FALLS IN LOVE WITH RICH GUY - FIC

CHAPTER ONE

Stonewall University stood tall and proud, its ivy-covered brick walls holding the whispers of countless dreams and untold stories. Inside the English lecture hall, the air was thick with the scent of old books and fresh coffee, an intoxicating blend that mirrored the lives of the students inside. A gentle hum filled the room as Professor Adams droned on, the nuances of Shakespeare's sonnets gliding over the heads of many, yet striking a chord in at least one heart—Brooke Roberts.

Seated in the third row, Brooke's dark hair fell over her forehead in soft waves, framing her delicate features. She had a heavy textbook open before her, an assortment of colored pens scattered across the desk, ready to capture whatever notes might illuminate the complexity of the prose. Yet, her attention was not on the literary genius sprawled out on the page before her. Instead, it fixated on the boy sitting a few rows in front of her—that was, if one could really call him a boy.

Preston Caplan, with his sun-kissed skin and perfectly tousled brown hair, exuded an effortless charm that had charmed more than a few hearts. In stark contrast to Brooke's eclectic grunge style—layered black clothing and chunky boots—his preppy attire of crisp polo shirts and tailored shorts spoke of privilege. He sat relaxed, leaning back in his chair, a slight but disarming smile gracing his face as he occasionally whispered with friends, seemingly immune to the high stakes of academic life that Brooke held so dearly.

Brooke couldn't help but feel a rush of warmth each time their gazes crossed, albeit fleetingly. She was captivated by his blue eyes, sparkling with mischief yet clouded with a hint of something deeper, a restless energy that stirred an unexpected kinship. It was difficult to reconcile their worlds, but here, in this moment, the invisible thread of attraction knotted tightly between them, binding their disparate lives.

As the professor pointed towards the chalkboard, tracing intricate connections between the sonnet and life's unending cadence, Brooke felt the weight of her reality tugging at her heart. While she passionately scribbled notes, she was also wrestling with the worries of making rent on her small apartment and juggling shifts at the café she managed near campus. For her, education was not merely a privilege; it was a battle—a daily fight to achieve her ambitious dreams while forging her own artistic identity.

Preston, meanwhile, was the epitome of what she found both alluring and awry about their worlds. Unbeknownst to her, his smiles masked a looming sense of entrapment. His engagement to Ariana, a picture-perfect heiress who embodied the high-society life his parents expected, loomed large over his head like a storm cloud. With every class that slipped by, Preston felt as if he were drifting further away from who he truly was. The weight of family expectations bore heavily upon him, yet he couldn't bear to let anyone down, especially less when so much was at stake.

The lecture drifted onward, and the professor's voice faded momentarily as Brooke's thoughts turned inward. She had once heard him and Ariana at the coffee shop, where he ordered a vanilla latte, chuckling at their inside jokes, his laughter a melody she longed to be part of. Yet, those moments left her feeling more like a ghost, an observer in a vibrant world reserved for others.

Suddenly, the class was dismissed, the professor's voice ringing through her reverie as students rose to leave, the shuffle of feet and the soft murmur of conversation filling the hall. Heart racing, Brooke watched Preston stand, a stretch unfolding his athletic frame. With an easy wave to his friends, he glided out of his chair. She felt an inexplicable urge to reach out, to make some small connection in the brief moment they might share in the hall. But as their eyes met across the room, the familiar flicker of understanding passed between them—a spark of something undefined yet powerful.

He flashed that disarming smile again, and in that heartbeat, everything seemed so clear to her. They were both caught in separate battles, each waging their own war against the expectations laid upon them. Yet, the mutual attraction simmered below the surface, leaving her to wonder if their paths could somehow intertwine.