Until forever...

Chapter 1: The Meeting

The campus hummed with the buzz of students, conversations blending with the distant thrum of construction, and the occasional honking of impatient drivers weaving through the crowd. It was the first week of fall semester, and the University of Westbridge was alive with possibility.

Maya Shah stood on the steps of the library, adjusting her backpack straps, scanning the quad below like a hawk. She wasn't looking for someone in particular—just taking in the chaos, like she always did. People-watching was one of her guilty pleasures, a break from the ceaseless drive to stay on top of her double major in computer science and psychology.

At 5’6”, with curly hair pulled back into a neat ponytail and her signature tortoiseshell glasses perched on her nose, Maya projected an aura of quiet confidence. Her brain was her weapon, and she wielded it masterfully, outsmarting anyone who dared underestimate her. Organized, driven, and slightly socially awkward, Maya had a plan for everything. Especially her future. It involved graduating summa cum laude, securing a top-tier job in tech, and keeping distractions at arm’s length—romantic or otherwise.

As if on cue, a flash of movement drew her attention. A tall figure on a motorcycle cut through the student parking lot like a wolf among sheep, the engine revving with deliberate arrogance. She watched as he parked haphazardly, pulling off his helmet to reveal a tousled head of dark hair. Leather jacket, check. Tattoos peeking out from under his sleeve, check. An air of "I don’t care" that screamed trouble, check.

Maya rolled her eyes.

He was the kind of guy she avoided like the plague. The bad boy, heartbreaker type that practically announced, "I’m here to ruin your life, but you’ll love every second of it." And she wasn’t in the market for a life-ruiner. No, thanks.

He swung off his bike, oblivious to the few admiring glances thrown his way by a group of giggling girls. Maya’s attention drifted back to her phone, where she was fine-tuning her schedule, determined to fit in an extra coding lab.

"Hey, watch it!" A voice called out sharply. Maya looked up just in time to see the guy from the motorcycle barreling right into someone—someone carrying a stack of books so tall it blocked their view. The collision was spectacular, books flying everywhere.

Maya sighed. Of course. She should’ve known it was only a matter of time before he caused some kind of scene. Without thinking, she marched over, ready to help the poor student who’d just been taken out by Mr. Too-Cool-for-School.

"Great, just great," Maya muttered under her breath. She knelt down to gather up the scattered books, only to find herself locking eyes with the motorcycle guy.

"Thanks for the assist," he said, his voice low and smooth, a hint of amusement in his tone. His green eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint, like he found the whole situation amusing.

Maya raised an eyebrow. "I’m not helping you," she replied curtly, her voice cool and clipped. "I’m helping the person you just knocked over."

He blinked, taken aback by her sharpness. "Uh, okay…"

The person who had been knocked over, a petite girl with glasses, hurried to gather her things, mumbling an apology even though it wasn’t her fault. Maya handed her the last book and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don’t worry about it," she said gently. "Some people just don't know how to watch where they're going."

The guy smirked, apparently catching the dig. "It was an accident, alright? No need to get all uptight about it."

Maya straightened, crossing her arms. "Maybe next time you could, I don’t know, look where you’re going instead of playing ‘rebel without a cause.’"

He chuckled, clearly unfazed by her attitude. "Wow. You’ve got some fire in you. I like that."

"Don’t waste your time," she shot back. "I’m not interested."

The words came out sharper than she intended, and for a brief second, something flickered in his expression. It wasn’t the usual cocky response she expected, but something almost... thoughtful. But before she could dwell on it, his grin was back in place, and he shrugged.

"Your loss," he said casually, slinging his helmet over his shoulder. "Name’s Ethan, by the way. Try not to forget it."

He gave her a lazy salute and strolled off toward the main building. Maya watched him go, feeling an odd mixture of annoyance and... something else.

Ethan. She’d heard whispers about him around campus. Engineering major, barely showed up to class but still aced exams. A party regular who, according to the rumors, had a soft spot for fixing broken things—like the old cars he tinkered with on weekends. Not that it mattered. She wasn’t going to get involved with someone like him. Too messy. Too complicated.

She had her life mapped out, and there was no room for a distraction like Ethan Walker.

But as Maya stood there, the autumn breeze tugging at her hair, she couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t the last she’d be seeing of him.

And that, she realized, was exactly what worried her.