Love, War, and Angel

Chapter 2

The Yale campus buzzed with early morning energy as Angel wandered along the cobblestone paths, her eyes darting between grand, ivy-covered buildings. The crisp autumn air nipped at her cheeks, but the sun's rays softened the chill.

"Lost, princess?"

Angel froze mid-step, recognizing the cocky tone immediately. She turned to see Elias striding toward her, spinning a basketball on his fingertips. His smirk was annoyingly confident as if he'd already won a game she didn't know they were playing.

"You again," she muttered, crossing her arms. "What do you want?"

"To remind you that you owe me a coffee date," he said, stopping a few feet away.

Angel snorted. "I owe you nothing. You asked, and I declined. That's how it works."

"You didn't decline," Elias countered, his grin widening. "You just didn't say yes yet."

"That's the same thing," she shot back, narrowing her eyes.

He shrugged, bouncing the basketball against the ground once, echoing across the quiet quad. "You'll change your mind. They always do."

"Wow," Angel said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Do you always assume people will fall at your feet?"

"Not always." Elias winked. "But I'm not wrong often. Especially not on the court."

She glanced at the basketball in his hand. "Speaking of which, why are you lugging that around?"

"Lugging?" he repeated, mock-offended. "This is a badge of honor. I'm the captain of the team. Yale's champions three years running—ever since I joined, by the way."

"And yet, here you are, bragging to me instead of practicing," she quipped.

Elias grinned, clearly enjoying the banter. "Practice is where I'm headed. Must keep the streak alive. But first..." He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a teasing drawl. "Coffee. One cup. To say you've had the privilege of my company."

Angel rolled her eyes, turning her back to him. "Not interested."

"Angel," he called after her, jogging to catch up. "C'mon. One coffee. It's not a marriage proposal."

She stopped, sighing heavily as she turned to face him. "You're not going to drop this, are you?"

"Nope." His grin was infuriatingly bright.

"Fine," she said, holding up a hand. "One coffee. But if you're this unbearable the entire time, I'm walking out."

Elias grinned like he'd just hit a game-winning shot. "Deal. I'll try my best to behave."

"Don't count on it," she muttered, shaking her head as she turned to walk away.

"See you soon, princess," he called after her, his voice laced with amusement.

Angel rolled her eyes again, but a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she continued down the path.

--------------------------

 As Angel wandered closer to the athletic fields. She paused, checking her phone for the time when a figure caught her attention.

A tall, lean guy with tousled honey-brown hair and a gym bag slung over one shoulder walked briskly toward her. He glanced up, their eyes meeting, and slowed his pace.

"Angel, right?" he said, his voice calm but reserved.

She blinked in surprise. "Yeah... How do you know my name?"

He shifted his weight slightly, a flicker of hesitation crossing his face. "stairs, the dorm."

"Oh." Her voice softened, and a shy smile tugged at her lips. "yeah?"

"Ezra." He gestured toward the fields in the distance. "I'm heading to soccer practice."

Angel noticed the soccer ball tucked under his arm and nodded. "Figures. You play?"

He gave a small, almost bashful laugh. "Captain."

"Wow, captain of the soccer team," she said, a playful lilt in her tone. "Should I be impressed?"

His lips curved into a faint smile, though he didn't quite meet her eyes. "That's up to you."

There was a pause—neither awkward nor comfortable—as they stood there, the sounds of distant practice filling the space between them.

"Anyway," Ezra said, clearing his throat. "A couple of us are throwing a party tonight. You should come."

Angel tilted her head, considering. "That's nice of you, but I really need to catch up on some reading. You know, new student stuff."

Ezra frowned slightly, then quickly masked it. "I get it. First week and all." He hesitated, then added, "But... it'd be fun to have you there. You don't have to stay long."

Angel bit her lip, and he must have taken her silence for hesitation.

"Sorry," he said quickly. "I'm being pushy. You don't have to—"

"No, it's okay," she interrupted, her voice soft. "I'll think about it."

Before either could say more, a loud, familiar voice broke through.

"There you are!"

Elias jogged toward them, a grin plastered across his face. His eyes flicked to Ezra, and the friendly grin morphed into something sharper.

"Hey, Angel," Elias said, barely glancing at Ezra as he stopped before her. "I forgot to get your number."

Angel blinked, caught off guard. "You—what?"

"My bad," Elias said smoothly, pulling out his phone. He looked directly at Ezra, his tone laced with something shy of a challenge. "Let me fix that."

Ezra's expression darkened, his grip tightening on his soccer ball. Without a word, he adjusted his bag and started to walk away.

"Ezra, wait," Angel called, taking a step toward him.

But he didn't stop, his pace quickening as if the interaction hadn't even happened.

"What's his problem?" Elias asked, his voice low and taunting. "He always that weird?"

Angel glanced at him, her brows furrowing slightly. "That wasn't necessary."

"What?" Elias replied innocently, his grin returning. "It's not my fault he's moody. Anyway..." He held out his phone.

Reluctantly, Angel typed her number in. "There. Happy?"

"Ecstatic," Elias said, his tone light but his gaze sharp as he tucked his phone away.

"Okay," she said, stepping back. "I think I've had enough for one morning."

"See you around," Elias said with a wink.

Angel didn't reply, turning on her heel and heading back toward her dorm. The day wasn't even half over, and already, these two were exhausting.

A/N  Heyyy guys ;) here's another chapter