UNRAVELED

Maya POV

I hated being late.

It made people stare.

And I hated people who stared.

I pushed open the glass doors of Westbridge University, balancing a coffee in one hand and three books in the other.

My phone buzzed.

Lena: Professor Hayes is already inside. If you're late again, he'll make you answer questions.

I sighed.

"Thanks for the warning."

The hallway was crowded with students.

Some looked half asleep.

Some were laughing too loudly.

Some were pretending to study five minutes before class.

I noticed everything.

It wasn't on purpose.

A girl kept rubbing the sleeve of her hoodie.

Nervous.

A boy was smiling at his friends but kept checking his phone.

Waiting for someone.

A professor walked past with perfect posture but tired eyes.

People always left clues.

That was why I loved Criminal Psychology.

People lied.

Their behavior didn't.

I reached Classroom B-214.

Then I stopped.

Adrian Knight.

Of course.

He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, wearing a black T-shirt under a dark jacket. A motorcycle helmet rested beside his boots.

He looked like he had stepped out of a magazine.

Annoyingly perfect.

Tall.

Calm.

Unreadable.

His brown eyes met mine for a second.

Then he looked away.

"What?" I asked.

His voice stayed calm.

"What?"

"You were staring."

"I wasn't."

"Liar."

"You seem very sure."

"I am."

His lips almost curved into a smile.

Almost.

I narrowed my eyes.

"Why are you always outside my classes?"

"This isn't your class."

I looked up at the room number.

Behavioral Evidence & Criminal Justice.

Right.

The elective shared by Criminal Psychology and Law students.

I clicked my tongue.

"Unfortunate."

"For you?"

"For everyone."

He actually let out a quiet laugh.

One short laugh.

It disappeared so quickly that I wondered if I'd imagined it.

The classroom door opened.

Students started walking inside.

"Move," I said.

He stepped aside without arguing.

That somehow irritated me even more.

As I walked past him, I felt his gaze on me.

I turned immediately.

He was already talking to someone else.

Impossible.

I hated people I couldn't read.

And Adrian Knight was a locked book.

---

Adrian POV

She was late.

Again.

Not surprising.

She always arrived with too many books and too little time.

"Bro."

I looked over.

Zayn Mercer walked toward me with his usual grin.

If anyone could match the attention I got on campus, it was him. Girls often called him the second most handsome guy at Westbridge.

"What?"

"You've been standing here for fifteen minutes."

"So?"

"Our class starts in five."

"I know."

His eyes shifted toward the hallway.

Then toward Maya.

Then back to me.

"Oh."

I frowned.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Say it."

He smirked.

"You keep picking this hallway."

"It's on the way."

"Sure it is."

I ignored him.

Professor Hayes walked into the classroom.

"Inside," he called.

Zayn laughed quietly.

"You'll admit it one day."

"I have nothing to admit."

We walked in.

Maya was already in the second row.

Exactly where she always sat.

Three books open.

One notebook.

One black pen.

She clicked it three times before writing.

Professor Hayes looked around the room.

"This elective exists for one reason."

He paused.

"The law explains what happened."

He looked toward the psychology students.

"The mind explains why."

"No criminal case is complete without both."

A few students nodded.

Maya raised her hand immediately.

"Sir, understanding motive doesn't always justify the crime."

Professor Hayes smiled.

"Correct."

Then he looked toward the law students.

"Anyone disagree?"

Silence.

Until...

"I do."

Every head turned toward me.

Maya looked over her shoulder.

For the first time that morning...

She looked genuinely interested.

"The law isn't about deciding whether someone deserves forgiveness," I said.

"It's about making sure everyone gets justice."

She crossed her arms.

"So even monsters deserve defending?"

"If the law stops defending difficult people..."

I met her eyes.

"...it stops being law."

The room fell silent.

Professor Hayes smiled.

"I think this semester is going to be interesting."

Maya looked away first.

Good.

Because if she had looked one second longer...

I wasn't sure I would've looked away.