CHAPTER THIRTEEN
1505 Words
(Ava’s POV)
The ride back to campus was supposed to be quiet. Everyone was exhausted, most of them nodding off against the rattling windows. But Ava’s brain was a storm she couldn’t shut off.
Daniel had slid into the seat beside her before Maya could, flashing that perfect smile of his, leaning in a little too close. His voice was warm, steady, but her nerves had buzzed the whole time. Because no matter what Daniel said, she could feel Ethan’s stare burning into her from the back row.
It was maddening. Suffocating. And… thrilling.
By the time the bus rolled into campus, her chest ached from holding her breath.
The second they were off, Maya snatched her by the arm, tugging her away before Daniel could even offer to walk her back.
“Girl,” Maya hissed, half-dragging her toward the dorms, “do you realize you were just starring in a live-action love triangle?”
Ava blinked. “What...”
“Oh, don’t ‘what’ me. Ethan was about to combust back there. The way he was glaring at Daniel? Whew.” Maya fanned herself dramatically. “If looks could kill, golden boy would be in ashes.”
Ava groaned, clutching her bag tighter. “You’re exaggerating.”
Maya shot her a sly grin. “Am I? Because I don’t think I’ve ever seen a guy that jealous. And honestly? It was hot.”
Heat flooded Ava’s cheeks. “He wasn’t....”
“Oh, he was.” Maya cut her off with a smug nod. “And if you say otherwise, I’ll smack you with my shoe.”
Ava shoved her, laughing despite herself. But her chest still ached with the memory of Ethan’s stare, his warning in the woods earlier, the way he’d leaned in just close enough to unravel her.
No matter what she told Maya, she couldn’t lie to herself.
Ethan was getting under her skin.
And she wasn’t sure she wanted him out.
(Ethan’s POV)
Campus was mostly quiet. Students dragged themselves toward the dorms, too tired to bother with noise. Ethan lingered near the bus, watching Ava disappear into the building with Maya’s arm slung around her.
Part of him wanted to follow. To make sure she made it back safe. To make sure Daniel didn’t swoop in again.
But he stayed rooted, jaw clenched, trying to fight the gnawing irritation building in his chest.
“She’s cute, isn’t she?”
The voice was calm, smooth. Ethan turned to find Daniel standing a few feet away, hands shoved in his pockets, posture casual in a way that was too casual.
Ethan’s lips curved into a smirk. “Bold of you to assume I was staring at her.”
Daniel didn’t bite at the sarcasm. He just stepped closer, his expression polite but his eyes sharp. “Look, man. I don’t know what your deal is. But Ava doesn’t need… whatever it is you’re playing at.”
Ethan tilted his head, amused. “Playing?”
“She’s a good girl,” Daniel said firmly. “She doesn’t need someone like you getting into her head.”
There it was. The condescension. The superiority. The assumption that Ethan was the villain, Daniel the knight.
Ethan stepped closer, closing the space between them until Daniel’s mask slipped, just a fraction.
“You sound a little possessive,” Ethan drawled. “Didn’t realize you’d claimed her.”
Daniel’s jaw tightened. “I don’t have to. She deserves better.”
The words hung there, sharp and heavy.
Ethan smirked, leaning just enough to make Daniel stiffen. “And you think you’re better?”
For a moment, neither moved. The courtyard was silent, the only sound the hum of a distant streetlight.
Finally, Daniel straightened, forcing a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Stay out of her way, Ethan. Or I’ll make sure she sees you for what you really are.”
Ethan’s smirk faded into something colder. He held Daniel’s gaze for a long beat before answering.
“And what am I, exactly?”
Daniel didn’t answer. He didn’t have to. His glare said everything.
Ethan let out a low laugh, stepping back with deliberate calm. “Careful, Montgomery. You’re starting to sound jealous.”
Daniel’s jaw flexed, but he didn’t reply. He just turned on his heel and walked away.
And Ethan stood there in the dark, pulse thrumming, realizing something he hadn’t admitted even to himself:
Daniel wasn’t just competition.
He was a rival.
(Ava’s POV)
Later that night, Ava sat cross-legged on her bed while Maya perched dramatically in the desk chair, still buzzing from the day’s chaos.
“So,” Maya sing-songed, “which boy’s got your heart racing more? Golden boy, or tall-dark-and-broody?”
Ava buried her face in her pillow. “I hate you.”
Maya smirked. “You love me. And admit it.....Ethan staring Daniel down like he was about to deck him was the hottest thing you’ve ever seen.”
Ava groaned louder, muffled by the pillow. But deep down, she couldn’t shake the memory of Ethan’s eyes locked on hers through the bus window. The way her chest had clenched. The way her pulse had skipped.
Maybe Maya wasn’t wrong.
And maybe that terrified her most of all.
(Ava’s POV)
The next morning, Ava tried to keep her head down. Midterms were days away, and the last thing she needed was another distraction. But apparently, the universe wasn’t done tormenting her.
Daniel caught up with her outside the lecture hall, flashing that too-bright smile.
“Morning,” he greeted smoothly. “You looked tired yesterday. I thought you might need this.”
He held out a coffee cup with her name written across it. Perfect spelling. Even a tiny heart next to it.
Ava blinked. “Oh. Um… thank you.”
Daniel grinned, clearly pleased at her reaction. “Of course. You’re always buried in your notes I figured someone should remind you to breathe.”
He fell into step beside her, tall and confident, making conversation about professors, assignments, future plans. And he did it so effortlessly, like he’d rehearsed this role of reliable golden boy.
And maybe it would’ve worked if her skin hadn’t been prickling, sensing the heavy gaze trailing her from behind.
She didn’t have to look to know Ethan was there.
But she did anyway.
He leaned against the wall just outside the lecture hall doors, hoodie loose around his shoulders, arms crossed, mouth curled into that infuriating half-smirk.
And his eyes those unreadable, burning eyes were locked right on her.
Her stomach flipped.
Daniel followed her gaze, and his jaw tightened just slightly. “Ignore him,” he muttered under his breath. “He thrives on getting reactions.”
But ignoring Ethan was impossible when he pushed off the wall and strolled over, slow and deliberate, like he had all the time in the world.
“Well, well,” Ethan drawled, his voice low and lazy, but sharp enough to slice. “Didn’t realize Starbucks was a love language.”
Daniel’s smile tightened, but he didn’t miss a beat. “It’s called being thoughtful. Some of us try it.”
Ethan’s smirk widened, eyes flicking from Daniel to Ava. “Cute. But Ava doesn’t need you buying her coffee to keep her awake. She already has me for that.”
Her breath caught.
The insinuation hung in the air, heavy and scandalous, and Daniel’s expression hardened. “You don’t know what she needs.”
Ethan tilted his head, gaze still locked on Ava. “Don’t I?”
Her pulse thundered in her ears. The space between them buzzed like static.
Daniel broke the tension by slipping his hand lightly to her elbow, steering her toward the classroom. “Come on, Ava. You’ll be late.”
She let him guide her, too flustered to argue. But as they stepped past Ethan, she felt the faintest brush of his fingers against hers. Barely there. Gone in a heartbeat.
Her cheeks flamed.
Daniel didn’t notice. But Ethan did. And when she risked one last glance over her shoulder, he was still standing there, smirking like he’d just stolen something right out of Daniel’s pocket.
LATER THAT DAY......
It didn’t stop there.
Daniel spent the afternoon “helping” her with notes, dropping casual compliments, brushing close whenever he could. And he was sweet he really was. Any other girl would’ve swooned.
But every time she started to relax, she’d catch Ethan out of the corner of her eye. At the library, leaning against a shelf like he owned the place. In the courtyard, stretched out on a bench, dark eyes fixed on her.
Watching. Waiting. Smirking whenever Daniel tried too hard.
It was maddening.
Because no matter what Daniel did to impress her, no matter how flawless he looked, it was Ethan’s gaze that left her dizzy.
It was Ethan’s smirk that lingered in her mind.
And it was Ethan’s presence that made her pulse race in ways Daniel never could.
- Writer
