Tuesday morning arrived like a verdict.
Dorian's phone rang before his eyes were fully open. Jenna's name on the screen.
He answered. "It's early."
"Early is RELATIVE." Her voice crackled with energy. "We need more hands. Mixer prep is a disaster. The tables are wrong, the lighting is tragic, and Rachel's having a crisis about centerpieces."
Dorian rubbed his eyes. "I thought the mixer was Thursday."
"It IS Thursday. Which means we have TWO DAYS to fix everything. That's no time. That's NO TIME."
He sat up. "What time do you need me?"
"Now. Yesterday. Last week." A pause. "But now is fine. Get coffee. Come to the union. Don't be late."
She hung up.
Dorian stared at the phone. Two messages already waiting.
Sarah: Good morning ❤️ Can't wait to see you later. Miss you.
Priya: So... when do I get to see you again? 😏
He typed to Sarah first.
Dorian: Miss you too. Busy day. Jenna called. Mixer prep chaos. Talk later?
Sarah: Of course. Go save the day 😊
Then Priya.
Dorian: Today's crazy. Work stuff. Maybe we can meet this morning? 10:30?
Priya: 10:30? You're serious. I like it. Send address 😉
He set the phone down.
Six days. Two relationships. One spreadsheet in my head.
---
Tyler was already awake, pacing the room, a half-empty BLIMP can in his hand. He held it like a sacred artifact.
"NEW IDEA."
Dorian stood. "I have to go. Jenna needs help with mixer prep."
"The mixer isn't until Thursday."
"Prep." He grabbed his jacket. "She's freaking out."
Tyler followed him to the door. "This is why you need a brand. A schedule. An empire. You can't be running around fixing other people's tables when you could be building your legacy."
"I'll build my legacy after I fix the lighting."
Tyler struck a pose, can raised. "Visionaries are never understood in their time."
Dorian looked at him. "You're wearing pajama pants."
"Visionaries transcend fashion."
---
Dorian walked fast, checking his phone. He sent Priya the address of a small coffee shop near campus.
The shop was quiet, the kind of place students went when they wanted to be anonymous. Priya was already there when he arrived, bundled in a bright jacket, her energy filling the room before she even spoke.
"Bone structure guy!" She waved him over. "You picked a good spot. Very secret agent."
She had two cups already waiting. "I didn't know what you liked. So I guessed. It's sweet. If you don't like sweet, that's your problem."
Dorian sat. "Sweet is fine."
She leaned forward. "So. Work stuff. What's your deal? Are you, like, a spy? A secret millionaire? A crime lord?"
"Event staff. I help set up tables."
She squinted. "That's the most boring answer you could've given."
"It's the truth."
"The truth is boring." She stirred her coffee. "I like the crime lord story better. Much more exciting."
He laughed.
She grinned. "See? You're not boring. You just pretend to be." Her eyes held his. "Why do you do that?"
Because I'm a liar. Because I'm juggling. Because if you knew the truth, you'd run.
"I don't know."
She studied him for a moment. Then shrugged. "Okay. I'll figure it out eventually. I'm very perceptive."
"You are?"
"No. But I like to think I am." She drank her coffee. "So. Are we going to talk about it?"
"About what?"
She set her cup down. "The kiss. Us. The whole... thing." Her eyes dropped to his hands, then back up. "You're a good kisser. I didn't expect that. No offense. You look like you'd be weird about it."
He blinked. "I look like I'd be weird about kissing?"
"You look like you think about things too much. Like you're always calculating." She tilted her head. "Are you always calculating?"
She has no idea.
"No."
"Good." She smiled. "Then stop calculating and just... be here."
She reached across the table. Her fingers brushed his. Light. Warm.
Dorian's chest tightened.
---
He made it back to campus just before his shift. The student union was chaos. Tables being dragged, chairs stacked, streamers tangled. Jenna was at the center of it, clipboard raised like a weapon.
"DORIAN. YOU'RE LATE."
"I'm on time."
"LATE IS LATE." She shoved a box of tablecloths at him. "Set up the back corner. Make it look like people want to sit there. It's psychology."
He took the box. Rachel was nearby, arranging centerpieces. She glanced at him, then quickly looked away. Her hands moved faster with the ribbons.
He worked. The minutes passed.
Then two hands covered his eyes from behind. Fingers cool, the grip uncertain because the person was stretching up on tiptoes.
"Guess who."
He smiled despite himself. "Sarah."
She dropped her hands and came around, grinning. "How'd you know?"
"You're the only one short enough to need tiptoes."
She swatted his arm. "Rude."
Jenna appeared beside them. "Sarah! You're here. Good. We need opinions on the lighting."
Sarah laughed. "I'm not on the committee."
"You have eyes. That's enough." Jenna pulled her toward the far wall. "Come. Be harsh. I need honest feedback."
Dorian watched them go, then got back to work.
---
The afternoon blurred. Tables. Chairs. Jenna's voice. Rachel's silent glances.
Later, Sarah came back, finding him near the snack table.
He looked up. "Escape the lighting committee?"
"Barely." She tucked her hands in her jacket pockets. "I won't keep you. I just wanted to see you before class."
"You walked all the way over here?"
"It's on the way." She shrugged. "Sort of."
Dorian's chest ached.
She stepped closer, looking up at him. "We haven't really had time lately. Between your job and the mixer and everything."
"I know. It'll calm down after this week."
"Mmm." She studied his face. "You look kind of stressed."
"Just busy."
She nodded slowly. "Promise me we'll actually hang out soon. Like, properly. No tables, no centerpieces."
"I promise."
"Good." She kissed his cheek. "I'm holding you to that."
His phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out. Priya's name on the screen.
Sarah glanced at the screen. She saw the name. "You should get that."
He silenced the call, pocketed the phone. "It's not important. I can take it later."
She nodded slowly. Her eyes lingered a moment longer than usual. "Okay. I should go. Class."
"Okay."
She kissed his cheek again, quick. "See you soon."
She walked out.
---
Back at the dorm, Tyler was reviewing the BLIMP photoshoot. Kyle sat on his bed, still silent, still motionless. Tyler showed him the phone screen.
"See? This one's good. You look like you're contemplating the void. Very marketable."
Kyle looked at the image. "I'm just tired."
"TIRED IS MARKETABLE." Tyler typed something. "I'm thinking billboards. Maybe a commercial. 'BLIMP: For When You Need to Stay Hydrated But Also Look Cool.'"
Dorian sat on his bed. "It's water, Tyler."
"It's BRANDING."
Tyler's phone buzzed. He glanced at it. His eyes went wide.
"Dude."
Dorian looked up. "What?"
Tyler held up the screen. "Remember the club fair? The girl who took my number? SHE TEXTED."
He read the message aloud: "'Hey, it's Chloe. From the fair. You said there were events? I'm curious.'"
Dorian stared. "She texted you?"
"She texted ME." Tyler was already typing. "I'm gonna play it cool. Very casual. Very mysterious."
He typed something, deleted it. Typed again.
"What should I say? 'The BLIMP launch party is happening. VIP only.' Too much?"
"Probably."
"'I know a place. Very exclusive. You should come.' That's good, right?"
Dorian rubbed his temples. "Sure. Great."
Tyler hit send. He stared at the screen, waiting.
Kyle, from his corner, said: "Good luck."
Tyler blinked, touched. "That's the most you've ever said to me."
Kyle: "Don't get used to it."
---
Marcus came in, basketball under his arm. He set it down, grabbed a towel. His eyes landed on Dorian.
"You were out all day."
"Work. Mixer prep."
Marcus nodded. Wiped his face. "Priya said she saw you earlier."
Dorian's blood went cold.
"She said you two ran into each other." Marcus tossed the towel on his bed. "Small world."
He sat down, pulled out his phone, scrolled through it.
Dorian sat there, his heart hammering.
Stupid. Why'd she have to open her big mouth?
His phone buzzed.
Unknown: How's the juggling?
The word juggling felt deliberate. He ignored it.
---
He lay on his bed. The ceiling was the same. The weight was heavier.
His phone buzzed again.
Priya: You're quiet. Don't tell me you're already tired of me 😏
He typed back.
Dorian: Just busy. Work stuff.
Priya: Work stuff. Right. That's what they all say.
He set the phone down.
His phone buzzed again. Sarah's name.
Sarah: Long day. Can't wait till this week is over so we can actually hang out ❤️
He stared at the screen. Two names. Two lives. One timer.
His thumb hovered.
Dorian: Soon.
He hit send.
The screen glowed. Then went dark.
[END OF CHAPTER 19]