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“Well, now, what do you want to do?”

“I’m not sure. I’m majoring in Global Management. I don’t think I want to work with a mission organization, but I do love the idea of continuing some kind of non-profit work.”

“A noble calling.”

I shrug. “Charity is one of the seven virtues. It’s how I was raised.”

Elijah smiles. “I can respect that. You’ve gotta stay true to your values.”

He checks his watch, standing up. “Shoot, I have to get going for my next class. I’d love to see you again though.”

“Likewise. Here, give me your number,” I say, pulling up my contacts app and handing my phone over to Elijah. He does the same, passing his phone to me. I enter my phone number, putting my name asSunnybefore handing it back to him.

Elijah smirks, likely reading the contact entry. “See you later, Naomi,” he says, heading back toward the academic buildings.

I check my phone as I head toward sorority row, laughing when I see Elijah’s number is saved underBig Guy. Clearly, he had the same idea as me.

After a short walk, I reach the Kappa Theta Alpha house. I head inside, going into the kitchen to rummage for a snack. I find some apple cinnamon muffins in a container on the counter. Not seeing a note indicating that they’re for someone specific, I grab one.

I sit at the kitchen table, opting to spread out in here instead of going to the study room. The KTA house has a large room called the Quiet Room, which we use to study.

It’s a sound-proofed room on the main floor of the house, with a large table in the center, a monitor for presentations, and desktops around the perimeter of the room. It’s a great place to study if you need complete silence, but I hate the isolation. So I usually just sit in the kitchen, throw on my noise-canceling headphones, and hope for the best.

I was sitting, working on today’s assignment from my Organizational Behavior class, when I started hearing shouting, even cutting through the music playing on my headphones.

I pause my music, take my headphones off, and close my laptop, curious about the commotion in the other room.

“Aaron, I told you I’m getting my PhD. I was making great progress with my advisor on one of her papers, and I want to continue working with her.”

“Theia, you don’t have to do your PhD. Come back to Jersey with me. I’m making great money. You don’t have to work. You can just stay at home.”

“I don’t want to stay at home! What part of that are you not getting? This is what I want to do.”

“Don’t you dare raise your voice to me! Maybe you need to come home after all since you seem to have forgotten your place.”

“My place? Aaron, a relationship is supposed to be a partnership, not a dictatorship. I’m not going to just bend to your will and follow orders from you. I’m a grown woman. I can make my own life choices.”

“Do you have any idea how this makes me look? Being back at home while my girlfriend is off frolicking somewhere else, doing who knows what. For all I know, you could be hooking up with someone here. Maybe that’s why you don’t want to leave.”

She gasps. “How dare you accuse me of cheating? That’s your MO, Aaron, not mine. Or have you already forgotten about Jessica?” She turns to walk away, but the guy, Aaron, grabs her forearm tight, stopping her in her tracks and pulling Theia close to him.

“Ow! Let go, Aaron, you’re hurting me,” she says, but that just seems to encourage him as he squeezes tighter.

“How many fucking times do I have to say I’m sorry before you drop it?” he hisses, his face close to hers.

“Then don’t accuse me of cheating on you! If I wanted to get back at you for what you did, I would’ve done it last year when I found out.”

“Isn’t that what you’re doing now in your own little way? Punishing me by staying away from home for this stupid little degree?”

Theia tries to pull herself free from Aaron, but his grip on her arm is relentless. “It has nothing to do with you. I’m doing this for me, regardless of how you feel about it.”

He raises a hand as if he’s going to strike her and that’s when I step in. “Hey, Theia, I need a favor from—oh, sorry.” I stop mid-sentence, feigning like I didn’t realize I was interrupting. Aaron’s grip loosens and Theia takes the opportunity to free herself from his hold.

“That’s alright, he was just leaving. Right, Aaron?” She shoots daggers at him, and he takes the hint, his eyes narrowing.

“Sure. We’re not done talking about this though,” he says, grabbing his keys and heading out the front door of the sorority house, slamming it behind him.

Theia lets out a large sigh of relief, cradling her arm to her chest and rubbing her forearm to soothe the ache. There are already red marks from Aaron’s grip.