Chapter 1 — Definitely Not Him
The entire college was loud.
Posters for Sports Day covered almost every hallway wall, students rushed from class to class carrying basketballs and cheer banners, and somewhere near the auditorium, music blasted through broken speakers.
Meanwhile, Elara Vale sat near the classroom window, calmly writing poetry in the corner of her notebook as if chaos didn’t exist around her.
That was the thing about Elara.
She always looked perfect without trying.
Perfect grades.
Perfect manners.
Perfect smile.
Teachers adored her. Students admired her. Even seniors knew her name.
She could sing beautifully, dance gracefully, write poetry that made people emotional, and somehow still manage to be captain of the girls’ basketball team.
Sometimes people wondered if she was even real.
“Elara, are you even listening?” Eveline asked dramatically, snapping her fingers in front of her face.
Elara looked up from her notebook. “Hm?”
“We’ve been talking for two minutes.”
“Then maybe talk about something interesting.”
The girls laughed.
Before Eveline could reply, loud cheers suddenly echoed from outside the classroom window.
A group of boys were on the basketball court below.
In the center of them stood Lucien Carter.
Of course.
Elara leaned slightly against the window frame, watching him for a moment.
Tall. Messy dark hair. Black hoodie sleeves pushed up to his elbows. A basketball spinning carelessly on one finger while his teammates shouted around him.
Annoyingly attractive.
And completely unserious.
Lucien was one of the most popular boys in college, mostly because of sports. He lived for basketball, football, and anything that involved competition.
Studies?
Probably the least important thing in his life.
Responsibility?
Questionable.
Future plans?
Unknown.
He laughed loudly after scoring a shot, high-fiving his teammates like the world revolved around Sports Day.
Elara looked away with quiet disappointment.
She never understood boys like him.
Sure, he was handsome. Maybe one of the best-looking boys in college.
But looks were never enough for her.
Elara liked people with ambition. Discipline. Respect. Someone mature enough to take life seriously.
Lucien Carter was the complete opposite of her type.
“Earth to Elara,” Eveline teased. “You were staring.”
“I was observing,” Elara corrected calmly.
“That sounds worse.”
The lunch bell rang before the conversation could continue.
—
The cafeteria buzzed with noise as Elara sat with her friends around their usual table near the large glass windows.
“So…” Maya grinned while sipping her juice, “I think Aarav is finally going to ask me out during Sports Day.”
“Oh please,” Eveline laughed. “That boy already looks at you like you invented oxygen.”
The girls burst into laughter.
One by one, the conversation shifted toward relationships, crushes, dates, and embarrassing boyfriend stories.
Elara stayed quiet, lazily stirring her iced coffee.
Eveline narrowed her eyes. “You know, you’re the only one here who has never dated anyone.”
Elara shrugged. “And?”
“And?” Maya repeated dramatically. “Elara, you’re seventeen, beautiful, smart, talented, and half the college is in love with you.”
“That sounds exhausting.”
“No, seriously,” Eveline leaned closer. “Don’t you ever want experience? Even just once?”
“With the wrong person? No thanks.”
“You’re too picky.”
“I have standards.”
The girls groaned together.
Then Eveline suddenly smirked.
“Fine then,” she said. “What about Lucien?”
Elara almost choked on her drink.
“Absolutely not.”
“Oh come on,” Maya laughed. “He’s literally the most handsome guy in college.”
“And I’m pretty sure he likes you,” Eveline added.
Elara looked genuinely horrified.
“Lucien Carter is the definition of distraction,” she said flatly. “He spends more time on basketball courts than in classrooms.”
“But he’s sweet.”
“He’s careless.”
“He’s fun.”
“He’s irresponsible.”
Eveline crossed her arms. “You haven’t even talked to him properly.”
“I don’t need to.”
“Why?”
Elara glanced outside the cafeteria window where Lucien stood laughing with his teammates under the afternoon sunlight.
Then she looked back at her friends and said confidently—
“He is definitely not my type.”
