Page 3

Lily

“ W hat the heck was that? I bet you freaking aced it because you are so much smarter than me. I know for a fact I bombed it,” Stella stammers.

“You did not bomb it, and I’m not smarter than you, so stop saying that.” We make our way into the cafeteria for lunch.

She groans. “Yeah, well, I’m not the one with a 4.25 GPA while majoring in pre-med because I want to be a pediatrician. You, Miss Future MD, are the smarty pants in this friendship.”

I laugh lightly as we both grab trays and make our way down the buffet line. Hart University has a decent selection of food that’s kept me fed for the past two-plus years. I rarely eat off campus, so their chicken salad sandwiches and pasta dishes have been my go-to.

I love the school and the program. When I finish my undergraduate, I hope to get accepted into their medical school to pursue my dream of being a pediatrician.

Stella bumps into my shoulder. “You never answered me. How do you think you did?”

Halfway through the test, I caught myself zoning out and thinking about my dream last night. I internally groan. “Eh, I think I pulled a solid B. I’m going to have to work the rest of the semester to bring my grade back up.”

Stels’ eyebrows pull together. “You and me are not the same, girl. I would be jumping for joy if I got a B. ”

“I’m sure you did great. Don’t be so hard on yourself.” I scan my student ID to pay for my chicken salad sandwich, chips, and Coke.

Stella follows suit right behind me, but instead of a sandwich, she opts for the meatloaf. It isn’t bad, but it definitely isn’t something I gravitate toward, either.

Stella and I met last semester in an English class we both still needed. We were paired up on a project involving the history and art form of an ancient language. We instantly hit it off and have been friends ever since.

We don’t have any classes that intersect anymore since she’s an art major with an emphasis on clothing design and a minor in business, and I’m pre-med. She wants to own her own clothing line once she graduates. Even with our different career tracks, we both thought it would be fun to take a physics class together.

I’m starting to worry that decision was a mistake.

We both think of physics as a hands-on class. I want to study the behavior of matter and energy and the nature of fundamental particles. However, considering it’s taught by a man who was actually there to document the migratory patterns of dinosaurs and scrawl them on cave walls while also lacking any enthusiasm for the topics he teaches, I’m having a really hard time getting into this class.

Stella wants to learn all about dark matter, dark energy, and black holes, so she agreed to take the class with me.

“This sucks that we got stuck with Professor Snoozefest,” she says as she takes a bite of her meatloaf.

I nod. The entire class was certainly on the boring side, and when he whipped out that ten-page test, audible groans erupted across the room. I hope this isn’t a precursor for the rest of the semester, but something tells me it’ll only get worse.

“We can’t judge a book by its cover. It’s still early in the semester. Hopefully, it gets better.”

“Forever the optimist. It’s one reason I love you, Lily Pad, but this guy is forever on my shit list.”

I laugh. “What does it mean to be on your shit list?”

“It means if he keeps this up, there will be a doll made in his likeness with little needles that go into his eyeballs.” She fakes poking her eye with her finger in a stabbing motion .

I choke on the water I just took a sip of. Laughing, I lightly pat my chest to clear my throat. “You are too much.”

She smiles sweetly, tilting her head to the side. “You know you love me.”

“I do, but you scare me sometimes.”

This is the first time I’ve ever had second thoughts about staying in a class. I am a nerd all the way. My parents used to say that I soaked up information like a sponge, and it’s true. Since I was little, I’ve had the ability to retain information far easier than anyone else around me. It helps if it interests me, but almost everything interests me to a certain degree.

Stella looks up at me. “How is Simons literally the only physics teacher? It still blows my mind.”

“I know, right? Like, how is he the only choice?” I make fists and gently slam them down on the table in fake anger as Stels cackles across from me. “It’s an outrage!”

She shakes her head. “Oh, so threatening! Remind me never to get on your bad side, Lily McKenna.”

I smirk and lift one shoulder. I fake a right hook and then an uppercut right in the middle of the university cafeteria without caring who sees. “Who needs dolls when I have these?”

She shakes her head at my antics because we’ve been two peas in a pod since the day we met.

“Are you going to the Omega party with me this weekend?” she asks, changing the subject.

I’m not much of a partier, and Stella knows it. However, I’m making an effort to act more my age instead of like a thirty-year-old with a mortgage and two kids. At least, that’s what Stella tells me. Before meeting her, I was perfectly content staying in on a Saturday night in my little apartment just off campus. But I have to admit it’s been fun going out and letting loose a little.

“I haven’t really thought about it.”

I’ve been too focused on the start of the new school year. I’m technically a senior this year, even though I’m a year younger than Stella, who is also a senior. I had credits that counted towards my college classes from high school, which allowed me to start as a sophomore.

“Oh, come on, Lily Pad! It’s the first real party of the year. Live a little!”

I know she’s right. Nothing is due, and there are no tests. Well, besides Simons’ stupid one. Why not have some fun before my classes get more complicated and more demanding?

“Okay, I’m in.”

Stella throws her hands up and makes an excited little shake in her seat. “That’s the spirit!”

Suddenly, she drops her hands and looks over my shoulder toward the entrance of the food hall. “Oh! There’s my brother!”

I’ve heard about Stella’s brother, but we haven’t met yet. I know they’re twins and really freaking close. He’s a big hotshot hockey player, so everyone knows him. However, since he travels a lot with the team, I’ve never met him.

Every time I hang out with Stella, he has an away game, practice, or is hanging out with his friends. Stella barely sees him anymore, but I can tell they look out for each other and love each other.

“Oh, yeah? Finally. After all this time, I was starting to think he might be a figment of everyone’s imagination. Now I get to see if he lives up to the hype.”

She laughs and opens her mouth to respond, but just as she does, the deep timbre of a man’s voice behind me interrupts her.

“Stella! There you are.”

Her eyes dart up, and she inhales sharply with excitement. “Finally! Get over here. I have a surprise for you!”

Stella stands from her seat and makes her way over to hug who I assume is her brother. After everything she’s told me, he seems like a good guy, and if he’s half as great as Stella, I’m sure I’ll like him.

“Luka, I want you to finally meet my best friend, Lily McKenna. Lily, this is Luka, my most favorite brother.”

Luka chuckles. “I’m your only brother and your twin .”

She shrugs. “Eh, semantics. ”

The exchange happens quickly behind me as I finish straightening my shirt so I don’t look like a wrinkled mess when I finally meet the most important person in my best friend’s life, aside from me. I turn in my seat and move to stand, my eyes following the same path. As I rise, they trail up long, muscular legs and over a trim but definitely fit waist that leads into broad shoulders.

Before my gaze even meets his face, my hand automatically extends in front of me, preparing to take his. But when his warm, strong hand engulfs mine, my eyes finally dart up to meet his.

“It’s so nice to fin—” As my brain finally registers what my eyes are seeing, my smile falters, and my heart slams into my sternum before hammering away like it’s trying to escape.

My mouth goes dry, and the words I had just moments ago die on my tongue. Those eyes. I swallow hard as I take in those same eyes from my dream, staring back at me in vivid clarity —smoky gray with flecks of white and amber around the irises.

I would know those eyes anywhere.

It’s him.