LOGIN~CAMILLA~“Are you alright, Camilla?” I hear Mr. Lucas say.For a ridiculous second, I forget what I'm supposed to say.His face is much closer than I'm used to seeing it, and I can make out the tiny details of his expression. The faint crease between his brows, the slight dampness of his hair and the warmth in his eyes.And goodness, his eyes are beautiful."Camilla?" He calls.I blink twice."Yes?""Are you hurt?" he asks.I shake my head. "No. I'm fine."He gives my waist a final steadying touch before releasing me."Watch your footing,” he tells me.I step back, trying very hard to behave as though my heart hasn't suddenly started beating faster."Okay."He returns to his position without making anything of the moment.I, however, need a few seconds to remember that we're supposed to be sparring.How am I supposed to concentrate when the man has just caught me like that?I take a breath and raise my hands again.Focus, Camilla.He seems to notice my brief
~CAMILLA~The moment we enter the hall, the smell of clean mats and the faint sound of feet striking the padded floor greet us.A man in his forties approaches us. He's dressed in a white uniform, with a black belt tied securely around his waist."Lucas?" he asks."Yes. Good evening,” Lucas replies."Good evening. Welcome."They exchange a brief handshake before the instructor looks at me."And this is?" He asks."My friend. She's joining me today,” Lucas replies.Friend.I don't know why that particular word makes me smile.I quickly introduce myself and the instructor welcomes me before asking whether I've trained before."A little," I reply. "My father taught me some things when I was younger.""That's good. We'll see what you remember,” he says.I smile.Oh, he has no idea.We begin with warm-ups, stretching and a few basic movements. The instructor explains that he'll assess our experience before deciding which exercises to give us.I'm following along, alt
~CAMILLA~It's another day of tutor lessons with Mr. Lucas, and I'm frowning slightly after he announced that we've come to the end of today's class."Already?" I ask, blinking rapidly at him.He gives me a look before glancing at his wristwatch. "Camilla, we've been studying for almost three hours.""Oh."I look down at my notes, suddenly wishing we'd started our lesson earlier. It's funny how I've gone from being someone who dreaded studying to someone who occasionally wishes our lessons wouldn't end.Well, perhaps it's not the studying itself that has become so enjoyable.It's the person teaching me.I quickly push that thought aside before it can develop into something embarrassing."All right, then." I close my notebook and put my pen inside it. "I'll review everything before our next lesson.""Good. And don't just read through your notes. Try to explain the concepts in your own words. It'll help you remember them.""I know, Mr. Lucas."He raises an eyebro
~LUCAS~It's been three weeks since Camilla started having her lessons at my apartment, and I've come to realise that the arrangement is working better than I initially expected.Not that I had any doubts about changing the location. The university was simply too distracting for her, and I couldn't keep spending half of our lessons bringing her attention back to whatever we were discussing.My apartment, on the other hand, offers exactly what she needs. There's no one walking past the study area, no students talking loudly outside, and, thankfully, no birds sitting on windowsills waiting to steal her attention.Although, knowing Camilla, she'd probably find something else to occupy her mind if she tried hard enough.What's surprising, however, is how much I've started enjoying these lessons.I wouldn't have admitted that a week ago.When I first took on the responsibility of tutoring her, I expected it to be a rather demanding arrangement. Camilla struggled
~CAMILLA~I have never been so excited about going somewhere in my entire life.But this is different.I'm actually going to Lucas's apartment.The thought alone has been making me smile like an idiot since I received his address last night. I've probably checked the message at least twenty times, even though I memorised the address after the third.And now, as I sit in the back of the taxi cab with my little study bag on my lap, I can't seem to stop looking out of the window.I hope he doesn't live too far away, and I hope his apartment is beautiful.I wonder what his bedroom looks like.My eyes widen slightly at that last thought, and I quickly shake my head.Camilla!I'm going there to study. Not to investigate his personal life.Besides, I don't even know why I'm thinking about his bedroom.I look down at the notebook resting on my lap and smile.I've brought everything I might need. My textbooks, two notebooks, pens, highlighters, a bottle of water and the l
~CAMILLA~My eyes sting before I can stop them, and a warm smile slowly spreads across my lips.I blink, trying to keep the tears from falling, but it's almost impossible when my heart feels this full.I don't think Mr. Lucas understands what he has just done for me.For as long as I can remember, I've been made to feel like there's something wrong with the way my mind works from the previous tutors my dad brought for me. I've heard the complaints, the comparisons, the disappointed sighs and the endless reminders to pay attention. I've been told to try harder so many times that I've almost convinced myself that my inability to do certain things is simply because I'm not trying hard enough.But Mr. Lucas...He's the first person who hasn't made me feel like a disappointment.He's the first person who has actually asked how I learn instead of demanding that I learn the way everyone else does.He doesn't look at me like I'm a problem he has to tolerate. He doesn
~NICO~“Dad, I'm not quitting school. I love it there” I say angrily to my father.Vincenzo, Riccardo and I are in my father's private office and he called us for a meeting because he heard I was at Elena's school yesterday.Yes, I get that father has eyes everywhere but wh
~ELENA~The whispers multiply until it feels like the entire hallway has turned into a low hum of excitement.“Who is he? Does anyone know?”“They say he is doing his masters.”“I heard he's transferred.”“Transferred? He looks like he walked straight out of a magazine.”“D
~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







