LOGIN~MARCELLA~The lecturer is now teaching.Something about the history of market structures… demand curves… graphs sketched across the board in quick, practiced strokes.His voice rises and falls in a steady rhythm, confident, rehearsed.Normally, I’d be following every word, taking notes, asking questions, being the intelligent student that I am.But right now?I’m not listening.Not because I can’t—but because the presence beside me is louder than his voice.Albert Morrison.Even his name sounds expensive, powerful and dangerous.Like something whispered in the dark between people who know better than to say it too loud.And right now… he’s leaning back in his chair like he owns the entire class.Like the lecture is nothing more than background noise meant to fill the silence while he decides what actually deserves his attention.My pen moves across my notebook, neat and controlled, every letter precise.I look focused, calm and untouchable.Like nothing around
~MARCELLA~Cooking dinner kept me so busy that I didn't think about Lucas for a while.The rhythm of chopping, stirring, tasting… it grounded me.For a few blissful hours, I wasn’t his fake girlfriend, or his problem, or the girl trying not to break.I was just… me.I'm done eating and I'm now sitting at my desk, flipping through my notes, trying to revise.Trying to focus.Trying to be normal.But my phone sits there beside me…silent.And I hate that I keep glancing at it.I hate that a part of me is waiting for a message.For his name to light up my screen.For something, anything, but it doesn't.And I don’t know if that makes it better… or worse.I reach for the phone at some point, unlocking it without even realizing.No messages. No missed calls. No notifications.Nothing.My chest tightens.“Seriously?” I mutter under my breath, scoffing softly. “Not even one text?”I toss the phone back on the desk, but it lands too softly.Like even my anger doesn’t have
~MARCELLA~I am in school very early today because I want to avoid all the attention and to avoid meeting Lucas out in the open.And then, he walks in, and the moment he walks into the class…my world tilts.Everything inside me breaks.It’s not dramatic from the outside. No one would notice. No one ever does.But inside me?Everything fractures at once.My chest tightens so hard it almost hurts, like my heart recognizes him before my mind can even catch up. My fingers twitch on the pen I’m holding, and for one reckless second—just one—I almost stand up.He looks the same.Of course he does.Effortlessly put together, that quiet, dangerous confidence wrapped around him like it belongs there.I almost run to him.I almost throw everything away.Because God… I miss him.I miss the way his presence fills a room. The way everything feels sharper, louder, more alive when he’s around. I miss the tension, the chaos, the pull I never asked for but couldn’t escape.I miss
~LUCAS~It's another joint class today, and as I am preparing myself to go to school today, I am also bracing myself to confront Marcella when I see her.The last time we saw was three days ago…when she told me she's done chasing me.And God! I miss her like hell!So today, I'm looking forward to seeing her beautiful face again.I decided to leave very early for school because I want to avoid watching students and their already frustrating reactions.And it's one of the best decisions I ever made in my life as I arrived at school.It's quiet….too quiet.There is no cheering crowd or Marcella around to start fake dating.Everything is peaceful and calm.I walk into the class and stop walking immediately when I see her.Marcella…. sitting in class in her usual seat.The same place, same posture, same perfectly straight back, legs crossed neatly, pen resting between her fingers.Everything looks the same.But it isn’t.Because I know something is wrong the second I s
~LUCAS~“Lucas, that's a wrong order.”I blink and look down.I stare at the cup in my hand like it personally offended me.“That was supposed to be a caramel latte,” Daniel adds, watching me.I glance at the label again.Americano.Right.“Yeah,” I mutter, already dumping it out. “Got it.”First mistake.Fine…..whatever.It happens.I start over, forcing my attention back to the machine, to the rhythm I’ve done a thousand times before.Grind. Steam. Pour.Except halfway through, my phone buzzes.My head snaps toward it instantly.Too fast. Too eager.Daniel notices. I can feel it.I ignore him, grabbing my phone from the counter, my chest tightening slightly as I check the screen.Nothing.Just a notification from some random app.Not her.Of course not her.A quiet, almost irritated breath leaves me as I drop the phone back down.Focus.I need to focus.But it’s like my brain didn’t get the memo.Because a second later, I’m staring at the milk frothing o
~LUCAS~I still remain frozen.I still don’t move.Not when she walks away.Not when her heels echo down the hallway like each step is carving something out of my chest.I just… stand there.Like an idiot.Like someone who just got hit by something he didn’t see coming—even though every sign was right in front of him.She said she’s done chasing me.The words replay in my head, over and over again, each time hitting harder than the last.Done.Marcella Nico… done chasing me.A humorless breath leaves my lips.That shouldn’t bother me this much.It shouldn’t feel like something just shifted in a way I can’t control anymore.But it does.God, it does.I drag a hand through my hair, exhaling slowly, trying to steady whatever the hell is happening inside my chest.It feels… wrong.Everything feels wrong.The hallway still feels too quiet. Too empty.Like something that was just here… something loud, chaotic, alive… just disappeared.And I didn’t stop it.I didn







