Jace's POV
I walked into the campus café the next afternoon, my hands shoved deep in my hoodie pockets. The place was busy with students grabbing drinks between classes, but the back corner table we’d agreed on was still open. My shoulder ached from yesterday’s game, but I ignored it. The real reason my stomach felt tight was simpler; Ariana had actually shown up for the study session yesterday, and now we were doing this again.
I spotted her already sitting there, notebook open, hair tied back in that neat ponytail she always wore. She looked focused and guarded. Like she was ready for this to be strictly business.
I pulled out the chair next to her and dragged my seat close to hers, close enough that our arms brushed when I sat down. “Hey, you beat me here again.”
She glanced up, he
