Didn’t make it weird. He just… accepted. Like he knew this was always going to be part of the deal. I felt bad for him, like I was using him.I locked my phone. Set it face down on the desk.Vane was watching me from the bed—shirt half-unbuttoned now, sleeves still rolled, eyes dark and patient.
The psych lecture dragged on like a bad hangover—professor droning about cognitive dissonance, slides full of graphs that blurred together. I sat in the back row, notebook open but pen idle, mind a mess of half-formed thoughts. Kai. Luca. Vane. The hallway bump from last week kept replaying—his low voice (Careful. You don’t want to find out), the way his eyes had raked over me like he was deciding how to take me apart. I hated how it stuck. Hated how it made my skin heat every time I remembered. Luca was the opposite—easy, fun, uncomplicated. We’d skated yesterday, grabbed coffee after, and talked about nothing until it felt like something. But even as I laughed at his jokes, my brain wandered back to Kai’s stare. The way he made me feel seen and invisible all at once.Class ended at 2:15. I packed slowly, slinging my backpack over one shoulder, heading out into the quad. Fall sun low and golden, leaves crunching under my sneakers. Isabella was in her art history seminar until 3, so I







