Love Bytes

Chapter 2: What am I doing?

I cursed myself for being so stupid. Why did I sign up for this club yesterday? 'Honorary coding buddy' my ass. I let Lucas, practically a complete stranger sweet-talk me into joining, but I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

"I can't believe you actually applied for that club," Emma said, barely holding back her laughter. She was my roommate, and somehow she knew me better than anyone at this point. "That club is notorious for the amount of work they give you. It's like Lucas is the siren that lures people in and Sol is the bouncer who throws everyone out."

"I know, what am I even doing with my life?" I groaned, burying my face in my hands. I was sitting at our small desk, trying to finish my Assignment before heading to the club meeting. Emma was lying on her bed, scrolling through her phone.

"It might not be that bad," she said, giving me a hopeful smile. "If you play your card right, you might just score a date with Lucas. He's hot, you know."

"You think?" I said sarcastically. "It's not like I love him or anything. I just like to look at him. And I only met him once, for God's sake."

I glanced at the clock and saw that it was time to go. I grabbed my backpack and slung it over my shoulder. "All right, I'm off then."

"Good luck, Hanna. You can do this," Emma said, giving me a thumbs up.

I left our dorm room and made my way to the club room. It took me forever to find it, since it was located in the gloomiest corridor of the campus. Just looking at the room makes me depressed. It was the only room there, with a sign that read "The Coding Club". I took a deep breath and opened the door.

The room was dark and dusty, with a musty smell that made me want to gag. There were two computers on a table, with wires and cables everywhere. Lucas and another guy were sitting in front of them, typing furiously on their keyboards. They didn't notice me until I accidentally dropped a book on the floor with a loud thud.

"Sorry," I whispered, feeling embarrassed.

Lucas looked up and smiled when he saw me. His eyes were bright blue, like the sky on a sunny day. His hair was dark brown, messy and curly. He had a dimple on his left cheek that made him look adorable. He was wearing a black hoodie and jeans, and he looked like he belonged in a magazine.

Lucas's eyes shot up, and he looked up at me with a playful grin. "Oh, you're here, 'buddy'," he said, emphasizing the term and almost teasingly.

"By the way, I never caught your name?" he added, genuinely curious.

"Ah! Right! It's Hanna Brown," I replied, trying to sound more composed than I felt.

"I'm Lucas Winters," he said, getting up from his seat and walking towards me. He extended his hand and I shook it, feeling a jolt of electricity run through me. He had a firm grip and warm skin. He smelled like fresh summer breeze. How is this guy real.

"Ugh," scoffed the other guy, who I now recognized as Sol, Lucas's best friend. His blond hair and olive eyes made him look both attractive and intimidating. But his demeanor had a hint of arrogance that immediately put me on edge.

"This is Sol, by the way," he said, gesturing to the other guy who was still sitting at the computer. He had blond hair and olive eyes that looked cold and arrogant. He looked down on everyone. If I were to judge a book by it's cover, his book definitely had 'ASSHOLE' written in bold.

 He wore glasses and a button-up shirt that made him look nerdy but not in a cute way. He gave me a tight smile that didn't quite reach his eyes as he shook my hand briefly. "Sol Summers," he said curtly. There was seriously nothing Summery about this guy

Nice to meet you too," I said politely, trying not to sound sarcastic.

It turned out it was just us three in the club for the next three weeks, as all the seniors who were the majority of the people in the club were still on vacation. That meant I had to spend a lot of time with Lucas and Sol, which was both a blessing and a curse.

In the cold and dark club room, the atmosphere was charged with tension as Lucas received a call that instantly darkened his expression. He hurriedly left, leaving behind only Sol Summers and me. As I stood there, the silence engulfing the room, I couldn't help but feel a mix of anticipation and vulnerability. It was as if the perfect hunting moment had arrived, and I was the prey.

Slowly, Sol approached me, his footsteps echoing in the silence. The club room felt colder than before, the darkness enveloping us like a cloak. I could see the determination in Sol's eyes, a glimmer of something primal and fierce.

As he reached me, a shiver ran down my spine. Sol's presence was magnetic, drawing me closer to him. His voice, barely above a whisper, cut through the stillness. "Now..Now...Let's start the real interview, shall we? " he asked.

I gulped, my heart pounding in my chest.