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Elise:GG asked me to go to dinner with him tonight!

Oh no.

Me:You told him no, right?

I mean, she barely knows the guy, but here I am having coffee with a stranger so maybe I shouldn’t have said that.

Elise:Why would I tell him no? You saw him, didn’t you? He’s gorgeous! And really sweet.

Sweet. Ha.

But then I glance over at Tim, who’s animatedly making ourcoffee order and even pointing at some pastries behind the glass display, and I realize he’s kind of sweet too.

For now.

Me:You said yes?

Elise:I definitely said yes and I hope you’ll come back to our room around four because I’m going to need help figuring out what to wear.

Me:I’ll be there.

I slip my phone back into my pocket and glance out the massive window by my side, watching people walk past. The campus is packed. Thornhill is a private university and considered an Ivy League school. The competition at this university is fierce and if I want to do well, I’m going to have to work my ass off, which I can do. But that means no distractions. Like Tim.

I check my phone again, cruising through social media quickly, getting antsy as Tim waits patiently for our drinks. I look out the window again, my gaze snagging on a familiar face and I gasp in horror when I see him staring back at me.

It’s August.

Chapter Ten

AUGUST

I’m hallucinating. Seeing her face everywhere, even in coffee shop windows like I’m some lovesick fool who can’t think of anything else buther. I’ve become the ultimate cliché and I even shake my head once. Close my eyes and count to three before I open them again, fully expecting her to be a mirage that dissolves into nothingness.

But no. Sinclair Miller is sitting at a small table by herself at the campus coffee shop where everyone and their goddamn mother go to grab a drink like their lives depend on it. I rarely go. Caffeine has never appealed to me and sometimes I wonder if I’m the fucked-up one who’s missing out.

Clearly, I am because my goddamn dream girl is sitting inside the café I never go to, those big golden eyes locked on mine. She looks like she’s just seen a ghost.

I can relate.

Without hesitation I veer toward the door and enter the coffee shop, grimacing at the wave of heat and noise that greets me. Music is blaring over hidden speakers and I can hear the grinding of espresso beans. The hiss of steam from the massive coffee machines. The line to purchase a too-expensive drink islong, winding its way throughout the shop, and I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing here.

My gaze lands on the back of Sinclair’s head and I’m about to approach her table—and say what, I have no fucking idea—when I hear someone call my name.

I come to a stop and turn to my right to see one of our eager pledges waving at me like he’s a toddler who just spotted his mother and is about to piss his pants, he’s so excited. Irritated, I go to him because at least it gives me purpose and I’m still trying to come up with what I want to say to Sin.

“Hey, prez. Good to see you. You come here often?” The newest member of our fraternity asks me, a giant smile on his goofy face. He seems like a too friendly fucker and I never trust those types. Meaning, I immediately hate him.

“I come here never,” I tell him, and he rears back as if I offended him.

“Weird. That’s what Sinclair said too.”

Anger simmers in my gut, threatening to overflow, and I take a deep breath, reminding myself I need to remain calm. This guy—Troy, Ty? He’s done nothing wrong. “You know Sinclair?”

Realization dawns and he takes a step backward. “Yo, bro. I’m not trying to get with her, if that’s what you’re thinking. Is she your girl? I don’t want to step on any toes. I saw you two talking Friday night and I asked her about it?—”

I interrupt him. “What did she say?”

“That it was nothing. That you don’t have a girlfriend.” He frowns, his thick brows lowering over his eyes and giving him a Neanderthal appearance. I expect him to swing his arms and start grunting at any second. “You don’t have one, do you? As in, Sinclair?”