The seat that started it all - chapter 1
If there was one thing I had learned about college in the first three days, it was that nobody cared who you were. Not your high school achievements. Not the awards you'd collected. Not the fact that you'd spent four years being the girl teachers held up as an example. College had a way of humbling you.
Apparently, mine decided to start on a Monday morning. I pushed open the lecture hall door, already ten minutes late, with my bag slipping off my shoulder and a coffee threatening to spill all over my shirt. The room was packed. Of course it was. I scanned the rows, looking for an empty seat.
There.
Third row from the front.
My seat.
I'd spotted it earlier that morning when I'd arrived for my first lecture, but I'd left to grab a notebook. And now someone had taken it.
A guy.
He was sitting comfortably, with one ankle resting over his knee, his laptop open and headphones around his neck like he owned the entire damn room. I stopped beside him.
“Excuse me.” Nothing. I cleared my throat. He looked up. And that was my first mistake. Because he was annoyingly good-looking. Dark hair that looked like he'd run his fingers through it one too many times. Sharp jaw. Lazy brown eyes. And the kind of face that probably got him forgiven for things he absolutely should not have been forgiven for. I pointed at the seat.
“You're sitting in my seat.” He glanced at the chair. Then at me. Then back at the chair.
“Interesting.”
I frowned. "What?”
“I didn't realize seats came with names.” I stared at him. He smiled. Oh. I already hated him.
“Get up.”
His smile widened. “No.”
I blinked. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” He turned back to his laptop as if I had ceased to exist. I stood there, completely speechless. Nobody had ever spoken to me like that. Fine. If he wanted a fight, I was more than happy to give him one. I dropped my bag onto the desk in front of him. He slowly looked up again.
“Move.”
He leaned back in his chair.“Or?”
I smiled sweetly. “Or I'll make you regret sitting there.” For the first time, something flickered in his eyes.
Amusement.
“Now,” he said, closing his laptop, “this might actually be interesting.”
And somehow, I knew right then that this was only the beginning. I crossed my arms over my chest, looking down at him. He was fucking annoying!
“Yes, very interesting, so move.” I stood my ground because there was no way I was letting him win. Who did he even think he was? The president's son?
“I'm not moving an inch, so if you don't mind—” He moved his gaze to the electronic board, where the professor seemed to have noticed us. “Kindly step away from me while I actually study.” He smiled innocently up at me.
I was furious! The professor cleared his throat, looking at us—or just me. I looked around quickly, noticing I was the only one not seated. I quickly found an empty seat behind Mr. I-Seriously-Can't-Stand-Him-and-I-Hate-Him-Already. I huffed as I grabbed my laptop.
I swear, this was so not over. The professor started the lecture right after, and about thirty minutes into it, we already had a project for the semester. Not like I cared. All my high school years, I'd been the one in charge when it came to project work and presentations because, yes, I was the smart one.
Everyone wanted to be in my group because they wouldn't have to sweat their asses off. I'd get everything done and make sure everyone got an A. Yes, that good of a person.
“I'm going to pair you guys up randomly with this randomly generated app,” he announced. I heard a few groans from the students. This was going to be fun.
I loved random.
He clicked a few things on his laptop, and the board started showing the paired names.
James and Chloe
They high-fived.
Natasha and Natalie
A tiny wave at each other.
Maxim and Jacinta
The blonde stood up, searching for her pair, and a shy-looking boy in the back stood up carefully, his hand raised.
Feisty x shy. Cute.
Adrian and Amara
Who's Adrian? I looked around, trying to spot him, and my eyes fell on the guy in front of me. He turned too.
Gosh, his eyes!
He smirked.
I stared.
He raised a brow.
My face contorted in confusion.
Then it hit me like a truck.
I'm Amara.
And he was Adrian. Worst part? He was my pair! Hell fucking no.
“Hell fucking no.” I shook my head, and his smirk got wider, showing some adorable, stupid dimples.
“Hell fucking yes.” I ignored him and raised my hand, getting the professor's attention.
“Any problem?” His attention was on me now.
“Well, yes. Is there any chance we could switch pairs?” I could sense Adrian's eye roll.
“No, Miss. Then I'll have to start the whole generation again.” He simply looked away, continuing with the pairings. I dropped back into my seat with a huff.
“This project holds about seventy percent of your grade this semester. I'll send the work via your emails.”
Say what? Seventy percent? That's a whole grade!
“The assignment will be due in the last week of the semester break, so don't lay around. This could really boost your GPA.”
He grabbed his bag and waved us off.
“I do not want to lose this grade, so better stop sulking and let's get down to business.” Adrian stood up from his—my—seat, looking down at me.
“Yeah, right. Like I wanna lose mine too.” I grabbed my bag, ready to leave.
“Meet me at the library at 8 p.m. to begin.” I moved past him. “The earlier, the better.”
“And who placed you in charge?” I turned around. He had his arms crossed over his chest, and my eyes couldn't stop themselves from wandering over the way his biceps flexed under his white T-shirt.
“Must everything be about you? Take it or leave it.”
“You're insufferable.” He rolled his eyes.
“You noticed!You ain't dumb. Great!” I smiled innocently before turning back around with an eye roll.
Remember how I said I loved randoms? I take it back. I hate randoms. And this semester was going to be one hella messy one.
