Athena Diaz never wanted to leave her home for Aurelia Heights, an elite boarding school in London filled with wealthy students who think they own the world. Forced to go as a scholarship student, she dreads facing The Big 5-a group of powerful and...
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Sunday, 29 January 2022 09:05 a.m.
I stirred awake, the soft hum of sunlight slipping through the curtains warming my face. I groaned, turning over onto my stomach, burying my head deeper into the pillow. My body ached in all the right places, like I'd slept in one of the luxury mattresses the dorms had. Except...
Something felt off.
My eyes fluttered open, and I blinked a few times, adjusting to the room's unfamiliar brightness. The walls weren't the soft gray of my dorm but a pristine white, and the bed beneath me wasn't my usual twin-sized mattress with its worn edges but a sprawling king-sized bed, covered in silky sheets.
Oh, right.
I was in Theo Campbell's apartment. I looked for my phone but it was nowhere to be seen but luckily there was a clock on the bedside table that read 09:05. I swung my legs over the side of the bed, and I stood, barefoot on the plush carpet.
I walked to the en suite bathroom and brushed my teeth and I splashed my face with cold water to wake me up. I dried my face off and I made the bed. I walked downstairs and the faint aroma of something savory pulling me toward the kitchen.
As I descended, I heard the low hum of a playlist playing in the background—some soft, indie tunes that I wouldn't have pegged Theo for listening to. The closer I got, the stronger the scent became: butter, garlic, and something sweet, maybe maple syrup?
When I stepped into the kitchen, the sight of Theo caught me off guard. He was standing at the stove, barefoot, wearing a plain black T-shirt and gray sweatpants that hung low on his hips. His hair was slightly messy, like he'd just woken up not too long ago himself. He was flipping what looked like pancakes with one hand while stirring something in a skillet with the other. The whole scene was... strangely domestic.
"You're up," he said without turning around, his voice casual. "I was starting to think you'd sleep all day."
"I wasn't planning to," I replied, leaning against the doorframe. "Where's my phone?"
"Down here somewhere," he said, pointing toward the living room with the spatula. "You left it on the couch last night."
I walked over to grab it, the faint smell of maple syrup growing stronger as I passed the kitchen island. When I returned, he was plating food—fluffy pancakes, scrambled eggs with herbs, and sautéed mushrooms. On the counter was a glass of orange juice and a steaming cup of coffee.
"You didn't have to cook," I said as I slid into one of the barstools.
Theo shrugged, setting a plate in front of me. "You're my guest, and I was hungry anyway. It's not a big deal."
I looked down at the food, momentarily speechless. It looked like something out of a five-star brunch menu. "You really don't strike me as the 'breakfast chef' type."
