I cupped her face, planting a soft kiss on her beautiful lips. "Don't ever run from me, baby," I said softly, letting my thumb trace her jaw. "I love the chase." Her jaw tightened, her hands coming up to try and move mine. "Stop calling me baby, Ezra," she snapped, eyes flashing. I couldn't help but grin, dropping my voice to something low and dark. "Ohhh, now my baby has a problem with me calling her baby?" She shot me a glare, but I just tucked her hair behind her ear, pressing another kiss to her lips-gentler this time, lingering. "You don't get to tell me what to call you, baby." I leaned in closer, brushing my nose against hers. "You're whatever the fuck I call you."

Malika Danai is pressure. Friendly, social, and loved by all, Malika thrives in college and is often seen as a mirage - seemingly real and attainable but disappears when approached. She's a party girl to the core. Loves to drink, flirt, and explore with her best friends, Ayana and Isabella. Her beauty is undeniable. With curly black hair cascading over her shoulders and golden-brown skin that glows no matter where she's at, Malika's presence is impossible to ignore. Her dark brown eyes often sparks with mischief, and her full two-toned lips often curves into teasing grins that hints at secrets she rarely shares. Malika excels at a lot of things but she was never the study type. She prayed the night before exams and hoped that her grades would at least give her a passing score and somehow, that always worked. Until now... Her grades are barely holding on- good enough to pass, but not good enough for a sorority like the Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA). She wants to join. No she needs to. It's the only way she can prove to her mother that she's worth it. And she'll do whatever it takes. Even if it means casting her pride aside to get help from the boy who loathes her existence. Meanwhile... Theo Sinclair is a weapon. An academic weapon that nobody can beat. Coming from an old money family where the expectations and bars are set high, Theo surpasses them all and is often pushed towards greatness by his family. Yet he has a big flaw: boredom. Because of his uncaring attitude towards everything and everyone around him, Theo is often alone. Deliberately avoiding attention and validation from peers; he thrives in the silence and rhythm of his own scheduled routines. He has only one rule; 'Never let myself feel things I can't control.' To him, parties are ratchet and vile. An enigma vastly contrasting his reverence for solitude, silence, and carefully ordered thoughts. So when he's pushed into an unwanted arrangement, he resents the intrusion because slowly, his rule...

𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐡, 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐢𝐟 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞

"𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐘?" 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐀𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐘𝐀𝐇, 𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐀𝐂 𝐖𝐀𝐒 a disaster, chaos within tragedy, wallowing in his feelings every day. Never expressing what he felt, yet was so angry at everyone for not noticing. Angry at himself for not expressing anything. Angry about the circumstances he was forced into. Then he meets her. Aaliyah, the girl whose eyes sparkled with adoration when he came around. The girl whose actions were never malicious, radiating kindness everywhere she went. When he loses her, he stays quiet, packaging himself into a persona that's easier for people to digest. Until Isaac sees Aaliyah again. Until he has a chance to make things right. Until Isaac gets the person who never once made him feel small or misunderstood. The person whom he thinks he could be with for 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲.