로그인~CAMILLA~Monday morning comes with far too much confidence.The sun is barely up when I open my eyes, and the first thought that enters my mind is Lucas.Of course it is.Because apparently, my brain has decided that the first thing I should think about every morning is a man I met twice.I stare at the ceiling for a few seconds with a hope that I might see him today.The thought sends a tiny flutter through my stomach.I smile before I can stop myself, then I immediately frown.Why am I smiling?I throw the blanket off me and sit up."Get yourself together, Camilla."There is no reason to be this excited.It's not like Lucas promised to come back.He only said that if we met again, I should bring up the tutoring.But we're going to meet again….I'm sure of it.At least, that's what I've been telling myself all weekend.I get ready faster than usual, choosing an outfit and spending more time than necessary deciding whether my hair looks better loose or tied back.
~CAMILLA~By Saturday afternoon, I have officially decided that having a best friend is overrated.Especially when that best friend has decided to spend the entire weekend in my apartment and apparently has no intention of letting me forget the most embarrassing thing I've done some days ago.I should have known something was wrong when Esmeralda arrived yesterday evening with an overnight bag that looked suspiciously large for someone who claimed she was only staying until Sunday.She walked through my front door, dropped the bag beside the sofa, kicked off her shoes and announced,"I'm staying."I had stared at her, and asked, "For how long?"She had smiled. "Until you stop talking about that man. Girl, you're literally bombing my phone with text messages about that man.”I should have thrown her back out. Instead, I had laughed, and that was my first mistake.Because apparently, that laugh gave her permission to torment me for the rest of the weekend.Now, the
~LUCAS~I don't know how long I pace around the room staring into empty space after the call ends.I finally look at the screen of my phone. It has gone black, so my reflection stares back at me.I sigh heavily, realizing that somehow, my life has somehow managed to become even more complicated than it was five minutes ago.I stop looking at the phone and I squeeze my eyes again at the thought of being an assistant lecturer for months in Camilla's university."No. This really shouldn't be happening!’The word leaves my mouth quietly, and almost pleadingly.I open my eyes again."Absolutely not."But the problem is, the decision isn't mine anymore.My boss already agreed.The university wants me, and they're apparently offering me money, accommodation, a car, and an opportunity that any law student—or aspiring lawyer—would probably kill for.And all I can think about is one woman.One particular woman with brown hair, warm eyes, an infuriatingly sweet smile,
~LUCAS~I keep waiting for the boss’ call, growing impatient bit by bit.I wait for about thirty minutes, and just when I consider calling my supervisor back, my phone rings again.I check my phone and see that it's the boss calling, so I immediately sit up."Hello, Sir,” I say immediately as I answer the phone."Lucas,” he calls.His voice is calm, but there's something pleased about it."Yes, Sir.""I just finished speaking with your supervisor. I know he must have called you,” he says. “Yes, Sir. He did.”He chuckles."I've heard the presentation went exceptionally well, Lucas. You've made us proud.""Thank you, Sir.""And you've made the firm look very good,” he adds.I smile. "Thank you, Sir."There is a brief pause, then he says something that makes me stop breathing."The university has made a request."I frown slightly. "What kind of request?""They've asked us to allow you to remain in Milan for a few months."My smile disappears completely. "I'm sorry?""They want you to be
~LUCAS~The moment I turn my back on Camilla, I smile, and it's an almost wicked, triumphant one.The kind of smile a man wears after successfully escaping a trap without getting caught.I keep walking, forcing myself not to turn around and look at her.Because if I look back, there's a chance I'll see her standing there with that ridiculously hopeful expression on her face, and somehow, I'll feel guilty.And I absolutely refuse to feel guilty.Because today, I am a survivor.I survived the presentation. I survived staring at her. I survived her staring back at me.I survived the hand-holding. I survived the puppy eyes. And, most importantly, I survived the words…‘Would you be my private tutor?’I almost laugh again.What the hell was I supposed to do with that?A private tutor? Me?I can barely keep my own life together.I don't need to add tutoring a beautiful, dangerously distracting university student to my list of problems.No….. absolutely not.I keep walking, my smile growing w
~CAMILLA~“Would you be my private tutor?”The moment the words leave my mouth, I want to disappear.I cringe so hard that my entire face feels hot.Why?Why did I say that?Of all the things I could have said, why did those words come out of my mouth?I stare at Lucas, already wishing I could reach into the air and grab my sentence before it gets to his ears.But it's too late because he heard it, and judging by the way he's staring at me, he's still trying to process it.Then he laughs, and it's not a small laugh.It's not even one of those polite little chuckles people give when they don't know what else to say.He laughs heartily with his head tips backward slightly, and a genuine laugh escapes him, deep and warm and completely unrestrained.My embarrassment triples, and I can feel my ears burning.Oh my God.I want the ground to open up and swallow me.I should have just said goodbye. I should have let him leave.I should have smiled, waved, and walked in
~NICO~The moment my fist connects with Alessandro’s jaw, the sound is louder than I expect. A sharp crack that silences even the shrieks around us.He stumbles, spits blood, and collapses onto the floor.The crowd roars….half in shock, half in awe. Phones are out, cap
Alessandro stands in the middle of his father’s office, tall and impassive, hands in his pockets, face unreadable. His black shirt clings to his frame, sleeves rolled to the elbows, veins prominent, tattoos peeking at his wrists. The room is thick with tension.Behind the heavy mahogany desk sits
~ELENA~Nico's lips graze my cheeks…almost a kiss.Almost.And then the gym door swings open.“Damn!” We both exclaim.Riccardo walks in, towel over his shoulders. He pauses, eyes flicking between our too-close bodies.“Everything okay here??” He asks, voice neutral, but b
~ELENA~I don't even know when we get home. I just feel someone pulling me out of the car and leading me to my room.I feel numb. My body, my senses, my mind….they all feel numb.The door to my room opens and I am led inside.“Take your bath and rest. We'll come to chec







