Page 6

Only when I sank into the plush, cream chair did I finally let out a shuddering breath.

As my fingers brushed the surface of a leather-bound menu, an image of another tore through me—spotted with age and grease, some letters illegible—while Anne sat across from me in our favourite pub, eating club sandwiches and laughing.

It bubbled and ached in my chest, then burst with a painful pop.

As if summoned out of thin air, a smart-looking waiter appeared, smiling in an entirely practised manner. The words blurred on the page from sheer overwhelm, and I ordered a glass of white wine and a pasta dish at random.

A weight perched on top of my stomach, but Pri’s beaming grin yanked me back, and I found myself returning it with my own tentative little smile.

She was wearing a thin white shirt with pineapples on it, and a cardigan in the same pale yellow, rolled up to her elbows. Hairs were sticking out of her braid, like she’d tugged on it, giving it an effortless look.

“You know, I got lost on my first day,” she teased. “I’m surprised you managed.”

Her tone was a mix of admiration and playfulness.

“I… might have studied the map.”

Or memorised it.

The layout was fairly simple: the buildings formed a bracket around the fountain, with the Main Wing housing the lockers and dormitories, the East Wing, the dining hall and offices, and the West Wing, the lecture halls and seminar rooms. The library hung to the side, with the little campus café huddled next to it.

I shrugged and took a sip of wine, the sizzle in my mouth making me feel a little better, now the culture shock students could just order alcohol as they pleased had worn off.

Another surprise had been the sheer absence of prices, which Pri explained away: everything was covered for us, professors, and staff. It should’ve made me feel like I was becoming part of this world, but the coils in my stomach only tangled tighter.

Cackling laughs and buzzing conversation mingled into one big noise as my gaze swept around. Pairs of eyes flitted to me, then skittered away, and heads bent together as more furtive glances followed.

I swallowed, hard, feeling like an unwanted specimen at the zoo.

A record screeched in my head as my gaze met Josh’s across the room.

My stomach lurched in familiar warning, though I didn’t know if he’d been staring or if I happened to catch him glancing my way. Skin prickling, I looked away and feigned concentration on my glass, before doing a surreptitious double-take over the rim.

As I’d imagined, he was surrounded by people hanging onto his every word. Someone told a joke I couldn’t hear, and their eyes flitted to him on the punchline. Only after he deigned a little chuckle did the group allow itself to exhale and laugh.

My wrist bristled where he’d grabbed me earlier, and I glanced down, expecting a bruise and finding nothing but pale skin and thin blue veins.

Pri, bless her, hadn’t noticed a thing—too engrossed in giving me a rundown about types of people and cliques, one I probably should’ve paid more attention to.

The wine and humour had turned her skin pink, and I found myself smiling back at her, a genuine one this time, as gratitude swelled in my chest. She was bypassing the liaison role and morphing into more of an anchor in this hell.

The aroma of roasted meat and herbs hit my nose, mingling with the smooth, savoury scent of carbonara floating up at me from my plate. My mouth watered at once, my stomach gave an impatient little grumble, and I dug in, letting out a soft sigh as the best pasta I’d ever had melted on my tongue.

Her smile turned conspiratorial as she leaned in a touch.

“Where did you go to school before this?”

I chewed on my mouthful, debating how much to say.

“Your average public uni.” I shrugged.

I wasn’t sure why my lips zipped tight. Habit, maybe?

Her eyes glimmered with curiosity, but she didn’t prod. Instead, she launched into a story about her first day, giving me tips I filed away for later and a much-needed reprieve.

A flash of movement drew my attention up from my plate: Pri’s hand flew to her mouth, stifling something that might have been a giggle, and her warm eyes sparkled as she peered over my shoulder.

My brows furrowed, and my head turned—only for my gaze to land on an icy one trying to set our table ablaze.