Chapter 2

I just wanted to get away from the madness as fast as I could—but I must've been moving too fast. Right as I turned the corner by the stairs, I slammed straight into someone's chest.

It was solid—and my nose took the hit. I winced and grabbed it with both hands. "Ouch! Hey, watch where you're—"

The words froze in my mouth as soon as I saw his face.

I gulped and instinctively tried to back away, but Maynard stepped forward and blocked me again.

He looked down at me with that calm, serious expression and asked, "Why haven't I seen you in my class before?"

His brow was slightly furrowed. He looked way stricter than he ever did when we texted.

I dropped my gaze, too nervous to look him in the eye. "Maybe because I always sit in the back corner, I guess. I'm pretty quiet, so..."

He kept staring at me, that serious look not letting up for even a second.

I couldn't take it. I quickly bowed my head and mumbled, "If there's nothing else, I'll go now."

Then I spun around and hurried off.

Behind me, Maynard stayed silent, still frowning a little.

I was pretty sure he was suspicious. But thankfully, he just thought I was some fangirl who snuck into his class to check him out.

I rushed back to my dorm. Sacha was lounging on her bed, eating chips and watching a movie.

She glanced over and raised an eyebrow. "Clarissa, did you get caught?"

"Nope," I answered quickly, making a beeline for my bed.

"Wait a second—something's off!" Sacha set down her chips and came over to stare at me. "Your face is super red! That's not normal!"

I quickly cupped my burning cheeks. "Maybe it's just hot out. I probably wore too many layers."

Before she could ask anything else, I climbed up to my bed and yanked the curtain shut.

My phone buzzed nonstop in my pocket.

[Sweetheart, I'm back!]

[Sweetheart, I worked hard today. Can I get a kiss?]

[Sweetheart, I miss you like crazy. Do you miss me?]

[Sweetheart, what did you mean when you said you haven't been sleeping well lately?]

As I read through all his messages, my mind kept flashing back to the calm, serious man standing on that stage.

I had no clue how to respond.

If anyone found out I was Maynard's girlfriend, I'd be public enemy number one—especially with every girl on campus.

And things would be just as awkward for Maynard. He'd definitely freak out if he realized his girlfriend was a student he'd scolded before.

I figured maybe it'd be best to end things now—before it blew up any further.

Once I made up my mind, I went to block all his contact info. We'd never met in real life anyway—if I blocked him, it'd be like nothing ever happened.

But right as I pulled up his profile, a new message came through. This time, it wasn't a photo—it was a video.

His abs looked insane, and that long neck led straight to his perfectly shaped collarbones...

Every line of his body just messed with my brain.

I'd always been weak for hot guys. And while I was admiring the video, I suddenly felt that maybe I shouldn't block him just yet.

If I cut him off, I'd never get this kind of content again.

As I stared at the screen, another message popped up. [Sweetheart, I want to see you. I really, really do.]

I froze, not sure what to say.

I'd told him before that we lived in the same city, so it made sense that now he wanted to meet up.

But if we met in person, everything would come out. Everyone would know. I'd go from invisible student to the laughingstock of the whole school.

So I sent a lame excuse: [I can't right now. There's some stuff going on with my family, and I have to head home for a bit. I'll be super busy.]

Then I quickly closed WhatsApp before he could reply.

Now that I knew who he really was, I was too scared to see him.