CHAPTER FOURTEEN: DINNER

Alora spent far too much time staring at her closet.

It was ridiculous.

Completely ridiculous.

Daniel had said dinner.

Not a date.

Not even close to a date.

Just dinner.

Yet somehow she had already changed outfits three times.

“You’re embarrassing yourself.”

Alora looked up.

Cassie stood in the doorway holding a bag of chips.

“I hate you.”

“No, you don’t.”

Cassie tossed a chip into her mouth.

“Blue sweater.”

“What?”

“The blue sweater.”

Alora looked down at the pile of clothes scattered across her bed.

“Why?”

“Because it looks effortless.”

“It took me thirty minutes to find it.”

“Exactly.”

Alora groaned.

Cassie laughed.

“You know this is funny, right?”

“What is?”

“The fact that you’re acting like this over dinner.”

“It is dinner.”

“Mhm.”

“It is.”

“Mhm.”

Alora grabbed a pillow and threw it.

Cassie dodged it easily.

Unfortunately.

By the time Alora finally left her dorm, she was already five minutes late.

Daniel was waiting outside the small restaurant just beyond campus.

The moment he saw her, he smiled.

Not the charming kind.

Not the practiced kind.

The genuine kind.

The kind that made her feel strangely guilty for being late.

“Sorry.”

“You were worth waiting for.”

Alora blinked.

Daniel immediately looked horrified.

“That sounded way smoother in my head.”

She laughed.

The tension disappeared instantly.

Daniel relaxed.

“There she is.”

“What?”

“The laugh.”

He opened the restaurant door.

“I haven’t heard it all week.”

The comment caught her off guard.

Because it was true.

This week had felt strange.

Professor Reid had become distant.

Cold.

Colder than usual, somehow.

The weird conversations.

The extra articles.

The bruise.

Everything had disappeared overnight.

Now it felt as though he barely noticed she existed.

Which should not have bothered her.

At all.

And yet—

“Earth to Alora.”

She blinked.

“What?”

Daniel smiled.

“You’re doing it again.”

“The thinking thing?”

“The thinking thing.”

Alora groaned.

Apparently everybody had decided she had a thinking thing.

The restaurant wasn’t fancy.

That was the first thing she noticed.

It felt warm.

Comfortable.

The kind of place filled with students and tired professors.

A place where nobody cared who you were.

They settled into a booth near the window.

The waiter arrived.

Daniel ordered first.

Alora ordered second.

Then silence settled between them.

Not awkward.

Just quiet.

Comfortable.

Daniel leaned back.

“So.”

“So.”

He pointed at her.

“Tell me something interesting.”

“About me?”

“No.”

“Then who?”

“The President.”

She laughed.

Daniel grinned.

Mission accomplished.

“Fine.”

She thought for a moment.

Then shrugged.

“I used to want to be a veterinarian.”

Daniel nearly choked on his drink.

“What?”

“Don’t judge me.”

“You wanted to be a veterinarian?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“I liked animals.”

Daniel laughed.

“You still like animals.”

“Exactly.”

“So what happened?”

She sighed dramatically.

“Organic chemistry happened.”

Daniel laughed harder.

Several nearby tables turned to look.

He didn’t seem to care.

For the next hour they talked about everything.

Family.

Childhood.

Terrible professors.

Even worse exams.

Daniel told stories about his younger sisters.

Alora laughed until her stomach hurt.

Then she told him about the time she accidentally set off a fire alarm in secondary school.

Daniel laughed so hard he almost fell out of his chair.

For the first time in weeks, she forgot about stress.

Forgot about grades.

Forgot about expectations.

Forgot about Professor Dominic Reid.

Mostly.

The evening passed too quickly.

The sun disappeared.

Streetlights flickered to life.

People began leaving.

Eventually Daniel glanced at his watch.

“We should probably head back.”

Alora nodded.

Neither seemed particularly eager to leave.

Which was strange.

And maybe a little dangerous.

They paid the bill and stepped outside.

The air had turned cooler.

A breeze drifted through the street.

Daniel shoved his hands into his pockets.

“That was fun.”

“It was.”

“You sound surprised.”

“I am.”

“Ouch.”

She laughed.

“You know what I mean.”

“I do.”

They started walking toward campus.

The streets were quieter now.

Most students had already returned to their dorms.

For a while neither spoke.

The silence wasn’t uncomfortable.

Just easy.

Again.

Always easy with Daniel.

Maybe that was what made him different.

He never demanded anything from her.

Never made her feel nervous.

Never made her overthink every conversation.

With Daniel, she could simply exist.

The realization settled softly in her chest.

By the time they reached campus, the buildings were glowing beneath the evening lights.

Students wandered between pathways.

Laughter echoed somewhere in the distance.

Daniel slowed.

“We’re here.”

Alora nodded.

For some reason she felt disappointed.

The feeling surprised her.

Apparently it surprised Daniel too.

Because he looked equally reluctant to leave.

Neither mentioned it.

Then Daniel smiled.

“We should do it again.”

The words slipped out naturally.

Not heavy.

Not romantic.

Just honest.

Alora found herself smiling back.

“Yeah.”

Daniel’s smile widened.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Something warm flashed across his face.

Gone almost immediately.

Then—

Movement across the street caught Alora’s eye.

A black car.

Parked beneath a streetlamp.

Expensive.

Elegant.

Familiar.

Her stomach tightened.

No.

Surely not.

She looked again.

The driver’s window reflected the light.

Making it impossible to see inside.

But she knew that car.

She knew it.

Professor Reid.

For one second she simply stared.

Confused.

Trying to make sense of it.

Then the driver’s door opened.

A tall figure stepped out.

Dark coat.

Broad shoulders.

Controlled posture.

There was no mistaking him.

Daniel followed her gaze.

His smile faded slightly.

“Professor Reid?”

Alora didn’t answer.

Because across the street, Dominic Reid had already seen them.

Seen her.

Seen Daniel.

Seen them standing together.

And for the first time all evening—

The warmth from dinner disappeared completely.