In our elective, my boyfriend saved a seat only for his childhood best friend. Again. This time, I didn't fight her. I didn't make a scene. Clutching my textbook, I just sat down next to the campus genius, Mario Lewis. As my boyfriend and his bestie were deliberately getting cozy, I tugged on Mario's sleeve. "Your girlfriend and my boyfriend are getting pretty friendly over there. Doesn't that make you jealous?" Mario's gaze was cool. "I don't have a girlfriend." I bit my lip, leaning in closer. "Well, do you want one?" He stopped writing and looked at me then. "What's in it for me?" My cheeks flushed. "You get to blow off some steam, and I get my stress levels under control. It's a win-win." 1 The moment I stepped into the lecture hall, I saw him. Liam. And right next to him, with an arm slung casually over his shoulder as they laughed about something, was his childhood best friend, Chloe. They saw me at the same time. Liam instinctively tried to push Chloe away, but she just tightened her grip, shooting me a smug, defiant look. "Sorry," she chirped, her voice loud enough for the rows around them to hear. "Liam only saved one extra seat. First come, first served." The chatter in the hall slowly died down. All eyes were on us now. This wasn't the first time Liam had saved a seat only for Chloe. The first time it happened, I was so hurt I just burst into tears and ran out of the room. The second time, Chloe hit me with the same taunt. I fought back, we argued, and I took the seat by force. Liam and I fought for days after that because of her. The stress was so bad my skin was a mess. This time, watching them pull the same tired stunt, I just felt… empty. It was all so pointless. I didn't fight with Chloe. I didn't argue with Liam. I didn't even spare them a second glance. Clutching my textbook, I walked straight to the back row, to the only other empty seat in the entire hall. "Excuse me," I said softly. "Is this seat taken?" 2 The guy sitting there, headphones on and head down, was scribbling furiously in a notebook. He looked up at the sound of my voice. His gaze seemed to linger on my face for a heartbeat before flickering away. He stood up, giving me room to slide in. "Thanks," I murmured, settling into the seat by the wall. From the front of the hall, there was a loud thump as a book was slammed onto a desk. I looked up just in time to meet Chloe’s glare. Her eyes were burning with a hatred that was almost startling. Suddenly, I remembered a rumor I’d heard when I first got to campus. Something about Chloe and the guy next to me, Mario Lewis, having some kind of childhood promise—that their families had always planned for them to get married. I couldn't help but sneak a glance at him. He'd already put his headphones back on, head bent in concentration as he worked through a problem set. All I could see was his sharp profile, radiating an aura of cool, untouchable distance. My phone buzzed. A text from Liam. Lost a bet last night. That's why I had to save Chloe a seat. Don't be mad, babe. I'll take you out for a fancy dinner tonight to make it up to you. I stared at the words, a bitter laugh threatening to escape. There was always an excuse. It was always something. Either Chloe was sick and he had to ditch our date to take her to the clinic, or he was reminding me they grew up together, that they were "basically brothers." If there was really something going on between them, he’d say, would I even have had a chance with him? Liam was my first love, and I had thrown myself into this relationship completely. That’s why it was always so easy for him to play with my emotions. But now? All I felt was a profound sense of boredom. I didn’t reply. I just closed the message. During the mid-class break, Liam and Chloe started roughhousing again. "Oh, you're asking for it now, Liam!" Chloe shrieked, lunging at him playfully. It looked more like aggressive flirting than a real fight. She wrapped her hands around his neck, and from his expression, he was loving every second of it. "Alright, alright, can you try acting like a girl for once?" he chuckled. "Please. I'm not one of those fragile little things," she said, her voice dripping with meaning as she shot a look in my direction. "I don't burst into crocodile tears to get attention. And I definitely don't talk in some fake, high-pitched voice. It’s disgusting." I lowered my head, a small, humorless smile touching my lips. Under the desk, my hand reached out and gently tugged on the sleeve of Mario's shirt. "Mario." He turned his head. I pursed my lips and pointed to his headphones. He didn't say a word, just lifted the earbud on my side. Taking a deep breath, I pitched my voice just like Chloe had described—sweet and a little breathless. "Your girlfriend is being awfully friendly with my boyfriend. Doesn't that make you jealous?" 3 Mario’s eyes were clear and cold. "I don't have a girlfriend." "But I heard… she has a childhood promise with you." "That's baseless gossip," he said, his voice dropping a degree, becoming even colder. I found myself looking at him again, my eyes tracing the clean, sharp line of his jaw before drifting down to the hand holding his pen. Sunlight streamed through the window, enveloping him in a soft glow. In that light, his long fingers looked like they were sculpted from marble. I bit my lip, leaned in closer, and whispered, "Well, do you want one?" "Want what?" He suddenly turned to face me fully. I didn't have time to pull back. The fresh, cool scent of mint washed over me, and my breath hitched. "A girlfriend." Mario put his pen down. "What's in it for me?" My cheeks flushed. I looked down, my lashes casting shadows. A new pimple, red and swollen, was throbbing on the right side of my chin. It was itchy and sore. My roommate said it was from all the stress—my hormones were all out of whack. In the front row, Liam and Chloe were still at it. Chloe was now perched on the edge of a desk, her foot playfully kicking at Liam's leg. Every so often, she'd glance back at me, letting out an obnoxiously loud laugh. It was the kind of laugh that was supposed to sound carefree, but to me, it was just grating. I remembered the first time I met her. Liam introduced us. She was standing next to him, arm draped over his shoulders just like one of his guy friends, and she looked me up and down with open disdain. Then, she punched Liam playfully in the arm. "Seriously, man? I can't believe this is your type. A sweet little damsel in distress." She’d added, "You better not ditch your friends for a girl. I'll be the first one to call you out." And Liam… he had just grinned, like he enjoyed being the prize in some twisted competition. I took a deep breath. Just as Chloe let out another theatrical laugh and glanced our way, I tugged on Mario's sleeve again. "You get to blow off some steam," I whispered, "and I get my stress levels under control. It's a win-win." I’d heard whispers. Mario was working on a killer thesis project. He'd been pulling all-nighters in the lab for weeks. He didn't speak. He just picked up his pen, twirling it between those perfect fingers. After a long moment, he looked at me again, the corner of his mouth twitching into something that might have been a smile. "Sounds like a decent proposal," he said softly. "There's just one problem…" I held my breath. The sun disappeared behind a cloud, and the light in the room dimmed. Mario’s voice seemed to cool with it. "I'm not interested in someone else's girlfriend." 4 Class resumed. Chloe was back in her seat, acting like a model student. When the professor walked back in, the room fell silent. In a voice only Mario and I could hear, I whispered, "I'm planning on breaking up with him." Mario's eyes stayed fixed on the blackboard. "Then do it. We can talk after." I didn't dare say another word. He had a reputation for being a genius, and when he was focused, he had a "do not disturb" aura that was seriously intimidating. For the rest of the lecture, I stared obediently at the professor, but my mind was a million miles away. Just before the bell rang, my phone buzzed again. Liam. Something came up tonight. Can we meet up tomorrow instead? I typed back instantly. No need. Let's just break up. His reply was almost immediate. Ava, don't be like this. I promise I'll spend the whole weekend with you. How many times do I have to tell you, Chloe and I are just friends. Okay, fine. I promise I won't let her tag along on our date this weekend. I didn't reply. The moment class was dismissed, Chloe grabbed Liam and started dragging him out of the room. At the doorway, she glanced back, but this time, she wasn't looking at me. She was looking at Mario. He didn't notice. He had his headphones on, packing his books away. Chloe's face fell with a flicker of disappointment before she pulled Liam out into the hallway. "Mario," I said, my heart pounding as I worked up the courage to stop him as he stood up. "Can I… get your number?" He didn't pull out his phone. "Break up with him first." He was tall, and when he looked down at me, I felt completely exposed, like he could see right through me. I couldn't meet his eyes. Instead, I pulled up my text conversation with Liam and held my phone out for him to see. "Look," I mumbled. "I already did." He glanced at the screen. Then, right there in front of him, I deleted and blocked Liam's contact. "Do you believe me now?" Mario’s impossibly handsome face remained a blank mask. But then, he took out his own phone and pulled up a QR code. "Add me." 5 Right after I added him, Mario left. He said he was swamped with lab work for the next couple of days and suggested we meet up on Saturday night. I just sat there, watching him walk away until he disappeared from view. Then I sank back into my chair, feeling dazed. If his name wasn't sitting right there in my contact list, I would've thought the whole thing was a dream. I couldn't sleep that night. Chloe was spamming her social media feed with pictures from a party with their group of childhood friends. In almost every single photo, she and Liam were the center of attention. The last picture was a shot of them kissing. I wanted to be numb, to feel nothing, but I couldn't. A bitter, self-mocking smile twisted my lips as I deleted Chloe from my contacts. Then, I posted a picture of my own. It was a photo my roommates had taken of me earlier that evening, a shot of my back as I walked across the campus green. It was a beautiful, ethereal picture. For the caption, I wrote: Basking in the clean, sweet air of being single. My phone immediately blew up. Comments from mutual friends flooded in. ??? Ava, did you and Liam have a fight? No way, did you guys break up? I knew this would happen. It’s because of Chloe, isn't it? I didn't answer any of them. Because a new message had just popped up. From Mario. Can't sleep? A little. Are you still in the lab? Yeah. Tonight's not going well. He sent a picture. On a lab bench, next to a bunch of complex equipment, was a small tortoise shell and some incense sticks. I've even resorted to superstition, and the data is still wrong. Oh no. What are you going to do? Is it urgent? Very. The report is due tomorrow. Then… I won't bother you. A few seconds passed. Then, a voice message appeared. I pressed play. "Weren't you going to help me blow off some steam?" His voice was low and husky, laced with an undeniable exhaustion that made my stomach flutter. I shot up in bed, my face burning. My heart was hammering against my ribs so hard I thought it might burst. I typed and deleted a reply a dozen times, completely flustered. Another message from him came through. Your chin. Does it still hurt? I bit my lip, hard enough to leave a mark. Yeah. And it's a little itchy. 6 Mario picked me up and took me to the lab. The first thing I saw when I walked in was an altar-like setup on one of the counters. It had a turtle shell and still-smoldering incense. "A grad student from a few years back left it," Mario explained. "Swears it's magic." On a nearby incubator, a yellowing, hand-written talisman was taped to the glass. "That's from the student before him," he added. "We can't remove it. The fungal cultures won't grow otherwise." I quickly pulled back my curious hand. So this is what the most advanced labs at a top university looked like. I guess the end of science really is superstition. Mario slipped on a clean white lab coat. He leaned against the windowsill, the dark circles under his eyes stark against his pale skin. "Unfortunately," he sighed, "none of it is working tonight." "So what now?" He shook his head. "I don't know. All I can do is run the test again." "Will I… be in your way here?" A small smile touched his lips. "No. I have to wait for the data to process anyway. It's boring sitting here alone." "I can keep you company, then." I walked over and leaned against the windowsill next to him. The moonlight was soft, bathing us both in its gentle glow. I don't know where the courage came from. "Mario." "Hm?" "My chin really hurts." "I can go buy you some…" "My roommate said it's my hormones. All out of whack from stress." I turned and looked up at him, my face tilted towards the moonlight. "Want to help me regulate them?"
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