All Chapters of SWIPE RIGHT FOR THE ALPHA : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

ARIA I barely slept that night. The electricity had been cut off, so I couldn’t charge my phone. Mama hadn’t been able to pay the bills—her hours were cut again, and the rent was still pending. Every time I closed my eyes, my mind replayed that stupid photo I shouldn’t have sent. The one Adrian had seen. My stomach twisted in knots, and when my alarm blared at six, I wanted to bury my face under the blanket and pretend the day didn’t exist. “Aria! Wake up! I don’t pay the fees so your lazy ass can sleep all day!” Mama’s voice boomed from the hallway. A second later, she flung open my door, her eyes sharp with a mix of frustration and exhaustion. “I’m up, Mama,” I croaked, dragging myself out of bed. My legs felt like lead. My mind was foggy. I slipped into a quick bath, hoping the warm water would calm the storm inside me—but it didn’t. Each drop that slid over my skin just made me more aware of the panic sitting in my chest. My hands gripped the edge of the tub until my knuc

ARIA The bell rang, and I was already halfway down the hall, clutching my books and heading for my tutorial class. After a long day of lectures, the last thing I needed was another interruption. But of course, fate—or rather, Adrian Cole—had other plans. “Going somewhere, Bookie?” I stopped dead. Only one person had that ridiculous nickname for me. “It’s Aria,” I snapped. “Stop calling me that.” He only smirked, leaning against the locker like he’d been waiting all along. “You’re Bookie to me.” Phone spinning lazily between his fingers, shirt slightly untucked, that careless grin plastered on his face—Adrian Cole in all his infuriating glory. “It’s time for my tutoring session,” he said smoothly. “You didn’t forget, did you?” I frowned. “Actually, I have a class right now. My tutorial group is waiting.” He tilted his head, pretending to think. “That’s cute. But no, I think it’s my time.” I stepped aside to go around him, but he swung his phone up between us like

ARIAI woke to the smell of soup simmering on the stove, a faint steam curling toward my bedroom door. Morning light filtered through the thin curtains, casting long, pale streaks across my room. The familiar, slightly burnt scent of yesterday’s soup reminded me of home — warm but tired, like everything around us had been slowly worn down.“Hey, want some breakfast!” my mother called from the kitchen.I shook my head without getting out of bed. “No, thanks,” I mumbled, my voice hoarse from the night’s worries.She appeared at my doorway, her face lined with fatigue and frustration, her hand gripping the edge of the doorframe. “Aria, don’t shut yourself away. Come eat something.”I swung my legs over the bed and rubbed at my eyes. “Mum… I am fine, I’ll fix this. I promise. Don’t you worry.”Her sigh carried more weight than words could hold. “I wish you could. I blame your father for all this… if only he was still here to pay child support, maybe we wouldn’t be struggling so much.”I s

ARIA I pushed open the heavy library doors, the familiar scent of aged paper and polished wood washing over me like a quiet, comforting embrace. The hum of fluorescent lights above and the soft shuffle of pages felt like a small refuge from the chaos of the hallways. I inhaled slowly, letting the calm settle over my shoulders, and moved toward my usual spot by the window, spreading out my biology notebook and textbook on the table. “Aria?” Mrs. Linton’s gentle voice called from behind the circulation desk. I looked up to see her peering at me over her glasses. She was the librarian, her silver hair pulled into a neat bun, and she had that knowing, patient smile she always wore with regular students like me. “If it isn't the brightest of all, coming to her favorite place,” she said, tilting her head slightly. “Everything okay? You seem… different.” I swallowed, hesitating for just a second before shrugging. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just… a lot on my mind, I guess.” She studied me

ARIA By the time Jenna and I made it back to class, the noise in the hallway had settled into a dull background hum. I still felt uncomfortable — the coffee incident was replaying in my mind like a broken recording I couldn’t turn off. My dress was mostly dry, but the faint smell of coffee clung to me, a reminder of how the morning had gone wrong. Jenna walked quietly beside me, clutching her books against her chest. She hadn’t said much since we left the cafeteria. Maybe she didn’t know what to say, or maybe she could tell I didn’t want to talk. I was grateful for the silence either way. The last thing I wanted was pity. When we stepped into the classroom, the usual chatter of students filled the air. Desks were half full, and the faint scent of chalk hung in the air. Everything looked normal, but inside, I felt far from it. “Let’s just sit,” I muttered under my breath. Jenna nodded and slid into the seat beside mine. I dropped my bag beside the desk and forced myself to loo