Chapter 2

I never thought Julian would come back at a time like this.

He stood in the sunlight at the gate, the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up to his elbows, showing off his well-defined forearms. After two years apart, his features looked even sharper, and there was composure between his brows. The way his eyes crinkled when he smiled was just the same.

"What, don't recognize me?" Julian waved his hand in front of my face, the sandalwood beads on his wrist giving off a faint scent.

"When did you get back home?" I tried to sound casual, but my throat was still tight. Ethan's words from last night were like a knife stuck in my heart, and I still hadn't managed to pull it out.

"Just got off the plane yesterday," he said, naturally taking the book from my hands. "I heard you've had quite the time these past two years."

I forced a smile. "There was so much excitement that I'm actually considering transferring."

Julian's smile faded a little, and he looked at me. "Is it because of Ethan?"

I looked up sharply. "How did you know?"

"Everyone at this university knows you like Ethan," he sighed softly. "Only Ethan pretends not to notice."

I bit my lip and stayed silent. Julian could always see through me. Our families had been close for generations, and we'd been playing together since we could walk, until two years ago when he got into the Julerard Conservatory of Music and flew off to New Yonvalle to study the piano.

"Come on, let's go get some ice cream," he said, slinging his arm around my shoulders just like when we were kids. "Strawberries with extra chocolate sauce will make all your troubles disappear."

He started to nudge me forward, and then I suddenly remembered something. "Wait, how come you're here?"

Julian blinked. "Surprise. Starting today, I'm your classmate. My dad said I was turning into a hermit, so he forced me to come back and get a taste of 'normal' college life."

I couldn't help but laugh. "You're doomed. This place is anything but normal."

"When has anything ever been normal with you around?" He ruffled my hair and darted away before I could get mad.

That familiar playful teasing helped me forget about last night's humiliation. But as we rounded the corner of the building, I spotted Ethan standing at the end of the hallway, his cold gaze landing on Julian's arm draped over my shoulder.

My body went stiff in an instant. Julian, ever perceptive, caught on right away and looked where I was staring.

"Is that him?" Julian asked quietly.

I nodded, instinctively stepping aside to put some distance between Julian and me. That seemed to amuse Ethan. His lips twitched in a barely-there smile before he turned and left.

"Interesting," Julian said, narrowing his eyes. "He sure doesn't look like he doesn't care about you."

"He just can't stand me touching anything that's his," I said with a bitter smile. "Even the air around him."

Julian looked like he wanted to say more, but the class bell cut him off. He had to go report in at the admin office, so we made plans to grab lunch together in the cafeteria.

In the classroom, my seat was just behind and to the side of Ethan's. Normally, I'd use the excuse of looking at the board to sneak glances at him, but today I just wanted to curl up and disappear. His back was straight, the lines of his shoulder blades barely visible beneath his white shirt. I used to think his silhouette was the most beautiful thing in the world, but now all I wanted was to get away.

As soon as the bell rang, I grabbed my bag and made a dash for the door, only to have someone block my way at the entrance.

"Hi, Charlotte," said a petite girl with a sweet smile. "I'm Sarah White, the new member of the Astronomy Club. I just joined yesterday."

I was taken aback. She was wearing the exact same light blue dress as me, and even her hairstyle was almost identical, except her long hair was straight, while mine had a slight wave. Even stranger, she was wearing the same perfume I always used.

"Welcome to the club," I said, forcing a smile as I tried to slip past her.

"Charlotte," she called, hurrying after me. "Ethan said you really know your stuff when it comes to astronomy. Could I ask you a few questions?"

Hearing Ethan's name, I stopped in my tracks. "He mentioned me?"

Sarah blinked her big, innocent eyes. "Yeah, he said you're... um... kind of a handful, but you really know your stuff."

My heart sank. Handful? So that was what he thought of me.

"Sorry, I've already quit the Astronomy Club," I said, speeding up. "Why don't you just ask Ethan instead?"

"Wait, Charlotte. Don't leave," she called, jogging after me. "Ethan said you're obsessed with the Andromeda Galaxy, and I actually looked into it myself."

I whipped around. "Sarah, I have no idea what Ethan's been telling you, but I'm really not in the mood right now."

Her eyes welled up with tears. "I-I'm sorry. I just really admire you."

Seeing her about to cry, I suddenly felt like the villain here. A few students passing by gave us weird looks, and some even started whispering and pointing at us.

"What's going on here?" A cold voice interrupted. Ethan had suddenly shown up in the hallway, his eyes darting between me and Sarah.

"Ethan." Sarah rushed over to him like he was her savior. "It's not Charlotte's fault. I'm just too clueless. I must've made her mad."

I stared at her, eyes wide. "When did I ever get mad?"

"I'm sorry, Charlotte. I won't bother you anymore." Sarah's tears were ready to spill, clinging to her lashes.

Ethan frowned. "Charlotte, are you picking on her again?"

"Me? Picking on her?" I was so mad that my voice was shaking. "Ethan, which eye of yours saw me bullying her?"

"Both of them," he said coldly. "Sarah just transferred here. Can't you be a little nicer?"