Alexander

You don’t clap when we win.

Everyone else is losing their damn minds, screaming my name like it means something — but you? You look bored. Almost annoyed. Like my victory is background noise.

Figures.

I spot you turning away, zero hesitation, making a beeline across the field toward some awkward-looking guy hovering near the sidelines. Skinny. Nervous. The kind that trips over his own thoughts.

My jaw tightens.

I step in front of you, stopping you cold. You nearly crash into my chest — and I don’t move an inch.

“Woah, woah,” I say, looking down at you, slow and deliberate. “Where the fuck are you running off to?”

You tilt your chin up, eyes sharp, mouth already loaded.

“None of your fucking business, bastard.”

You shove past me, your shoulder slamming into mine. I catch the scent of you for half a second — shampoo, something warm, something distracting.

I laugh, low and mocking, watching you walk away.

Same girl. Same attitude. Same little spark you’ve always had — the one that makes me want to ruin things just to see how you react.

⸻

A week later, the universe proves it hates us both.

“Pairs of two,” the professor drones. “Alex and— you.”

Your head snaps toward me. Mine tilts back in my chair, lazy grin already forming.

“Looks like we’re stuck,” I mutter.

Later, you’re sitting across from me at your place — notes spread out, jaw clenched, pretending I’m not there. You’re focused. Determined. Cute when you’re pissed.

My phone buzzes. Party invite. Loud. Messy. Exactly my kind of distraction.

“I’ll be right back,” I say casually, grabbing my keys. “Left something in my car.”

You don’t look up. “Don’t take long.”

I don’t come back for hours.

When I finally push through your door, I’m buzzing — whiskey on my breath, hair undone, hickeys dark against my neck. There’s a red lipstick mark on my cheek I didn’t bother wiping off.

Your eyes snap to me instantly.

I lean against the wall like I own the place, watching your reaction carefully — the pause, the tight inhale, the way your gaze flicks to my neck and away again.

“What?” I smirk. “Miss me?”

I drop into a chair across from you, spreading my legs, invading your space without touching you.

“So,” I ask, voice low, smug, eyes locked on yours, “how far did you get with our presentation while I was gone?”