Blackwood University - Student Union Café, the following Tuesday
The café buzzed with noise-frothy cappuccino machines, half-loud gossip, and the clatter of students catching up between classes. Alstroemeria was seated near the window, her laptop open, fingers gliding effortlessly over the keys as she reviewed their project slides for the twentieth time.
Across from her sat Rowan Estrada, one of the most charming faces on campus. A senior marketing student with a disarming grin and a reputation for flirting with danger-and women. He leaned forward, clearly captivated.
"So tell me," Rowan said, elbow on the table, "is there anyone you don't impress?"
Alstroemeria let out a light laugh, brushing a lock of ash-blonde hair behind her ear. "Plenty," she replied, eyes flicking up only briefly. "I just don't go out of my way to impress them."
"See, that's what I like about you," he grinned. "You don't even have to try."
What she didn't see-what she couldn't see-was Luca, standing a few feet away near the pickup counter, one brow raised, a paper cup in hand... and his jaw tight.
He hadn't expected to see her here. And certainly not laughing-glowing-while some pretty-boy senior looked at her like she hung the stars.
Luca's silver eyes narrowed.
He didn't move immediately. Just watched.
He told himself it didn't matter. She could flirt with whoever she wanted. It wasn't his business.
But Rowan was leaning in closer now. Too close.
Luca finally walked over, calm and deliberate, placing his coffee on their shared table without invitation.
Alstroemeria blinked in surprise. "Luca?"
He didn't look at her. Instead, he turned his attention to Rowan with a clipped, unreadable smile. "You're in my seat."
Rowan raised a brow. "Didn't realize this table was reserved."
"It is," Luca said smoothly, pulling out the chair next to Alstroemeria instead. "Project work. Midterms. You know how it is."
Alstroemeria watched them both, a flicker of understanding dawning in her eyes.
Rowan's smile faltered just a touch. "Right. Well, I'll let you two... strategize."
He stood, giving Alstroemeria a final, reluctant smile before walking off.
The silence that followed buzzed with tension.
She leaned back, arms crossed. "That was subtle."
Luca didn't look at her. "He was wasting your time."
She arched a brow. "And you suddenly care how I spend it?"
"I care about the project," he said coolly, but his eyes flicked to her for just a second too long.
Alstroemeria gave a slow, knowing smile. "Jealousy doesn't suit you, Valerian."
He scoffed, but his voice had dropped. "Don't flatter yourself, Taylors."
Her smile widened. "Too late."
And for a moment... he didn't have a comeback.
Just the way her eyes gleamed when she knew she'd gotten under his skin.
Blackwood University - Business Simulation Room, Thursday Morning
The classroom buzzed with energy-competitive, cutthroat, exactly the kind of place Luca Valerian thrived in.
Today was a group simulation exercise-building a mock company from the ground up, managing crises, and impressing a panel of professors posing as investors. Alstroemeria had been assigned to a different group than Luca for once, and part of her was relieved... until she saw her.
Sienna Vale.
Top of the class. Stunning in a sharp, edgy kind of way. Bold, confident, and always just a little too comfortable with Luca. The kind of girl who didn't need to try to get attention-especially his.
And right now, she was leaning over Luca's shoulder, laughing at something he said as she scrolled through the data on his laptop.
Alstroemeria should've been focused on her group's pitch. She was focused... mostly. But her eyes kept flicking over-just for a second, just long enough to catch the way Luca actually smirked at something Sienna said.
He never smirked like that with her.
Her jaw clenched. Her pen pressed a little too hard against the page, leaving a tiny blot of ink.
"Everything okay?" one of her teammates asked.
"Fine," she said curtly, brushing it off.
She turned her gaze away, forcing herself to ignore it. But she could still hear Sienna's laugh from across the room. That annoyingly lilting laugh-too loud, too easy. And Luca wasn't brushing her off. He was actually engaging. Interested, even.
Which was ridiculous. It didn't matter. It shouldn't matter.
And yet...
Alstroemeria stood abruptly. "Excuse me," she said, and strode across the room with all the poise of someone who definitely wasn't bothered.
Luca looked up as she approached, eyebrows lifting in surprise. "Taylors."
Sienna turned, her smile faltering slightly.
Alstroemeria ignored her. "I have the finalized slides for our pitch. You'll want to review them before the next meeting."
Luca accepted the folder with a curious glance, then smirked, catching the edge in her voice. "Jealousy doesn't suit you, Taylors."
Alstroemeria gave him a tight-lipped smile. "Who said I was jealous?"
"You're not exactly subtle."
Sienna cleared her throat, clearly caught in the crossfire.
Alstroemeria looked straight at Luca, her voice low and even. "You're free to flirt with whoever you want, Valerian. Just don't get distracted before the pitch. I'd hate for your performance to suffer."
And with that, she turned and walked away-head high, chin lifted, heels clicking with precision.
But her heart? Pounding.
Behind her, Luca watched her go, something unreadable flickering in his silver eyes.
Blackwood University - Friday, 3:13 PM
Detention Room, East Wing
The old lecture hall was nearly empty, save for the ticking of a wall clock and the steady shuffle of papers from the bored grad assistant supervising detention. Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead. Two students sat at opposite ends of the same long table-one slouched with arms crossed, the other perfectly upright, radiating elegance even in irritation.
Alstroemeria shot Luca a look that could cut glass. "I can't believe you got me into this."
Luca didn't even glance at her. "You were the one arguing with me. Loudly. In the middle of a presentation."
"You interrupted me. I was mid-sentence."
"I was correcting your math."
"It wasn't wrong."
He finally looked at her, silver eyes cool and unreadable. "It was close enough to cost us points."
She let out an exasperated sigh and folded her arms across her chest. "This is ridiculous."
"No," he said, leaning back in his chair. "What's ridiculous is the fact that detention still exists in college."
Alstroemeria glared at him, jaw tight. "You thrive on making everything harder than it needs to be."
"And you thrive on pretending you're not secretly enjoying it."
Her eyes snapped to his. "Excuse me?"
Luca tilted his head slightly, the ghost of a smirk playing on his lips. "Admit it. You'd be bored without someone challenging you."
The grad assistant looked up sharply. "Keep it down."
They both sank back into silence, tension thick enough to slice with a letter opener. Minutes ticked by. Neither moved. Neither spoke. But their glances-sharp, charged, lingering-spoke volumes.
5:00 PM - Detention Ends
Alstroemeria practically bolted the moment the clock struck. Luca followed more slowly, as if completely unaffected.
By the time they stepped outside, the sky had cracked open and rain was pouring down in sheets. Students scurried across campus, bags over their heads, shoes splashing through puddles.
Alstroemeria stopped under the awning, groaning softly. "Of course."
Luca stood beside her, pulling something from his bag. A sleek black umbrella. He opened it with a click.
She glanced at it, then at him. "Let me guess. You're going to walk right past me and leave me here to drown."
He gave her a sidelong look. "Tempting."
But then, after a beat, he extended the umbrella just slightly in her direction. "You coming or not?"
She hesitated for half a second too long before stepping forward. "This doesn't make us friends."
"Wouldn't dream of it."
They walked side by side, the umbrella just big enough to force them uncomfortably close. Shoulders brushed. Hands almost touched.
Alstroemeria kept her eyes straight ahead. "You really are infuriating."
Luca glanced down at her, his voice lower now, softer. "And yet you keep showing up."
She didn't respond. But she didn't move away either.
And the rain kept falling-loud, steady, and unable to drown out the growing tension between two people who were supposed to hate each other.
Blackwood University - Campus Sidewalk, 5:15 PM
The rain wasn't letting up. The campus, now practically deserted except for a few late stragglers hurrying home, seemed like an entirely different place under the downpour. The constant patter of water against pavement filled the air, as did the occasional low rumble of thunder.
Alstroemeria and Luca walked in silence, the umbrella still keeping them uncomfortably close, the distance between their bodies shrinking with each step. Her thoughts were scattered-part of her still angry about detention, part of her oddly aware of how close they were.
The next thing she knew, a car came speeding down the wet road, tires skimming through a massive puddle just as they reached an intersection. The car's headlights gleamed just before it barreled through the water, sending a tidal wave of rainwater straight toward the curb.
Alstroemeria barely had time to react. She gasped and instinctively took a step back, but she was too close to the edge.
The splash was massive.
In an instant, Luca's hand shot out, pulling her toward him, his grip firm around her waist. He yanked her against him just as the water splashed, missing her by inches. The cold spray hit his legs instead, soaking his pants as he shielded her from the worst of it.
She blinked, wide-eyed, trying to catch her breath. "That was-"
"Close," Luca finished for her, voice steady despite the sharp intake of breath. He adjusted the umbrella between them, his grip tight on her waist, his chest still pressed against hers as he steadied her. He looked down at her, silver eyes sharp and... something else-something softer. "You should've been paying more attention."
Alstroemeria's heart pounded in her chest. She was so close to him now she could feel the warmth of his body despite the rain. She could see the droplets of water clinging to his dark hair, to his sharp jaw, the breath he was holding as he steadied her.
"Are you insane?" she muttered, trying to pull away, but his hold on her didn't loosen. "You could've been splashed too."
Luca's lips twitched, his tone quieter, more measured. "I'm not the one about to get drenched."
She glanced up at him. There was something different in his eyes, something that made her feel like she'd just narrowly escaped something-something she couldn't quite place. For a moment, she couldn't remember why she was angry with him.
Instead, all she could think about was how his body was still pressed so close to hers, his scent mixing with the rain-soaked air, his fingers still on her waist, keeping her steady.
When he finally let go of her, she took a step back, her heart still racing. She couldn't let herself get lost in the moment.
"Thanks," she said, her voice coming out sharp, more defensive than grateful.
Luca gave her a long, searching look, his gaze lingering for a moment too long. "Don't mention it."
And just like that, the distance between them returned, both physical and unspoken. But as they walked in silence beneath the umbrella, the tension between them felt different-heavier, charged in a way that neither of them had anticipated.
Saturday Morning - Blackwood University Dorm Hallways, 8:42 AM
Alstroemeria sat on the edge of her bed, her fingers brushing through her hair as she gazed out the window at the gray morning. The rain had stopped sometime in the night, but the clouds still loomed heavy over the campus, as if reluctant to let go of the storm.
Her mind kept drifting back to last night-the way Luca had pulled her against him, his hand firm on her waist. The moment had been so quick, so charged, yet she couldn't shake how it felt. His touch. How steady, how certain, how... warm.
This is ridiculous, she thought, shaking her head. You barely know the guy. Why are you even thinking about it?
But she couldn't help herself. She had never felt that kind of proximity with someone so effortlessly. There had been no hesitation in him, no awkwardness-just instinct. He'd protected her, without even thinking twice about it.
Her heart skipped a beat as she remembered the way his silver eyes had locked onto hers just after, an almost imperceptible softness in his gaze. It was as if the world had slowed down for that brief, vulnerable moment, and she was certain she'd seen something there-something that made him seem... less untouchable.
No. That couldn't be it. He was still Luca Valerian, the one person she'd spent the last few months in a silent, simmering rivalry with.
She sighed, standing up and walking over to her desk to grab her books. Focus on your work. Focus on something else.
But just as she walked out the door of her dorm, her path collided with a familiar one.
Luca.
He stood in front of her, wearing a black hoodie and jeans, looking effortlessly cool and composed, like he had been standing there waiting for her. His silver eyes locked with hers, and for a moment, neither of them spoke.
Alstroemeria's heart skipped again, and she instinctively shifted her gaze away, trying to ignore the weird, fluttering sensation in her chest. She was still not supposed to care about him. Still not supposed to be affected by their shared moment the night before.
Luca broke the silence first. "Well, this is awkward."
Alstroemeria shot him a sidelong glance, trying to hide her irritation. "You've got a habit of showing up at the most inconvenient times."
"Funny, I was about to say the same thing about you," he said, the ghost of a smirk on his lips. "Were you planning on making a quick exit again?"
"I was just heading to class," she muttered, resisting the urge to look at him again. "You?"
"Same." His voice softened a little. "You looked... distracted last night."
Her pulse quickened. Why did he have to say that? "I'm fine."
"You sure?" He raised a brow. "I seem to remember you staring at the pavement quite a bit."
Alstroemeria glanced up sharply, feeling the heat of a flush creep up her neck. "I wasn't staring at anything."
"Hmm. Maybe. But you were quiet."
"Are you always this nosy?" she snapped before she could stop herself.
Luca's smirk faltered slightly, but there was something in his eyes-an edge, maybe. "I'm just asking if you're alright. No harm in that."
A flicker of something-guilt, annoyance, or maybe both-flashed across her face, but she wasn't about to admit that she'd been more than just "alright" after their walk in the rain. "Fine," she said, taking a step back, clearly trying to put distance between them. "I'm fine, Luca."
He stared at her for a moment, his gaze steady, but something in the way he looked at her made her stomach twist in a way she didn't like. "Alright."
The silence stretched between them for a heartbeat longer than either of them had intended.
Then, as if realizing he might be lingering too long, Luca turned to walk away, his footsteps deliberate, almost casual.
But Alstroemeria couldn't help herself-she turned to watch him go. Her heart thudded as her mind replayed the moments from last night. Why did it feel different?
Before she could catch herself, Luca turned back, catching her gaze. His smirk was gone, replaced by something almost unreadable.
"You know," he said slowly, "if you ever need saving from a puddle again, I'm just one call away."
Her breath caught, her pulse quickening. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Valerian."
He tilted his head, the faintest glint of amusement flickering in his eyes. "I'm just offering."
And with that, he was gone-leaving her standing in the hallway, unsettled and breathless.