SAINT-VÉRAN

RIVALRY

I met Matthias König properly on a Tuesday.

Which was unfortunate.

Because by then, I had already learned enough about him to know that he was exactly the sort of person I should have stayed away from.

Not because he was cruel.

Not because he was dangerous.

Not because he had done anything wrong.

Quite the opposite.

Matthias was nice.

Genuinely nice.

And that made everything considerably more complicated.

It started in European History.

Professor Moreau assigned us a research project, and I was already calculating how many hours of sleep I would lose when someone leaned over the back of my chair.

“You’re Elias, right?”

I turned.

Matthias smiled.

“Yes.”

“I’ve seen you around.”

I immediately became suspicious.

At Saint-Véran, that sentence rarely meant anything good.

“Have you?”

He laughed.

“Don’t look so frightened.”

“I’m not frightened.”

“You look frightened.”

“I always look like this.”

“Then I’ll try not to make it worse.”

I smiled despite myself.

That was the first mistake.

Matthias pointed toward my notebook.

“You chose the Franco-Prussian War?”

“Yes.”

“Good choice.”

“You think so?”

“Absolutely.”

He pulled a chair beside mine.

“I did a paper on it last year.”

I looked at him.

“You’re in second year.”

“Unfortunately.”

I laughed.

He grinned.

And just like that, we started talking.

It was easy.

That was the problem.

With Matthias, I didn’t have to think about every word before I said it.

I didn’t have to wonder what he remembered.

I didn’t have to wonder whether he was looking at me because I reminded him of someone from ten years ago.

I didn’t have to wonder whether every argument had another meaning hidden beneath it.

Matthias simply talked to me.

He made jokes.

He complained about professors.

He told me which library books were actually worth reading and which ones were so boring they should be classified as sleep medication.

He was...

normal.

Or as normal as anyone at Saint-Véran could be.

By the end of class, he’d helped me organize my notes.

“You’ve got everything backward,” he said.

“I know.”

“No, I mean literally backward.”

He rotated my notebook.

I stared at the page.

“Oh.”

Matthias laughed.

“You’ve been reading it upside down?”

“I was tired.”

“For how long?”

I considered lying.

“Twenty minutes.”

He laughed harder.

I couldn’t help laughing too.

And that was when I felt it.

Someone watching us.

I looked toward the doorway.

Lucien stood there.

He wasn’t smiling.

He wasn’t frowning.

He simply stood there, one hand in his blazer pocket, watching Matthias sit beside me.

Our eyes met.

Something in his expression went completely still.

Then he walked away.

I frowned.

“Was that Valmont?”

I looked at Matthias.

“Yes.”

“Your roommate?”

“Yes.”

Matthias smiled.

“Interesting.”

“What’s interesting?”

“Nothing.”

I didn’t like that answer.

“What?”

He shrugged.

“Nothing.”

I returned to my notes.

But I couldn’t stop thinking about Lucien.

He didn’t say anything when we got back to the dormitory.

He barely spoke during dinner.

He didn’t tease me.

Didn’t steal my pen.

Didn’t complain about my books.

He was simply...

cold.

At first, I thought I had done something wrong.

By Wednesday, I was sure of it.

Matthias met me outside mathematics.

“Hey.”

I looked up.

“Hi.”

“You understand the homework?”

“Mostly.”

“Mostly isn’t enough.”

He held up his notebook.

“I can help.”

“Really?”

“Sure.”

We walked toward the library together.

We had barely reached the stairs when someone appeared beside us.

Lucien.

He didn’t say hello.

He simply walked alongside me.

Matthias looked at him.

“Valmont.”

Lucien nodded.

“Hey.”

There was an awkward silence.

Then Matthias smiled.

“We’re studying.”

“I know.”

“Want to join us?”

“No.”

Matthias looked at me.

I shrugged.

“See you later, then.”

Lucien said nothing.

Matthias left.

I watched him go.

Then I turned to Lucien.

“What was that?”

“What?”

“You.”

He looked at me.

“I was walking.”

“You were following me.”

“I was going to the library.”

“So am I.”

“Exactly.”

I stared at him.

He stared back.

Neither of us moved.

Finally, I sighed.

“You’re being strange.”

“I’ve always been strange.”

“Not like this.”

His expression tightened.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

I did.

I just wasn’t ready to say it.

So I went to the library.

He followed.

We didn’t speak for the entire hour.

On Thursday, Matthias brought me coffee.

“You’re going to need this.”

I stared at the cup.

“For what?”

“Chemistry.”

I looked at the textbook.

Then at him.

“Is it that bad?”

“You’ll see.”

I smiled.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Lucien appeared behind him.

“I’ll get you one tomorrow.”

I looked at him.

“You don’t even drink coffee.”

“I can get coffee.”

Matthias looked amused.

“Apparently.”

Lucien ignored him.

I took a sip.

It was exactly how I liked it.

I looked at Matthias.

“How did you know?”

“You always order it at breakfast.”

I smiled.

Lucien’s expression changed.

Barely.

But I noticed.

His jaw tightened.

He looked at the cup.

Then at Matthias.

Then at me.

“Come on,” he said.

“Where?”

“Class.”

“We have twenty minutes.”

“We’re going.”

“Why?”

He didn’t answer.

Matthias laughed softly.

“I think you’re being summoned.”

I rolled my eyes.

“I’ll see you later.”

Lucien waited until we were alone.

Then he said:

“Don’t drink that.”

I stopped.

“What?”

“Coffee.”

“Why?”

“It’s terrible.”

I looked at the cup.

“It’s actually good.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I just drank it.”

He looked annoyed.

I stared at him.

Then something clicked.

I narrowed my eyes.

“Are you jealous?”

He stopped walking.

“No.”

The answer came too quickly.

I smiled.

“You are.”

“I’m not.”

“You are.”

“I’m not.”

“You’ve been following me around for three days.”

“I live with you.”

“That’s not an excuse.”

He looked away.

“You’ve been spending a lot of time with him.”

There it was.

I felt something flutter in my chest.

“Matthias?”

“Yes.”

“He’s helping me.”

“I know.”

“He’s my friend.”

“I know.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

Lucien didn’t answer.

I waited.

Finally, he said:

“Nothing.”

I laughed.

“You’re terrible at lying.”

He glanced at me.

“You taught me.”

I smiled.

That almost made him smile too.

Almost.

But then his expression changed again.

“I don’t trust him.”

I frowned.

“Why?”

“I just don’t.”

“That’s not fair.”

“Maybe.”

“He’s been kind to me.”

“I know.”

“He hasn’t done anything.”

“I know.”

“Then why don’t you like him?”

Lucien looked at me.

“Because he likes you.”

My heart stopped.

“What?”

His expression immediately closed.

“I said nothing.”

“No, you didn’t.”

He started walking.

I followed.

“Lucien.”

He ignored me.

“Lucien.”

Nothing.

“Did you just say Matthias likes me?”

“I don’t know.”

“You said he does.”

“I said I think he does.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m not blind.”

I stared at him.

Then suddenly, the realization came.

The reason for the coldness.

The interruptions.

The sudden appearances.

The way Lucien always seemed to materialize whenever Matthias and I were together.

He wasn’t protecting me.

Not this time.

He was jealous.

The thought made my heart beat faster.

I stopped walking.

Lucien continued several steps before realizing I wasn’t following.

He turned.

“What?”

I stared at him.

“You’re jealous.”

He looked away.

“No.”

“You are.”

“No.”

“You absolutely are.”

His jaw tightened.

“Elias.”

I smiled.

“You are.”

He walked back toward me.

“Does it matter?”

I stopped smiling.

“What?”

“Does it matter if I am?”

I didn’t know how to answer.

He stood in front of me.

Close.

Not touching.

His eyes searched my face.

I suddenly became aware of everything.

The corridor.

The students walking around us.

The sound of distant laughter.

The warmth of his body.

The fact that he was looking at me as though my answer mattered.

“I don’t know,” I whispered.

He nodded slowly.

“That’s what I thought.”

He turned away.

Something inside me twisted.

“Wait.”

He stopped.

I didn’t know why I’d called him.

I just knew I didn’t want him to walk away.

“What?”

I hesitated.

Then asked the question that had been haunting me since yesterday.

“Are you really jealous?”

He looked at me.

This time, he didn’t deny it.

“Yes.”

My heart jumped.

He said it so simply.

No excuse.

No joke.

No attempt to hide it.

Just the truth.

“Why?”

His expression softened.

“Because I don’t like seeing him make you laugh.”

I couldn’t breathe.

“And you don’t?”

“I like making you laugh.”

I looked away.

My cheeks felt hot.

“You’re not very good at it.”

“I know.”

I smiled.

Then, before I could stop myself, I said:

“I get jealous too.”

Lucien went completely still.

My heart hammered.

I hadn’t meant to say it.

But now that the words were out, I couldn’t take them back.

“Of Matthias?”

I nodded.

His eyes searched mine.

“Why?”

I swallowed.

“Because he gets to know you without having to fight with you first.”

Lucien stared at me.

Then, slowly, he smiled.

Not the teasing smile.

Not the smug one.

Something softer.

Something almost relieved.

“That’s not jealousy.”

“It feels like it.”

“Then you’re doing it wrong.”

I laughed.

“You would know?”

“I’ve had practice.”

I shook my head.

He stepped closer.

Neither of us said anything.

For a moment, the academy disappeared around us.

There was only him.

Me.

And the strange realization that whatever existed between us had changed.

It wasn’t just childhood anymore.

It wasn’t just a forgotten promise.

It wasn’t just friendship.

And it certainly wasn’t rivalry.

Not really.

Because I had begun to understand something that frightened me.

I didn’t want Lucien to stop looking for me.

I didn’t want him to stop appearing beside me.

I didn’t want him to stop caring.

And when someone else made him jealous..

I didn’t like it either.

That realization was terrifying.

Because I was beginning to wonder whether the boy I had once promised to return to was no longer simply a memory.

Maybe he was standing in front of me.

Maybe he’d been there all along.

And maybe, just maybe, I was starting to fall for him too.