Mag-log in~CAMILLA~Something is wrong.Lucas has been absent from school for two consecutive days, and I am beginning to lose patience with the uncertainty.Yesterday, I convinced myself that he must have had an important meeting or some personal emergency. I expected him to show up today, carrying his usual collection of notes and wearing that serious expression that always makes me feel as though he can see through me.Instead, his seat remains empty, and the senior lecturer has taken over his class again.Around me, students are discussing his absence, with several expressing how much they miss his lessons. Apparently, I am not the only one who has noticed that something is unusual.Lucas takes his responsibilities seriously. He has never been the sort of person to disappear without making the necessary arrangements, which makes his continued absence even more concerning.What could possibly be keeping him away?I am still contemplating that question when Esmeralda nu
~CAMILLA~I wake up angry the next morning.That is the first thing I realize when I open my eyes, and honestly, it is almost impressive how my mood has managed to survive an entire night of sleep without improving even a little.Usually, when something upsets me, I find a way to get over it. Sometimes I cry, sometimes I complain to Esmeralda, and sometimes I distract myself with a good romance novel until whatever is bothering me no longer feels important.I have never been particularly good at holding grudges because staying angry requires too much energy, and I would rather spend mine doing something enjoyable.But apparently, yesterday's argument with Lucas has turned me into a completely different person.I lie on my back, staring at the ceiling while replaying our conversation for what must be the hundredth time, and every time I remember the way he spoke to me, my irritation returns with renewed enthusiasm.The worst part is that I went to bed yesterday
~LUCAS~I want to say a lot to her, but I can't speak.She stares at me for several seconds obviously waiting for me to speak, and fucking say something. Then she smiles.It is the sort of smile people give when they have finally stopped expecting something from someone who keeps disappointing them.She turns towards the door again."I'll see you in class, Mr. Lucas. Enjoy the rest of your day.""Camilla."She stops, but she does not turn around immediately.For one fleeting moment, I consider telling her the truth. That I was really jealous of her and Steven.That I decided to create distance between us because I was starting to enjoy her company and getting so free with her.I want to tell her the truth that I really miss her.Instead, I say, "Don't forget to review the topics we covered today."For a second, she remains perfectly still.Then she turns her head just enough for me to see the disappointment on her face."I won't, Sir."The door closes behind
~LUCAS~I stare at Camilla, almost as stunned by my own words as she is.Then stay at my place, Camilla.Did I really just say that?Of all the things I could have said to stop her from spending the night at Steven's house, that is what comes out of my mouth. I actually invited her to spend the night at my apartment, where we will be alone together for hours, with no classes to separate us and no university to give me an excuse to keep my distance.Brilliant, Lucas. Absolutely brilliant.So much for my decision to keep things between us strictly professional. So much for the distance I have been desperately trying to maintain since I realized how much I enjoy having her around.Apparently, I am not satisfied with making things difficult for myself. I have decided to make them considerably worse.I should never have let my jealousy get this far, but the truth is that I have been struggling with it for longer than I care to admit.For weeks, I have watched Camil
~CAMILLA~I'm still staring at Mr. Lucas in shock, refusing to believe that he actually replied to my text message.“Did you really reply to my text?” I ask, when I finally find my tongue to speak.He doesn't reply. He just puts my phone down on the table.I quickly grab my phone and take a look at the screen to reconfirm that he actually did reply.“Why did you do that, Mr. Lucas?” I say, not having it at all. “Why did you reply to my text?”“Because I don't want you spending a night at his house,” he replies nonchalantly.“That's still not enough reason, Sir,” I retort. “You have no right to reply to my text negatively, because it's actually something I considered.”"Camilla, do you even know this man well enough to be considering something like that?" He asks.I almost laugh, and it's not because anything about this situation is funny, but because I cannot believe the audacity of the question coming from him."Steven is my friend, Mr. Lucas. We've been spending time together for we
~CAMILLA~I never thought I would find myself enjoying being friends with Steven so much, but here I am.My friendship with Steven has been going on for a little while now, and I can honestly say that I haven't enjoyed anyone's company this much in ages. He has somehow managed to become part of our little circle without making things awkward, and these days, he spends most of his time sitting with Esmeralda and me during lectures.Sometimes, he takes the seat beside me and spends the first ten minutes whispering ridiculous observations about our lecturers until I'm struggling to keep my laughter quiet. Other times, he sits between us and deliberately starts arguments about things he knows absolutely nothing about, just because he enjoys watching Esmeralda threaten to throw her notebook at his head.The man is a menace.An entertaining menace, unfortunately, and I have discovered that I rather like having him around.He is also surprisingly thoughtful beneath all that ridiculous humor
~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
~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
~ELENA~Vincenzo doesn’t take his eyes off me as he shrugs off his jacket, tossing it carelessly onto my couch in the room.“Stand up,” he orders softly, but there’s no room for disobedience in his tone.My legs feel weak, but I obey, standing slowly from the bed.Riccard







