Chapter Thirteen
1287 Words
Riley’s POV
This was one of those moments where I regretted making decisions on impulse.
The entire day, I hadn’t been able to focus on class. Or anything at all, really. My thoughts kept circling back to one thing, our official fake dates started today, and I had to go see Cole at the computer lab soon.
What was I even thinking when I came up with this idea?
We could have easily slipped into one popular café together, let people spot us, maybe hold hands once or twice, and call it a day. That should have been enough. Instead, I had somehow negotiated myself into sharing space with him almost every day.
Should I just call the whole thing off? Maybe I could say I was hyperventilating and not in my right state of mind when I suggested it. Or claim I was merely rehearsing lines for a role. Ugh. God help me.
“Well, aren’t you two getting cozy.”
June’s voice yanked me out of my thoughts. I looked up at her blankly.
“Uh…?”
Without saying another word, she shoved her phone into my face. And immediately, I understood. It was a picture of the hug from yesterday. Heat rushed to my cheeks instantly.
“Oh my gosh,” June gasped dramatically, laughing. “Are you blushing?”
“I’m not,” I defended quickly, rubbing at my face. “It’s just a little hot in here.”
“Of course it is.”
Before I could argue further, my phone pinged with a new message. From Cole. My stomach tightened immediately, the same way it did right before stepping on stage when I didn’t feel prepared enough.
Lab. Now.
That was it. Exactly what you’d expect from Cold Cole. At this point, I was beginning to think he had sworn a lifelong oath against proper conversation. I sighed deeply and grabbed my bag.
“Sorry, June. I’ve got to go.”
“But of course,” she teased with a grin. “Your Romeo calls.”
“June!”
My face burned hotter, and I got to my feet so quickly even I surprised myself. She laughed harder while I hurried toward the door before she could say anything worse.
The walk to the engineering department felt longer than usual. This was pretend. Another role, another performance. Nothing more. So why was I nervous?
The moment I stepped into the department building, I felt it. Eyes. Whispers. Muted conversations cutting off the second I walked by. I kept my chin high and made my way toward the lab anyway.
When I stepped inside, I nearly froze. If I didn’t know better, I would’ve thought it was midnight. The room was dim except for the glow of computer monitors reflecting against pale faces and dark desks. The hum of machines filled the air alongside the rapid clicking of keyboards. It smelled faintly like coffee, overheated wires, and exhaustion.
So this was where computer engineering students lived. Honestly, the entire place looked like sunlight had been banned by law. My gaze landed on Cole at the far end of the room almost immediately.
Of course.
Black hoodie. Reading glasses. Headset resting over his ears. His attention remained locked on the multiple screens in front of him, fingers moving rapidly across the keyboard with terrifying precision.
I stepped further into the lab, and several heads turned toward me like I had accidentally wandered into classified territory. Everyone except Cole. I started walking toward him, but halfway there, two girls stepped directly into my path.
They looked exactly how I imagined elite tech students would look, sleek dark clothing, oversized hoodies layered over cargo pants, chunky headphones hanging around their necks, smart watches flashing on their wrists, and neon-colored mechanical keyboards tucked beneath one arm like prized possessions. One had silver-rimmed glasses and electric blue streaks in her braids. The other wore fingerless gloves and had multiple piercings climbing one ear.
“You know,” the first one started, adjusting her glasses, “we don’t believe the story you’re selling everyone.”
“I’m pretty sure you’re just trying to seduce him,” the second added, waving a finger in my face. “You should’ve stuck to your type because you’re definitely not his.”
I crossed my arms slowly. “And what exactly would you say is his type?”
The second girl scoffed. “Not you, obviously. More like Emelia.”
My brows furrowed. “Emelia?” Who the heck was Emelia?
“If you’re so interested in gossip and broadcasting,” Cole’s calm voice suddenly cut through the room, “then perhaps you’re both in the wrong department.”
My eyes snapped toward him. I hadn’t even realized he was paying attention. The girls visibly stiffened.
“U-um… we were just….”
“What?” I interrupted with a small snicker as I walked past them. “Cat got your tongue?”
The second girl glared at me while I continued toward Cole. And before I could overthink it, I threw my arms loosely around his neck and hugged him.
The entire lab went silent. No more clicking sounds, completely and eerily silent. Cole stiffened instantly beneath my touch. My heartbeat stumbled into chaos. This is pretend. Just another role. You’re giving them a performance. That’s all.
Slowly, I pulled away and turned back toward the girls, who now looked absolutely horrified.
“What?” I teased lightly, a smirk tugging at my lips. “You want to see more?”
They exchanged one final look before retreating without another word. Victory. The rest of the lab remained quiet, though I could practically feel everyone staring holes into my back.
Cole simply returned to his seat without another comment. I rolled my eyes and followed after him. Without looking at me, he reached over and pulled out a chair from the desk beside him.
The gesture was so subtle I almost missed it. I sat down quietly. The lab still felt unnervingly silent. I wasn’t used to silence.
The theatre department was always alive, people rehearsing lines, arguing over costumes, laughing too loudly, music echoing through hallways. Noise was normal to me.
But here? The loudest thing in the room was the tapping of keyboards.
“So…” I started softly, nearly whispering. “You didn’t tell me you had a fan club.”
“I don’t.”
“Try telling the girls who almost bit my head off that.”
He glanced at me briefly, his jaw ticking like he was merely tolerating my presence, before returning his focus to the screen. Silence again. Awkward.
I leaned slightly closer to his monitor, trying to understand what he was doing, but instantly regretted it. Lines of code filled the screen in different colors, symbols, numbers, and letters moving faster than my brain could process.
It looked less like a language and more like someone had smashed their keyboard repeatedly and somehow turned it into a career. His fingers kept moving nonstop. Was this the plan? Wasn’t he supposed to actually talk to me?
This definitely wasn’t going according to plan. Though to be fair, I hadn’t exactly come here with a plan in the first place. And honestly, having no plan was probably the worst plan possible.
“Who’s Emelia, by the way?” I asked suddenly, mostly to break the silence.
His fingers stopped. Jaw clenched. Just like that. The room still hummed around us, but something shifted. Slowly, he turned his head toward me. Something flickered in his eyes, disappeared just as quickly.
I didn’t understand it. But I understood one thing for certain.
I had definitely touched a nerve.
- Writer
