R U S S O 18+

R U S S O 9

if y'all saw this picture above for last chapter, that was a mistake. it was supposed to be for this one.

R U S S O 9 

Mateo taking Anastasia home was filled with small talk, laughter, and good music playing on the radio station. She didn't want to say bye to him yet, but they both had a night to prepare for in order to get up the following day.

She wasn't around him for that many days, but she was starting to like it. Last night, when in his car, she would peek over and see him focused on the road, turning her gaze just before he could look over at her. He felt her eyes, but he decided not to say anything, only smirking as he brought his gaze back to the road.

She wasn't the only one finding comfort in their time together. Mateo spent some time thinking about her, too. Even when morning came and he was back on campus, taking a test on his laptop in the library.

She may not have felt her prettiest after practice, as the sweat consumed her and her hair got a little frizzy, but Mateo found no flaws. Mateo wouldn't usually find an issue with her clouding his thoughts, but he had a timed exam loaded on his screen in front of him. He couldn't afford to lose any time by allowing her to occupy his thoughts.

There were a bunch of students around him, and he drowned them out too by placing his AirPods in his ears. He was able to concentrate while listening to music, clicking through questions, and submitting answers that he couldn't redo.

He had a cup of hot coffee beside him and a bottle of water, swapping between them within the half hour as he kept his focus on his laptop. He had occasionally looked at his phone as it lit up, but he flipped it over to maintain focus by the third glance.

Mateo didn't need anything distracting him, but it was too late, as he randomly looked up and his eyes landed on Anastasia. She was sanding at the front desk, handing over a book she borrowed for one of her classes for research, smiling at the clerk.

He smiled at the sight of her, skimming over her appearance as she wore jean shorts and a black cardigan that hugged her frame. The necklaces were layered at her neck, and the charm bracelet hanging around her wrist completed her ensemble of accessories, along with the rings on her fingers.

Mateo watched her attention move to the eyes that were on her, and upon catching sight of him, she beamed widely and waved. Mateo waved back at her with a small smile. If his test wasn't timed, he'd get up and talk to her.

He noticed that he wasn't the only familiar face she recognizes because she sent another light wave to someone else. Out of curiosity, Mateo turns his gaze, and his eyes fall on Cole, who was smiling back at her.

Mateo's brows knitted.

Watching her give Cole an ounce of her time wasn't appealing to him, and as he averted his gaze back to her to see her heading out, his mind was going like a hamster on a wheel.

Cole wasn't trying to get close to Anastasia once he knew Mateo had a thing for her, but she kept greeting him every time she saw him. Even now. He didn't want to make her feel bad by ignoring her, seeing as she was only being nice. However, if Cole he had known Mateo was in the same room as him, he would've pretended to not have seen her.  

"Awww, look at all the parents here," Anastasia remarked, gesturing with her finger to the cluster of families she spotted while walking across campus with Carly and Jameson.

It was Parents Weekend for the freshman and other scholars parents, this long-waited chance to reunite with their family. The families were able to get a better understanding of life on campus, participate in courses, engage in discussions with faculty, and meet other families. They learned a lot about Cambridge, obtaining valuable information to then receive helpful sources for their child to succeed at the university.