His Accidental Catch

Chapter 6: A Distraction Worth Keeping

The campus coffee shop was buzzing with the loud chatter of afternoon crowds, completely drowning out the quiet corners where Maya usually liked to study. She stared blankly at her laptop screen, the cursor blinking rhythmically as if mocking her lack of progress.

Before she could type another sentence, the chair opposite her slid back with a soft scrape, and a familiar iced caramel macchiato was set down right next to her keyboard.

Maya looked up to find Leo flashing that casual, infuriatingly charming grin that always managed to throw her focus off entirely. He dropped into the seat, looking completely at home despite the crowded rush hour.

"You look like you're about to murder your keyboard," Leo noted, resting his elbows on the table and leaning in close. "Take a break before you snap a key off. It's Friday afternoon."

"Some of us have deadlines, Leo," Maya sighed, though she reached for the iced coffee anyway, grateful for the cold caffeine. "If I don't finish this draft by tonight, my entire weekend is shot."

"Then let me take your mind off it," he offered smoothly, his dark eyes fixed entirely on her. "Just for an hour. No books, no notes, no economics."

Maya’s heart did a sudden, traitorous flip in her chest. She knew saying yes meant spending more time falling right into his orbit, but looking at him now, she realized she didn't even want to say no.