♡AN ENEMIES-TO-LOVERS ROMANCE♡
Attending the same college is the only thing Sebastian Hutches and Tara Van Doren have in common.
To Sebastian, Tara is a rich, spoiled girl, obsessed with her looks and status.
To Tara, Sebastian is a rude, arrogant...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
As soon as the Ethics exam is over, chatter and laughter fill the lecture hall. I'm one of the last students to hand in my question paper. While waiting for Dr. Garcia to finish talking to my classmate Lee, I glance around the room. The seat Elena used to occupy is Emma's now. She smiles when she catches me looking, and tips her chin up as if asking me how the exam went. I give her a thumbs up, to which she winks, grabbing her bag from the seat beside her.
The way Emma stood up for me was the talk of Bartley University for weeks, and Elena transferred colleges, seemingly unable to cope with being a pariah. Luckily — or unfortunately, all things considered — I was too busy to pay attention to college gossip.
Lee says goodbye to Dr. Garcia, and I approach the lectern.
"Miss Van Doren." He smiles, the fine wrinkles around his eyes deepening. "Is everything alright?"
His questioning gaze descends to the papers in my hands, and I put them on top of the stack of other students' works on his desk. "Oh, yes. I just wanted to—"
"Thank you." Sebastian wraps an arm around my shoulders and kisses the top of my head. Pleasant tingles race over every inch of my skin as I lean into him.
"Yes," I say. "We just wanted to thank you for being so understanding these past few weeks."
Dr. Garcia waves his hand. "It's nothing. Are you feeling any better, Mr. Hutches?"
Bast's hold on me tightens a fraction. "Getting there."
"Enjoy your break," Doctor Garcia says. "And see, being partners turned out to be a good thing."
Sebastian smirks, bending his head so he can kiss me. "The best thing ever."
Our professor's laughter accompanies us as we exit the classroom.
"What happened to the anti-PDA grump I used to know?" I ask, batting my lashes at Bast.
"He's still here, little caterpillar," he says.
The smile he gives me is unconvincing. His face pales, and I cup his cheeks. "Are you okay?"
Bast nods. "Just need to sit."
It takes us ten minutes to get to the canteen where our friends are waiting. Brian and Leah have already ordered for everyone. Bast and I join them, Connor, and Drew at a table by the window.
I smile at the way Brian keeps his hand on Leah’s baby bump. She's glowing, and he watches her like a hawk now that she's back to class and their daughter is doing well.
"Got a name yet?" Bast asks Brian, plucking a fry from the plate.
"Yes," Leah answers instead. "But we're keeping it secret for now. This way, nobody will make us doubt our choice."
"Knew it." Drew points his finger at Brian. "You chose a weird-ass triple name."
"Double." Leah giggles, covering Brian’s hand on her belly with hers. "And it's not weird. It's beautiful."
