The heavy silence in Alaric's room was broken by a sharp, hesitant knock.
Alaric straightened his wool coat, his heart doing a rare, rhythmic thud against his ribs.
He assumed it was Raya-finally back from the café, probably coming to deliver another "pedestrian insult" about his perfectly polished shoes or his "iceberg" personality. [1] He pulled the door open with a practiced look of cold indifference
already etched onto his face.
"You're late, Ra-"
The words died in his throat. It wasn't the girl in the glitter trainers.
Standing there was a girl he didn't recognize, clutching a crumpled campus map and a heavy stack of textbooks. She looked frazzled, her hair windswept, and she was clearly mid-struggle. She hadn't even looked up yet, her eyes glued to the room numbers"Oh, thank god," she exhaled, stumbling slightly into the threshold. "Is this the advanced seminar study hall? I've been wandering these labyrinth hallways for twenty minutes and I swear the room numbers are gaslighting me."
She finally looked up, and her eyes went wide. She took in the sight of Alaric-tall, imposing, and looking like he'd just stepped off a "personal catwalk." She hadn't expected to find a human iceberg guarding the door.
"Uhh... Helloo," she stammered, her face flushing. "I'm Chloe Raya's best friend. I'm supposed to meet her for the project... wait, who are you? You look like you're about to either give me a lecture or fire me from a job I don't even have."
Alaric's brow arched-just a fraction. The disappointment of it not being Raya wasquickly replaced by a sharp, tactical curiosity. This was the inner circle.
"I am Alaric," he said, his voice dropping into that smooth, glacial tone. "And your friend is currently occupied at the library café with Adrian. I believe they were discussing... pedestrian conceptsAlaric hesitated, his hand still tight on the door handle. Every instinct told him to close it and return to his sterile, silent sanctuary. But Chloe was leaning against the doorframe with a knowing smirk, and she was the only bridge he had to the girl in the glitter trainers.
"Fine," Alaric said, his voice as smooth and cold as ever. He stepped back, gesturing into the room. "But if you touch anything, I'll have you removed by campus security. My organization system is not a suggestion."
Chloe stepped inside, whistling low as she took in the surgically clean space. "Wow. Do you live here or is this a showroom for 'Brooding Intellectuals Monthly'? I feel like I should take my shoes off just to breathe the air."
She flopped onto his guest chair-the one he usually used for his leather briefcase-and started digging through her bag. "So, Alaric. Since Raya is currently at the caféwith Adrian-who, by the way, brought her a 'lucky' muffin today-what's the deal with you two? She spends half her time complaining about your 'polished shoes' and the other half wondering why you're so... well, you."
Alaric sat behind his desk, his fingers steepled. He ignored the comment about the muffin, though his jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "We are academic rivals, Chloe. Nothing more. She is a chaotic variable in a seminar that requires precision."
"Right," Chloe said, finally finding her charger and plugging it into his pristine outlet. She looked him dead in the eye, her grin turning mischievous. "Is that why you're sitting here in the dark, checking the clock every two minutes? Because you're so 'precise'?"
She leaned forward, dropping her voice. "Because between us? Raya doesn't usually
Ask anything.talk about 'rivals' this much. She calls Adrian 'nice,' but she calls you... well, she has a lot of names for you. And usually, the more she hates someone, the more she's actually obsessed with them."
Alaric's brow arched-just a fraction. "Obsessed? That seems like a pedestrian exaggeration."
"Is it?" Chloe laughed, pulling out her phone. "She sent me a photo of you from the hallway this morning. Said you looked like a 'pompous statue.' But she zoomed in on your tie. Who zooms in on a tie they hate, Alaric?"