Page 9 of Rivals

Rachel snorted. “By all means, if you feel like doing my laundry, go for it.”

The three of them peered into the tiny second bedroom, which barely fit a twin bed and narrow set of shelving. There wasn’t even a window.

“It’s perfect,” Nina declared.

“Great, it’s all yours.” Rachel grabbed Nina’s bag from the common room and rolled it through the doorway. “Now can we please get lunch? I’m starving.”

As they started outside, Nina caught sight of the enormous bronze lions at the front of Edwards Hall, which housed theuniversity’s main offices. Her steps slowed. “I need to drop something off at the registrar,” she told her roommates. “I’ll catch up with you inside.”

“We’ll save a spot for you,” Jayne promised.

It was cool inside Edwards Hall, the walls lined with somber portraits of men in academic robes. Honestly, it felt a little like being in the palace. Nina started toward the registrar’s office.

“Nina?”

She froze. This couldn’t be happening.

“Jeff. Hi,” she said clumsily.

Nina had known that Jefferson was starting at King’s College now that his gap year was over, but she hadn’t expected to run into him. After all, there were thousands of other students on this campus.

Apparently, she wasn’t that lucky.

The prince shifted his weight. “Um, how have you—”

“I’ve been—”

Nina gestured for the prince to go ahead, and he swallowed. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you, Nina. How are things?”

“I’m good,” she said carefully.

It was surreal, seeing Jeff after everything that had happened. Nina had known him since they were children, had spent years loving him in secret, thendatedhim in secret…only to date his best friend after she and Jeff broke up.

Now, finally, Nina was single again. And she intended to stay that way.

“I’m just dropping something off at the registrar,” she went on, not sure why she was explaining herself, except to prove that she hadn’tfollowedhim here.

“Are you switching majors or something?” Jeff asked, and she shook her head.

“I need departmental approval for this seminar that I’m taking.”

“Really? Why?”

Nina felt a bit sheepish as she replied, “It’s a graduate course on Gothic literature.”

The prince laughed. “Why am I not surprised.”

“It meets in the basement of the library!” Nina hadn’t even known there were classrooms down there, and she knew the library better than most.

“And youwantto take a class that meets in the basement.” There was a note of good-natured teasing in Jeff’s voice that reminded her of how things used to be, back when they had simply been friends. It gave Nina the courage to keep their conversation going.

“What about you? What brought you to the registrar’s office?”

Now it was Jeff’s turn to look embarrassed. “I was meeting with my academic advisor.”

That didn’t make sense. There weren’t any faculty offices in Edwards Hall, except…“IsDr.Haleyour advisor?”

He shifted self-consciously. “She insisted on it—she said that she’s such a good family friend, she wouldn’t feel comfortable off-loading me onto anyone else….”