By now, I'd accepted that my life at Ellesmere was no longer normal.
Wearing Theo Ashford's hoodie was like walking around campus draped in a scandal. People stared. Whispered. Filmed. Someone even made a meme:
> "When you're the law but fall for the outlaw."
Kill me.
I yanked the hood lower over my face and slid into my seat in class, hoping to disappear. Ava arrived moments later, carrying two coffees and a smirk that screamed, I saw the group chat.
"You're basically famous," she said, handing me a cup. "Congrats on your lap debut."
"I tripped."
"Onto his lap?"
"AVA."
Before I could defend myself further, the door clicked open. And there he was.
Theo. In all his tattooed, cigarette-scented glory—except today, weirdly, he didn't smell like cigarettes. He smelled like clean soap, crisp air, and… sandalwood? My brain went static for a second.
Ava leaned in, whispering, "Wait. Did you make him stop smoking?"
I was still processing that when Theo waltzed over and plopped into the seat next to mine like he owned the class.
"Hi, Firecracker," he said, draping an arm casually over my shoulder.
My spine stiffened. "You're a second-year. Don't you have your own classes to attend?"
He shrugged, completely unbothered. "I go where I'm entertained."
"Shouldn't you go somewhere far away, then?"
He smirked. "Why would I, when my favorite girl's here?"
That earned several gasps. Phones lifted in slow motion. A few girls actually looked like they wanted to cry. Ava made the world's most dramatic coughing sound behind us.
"Do you enjoy causing public chaos?" I whispered.
"I enjoy sitting next to you," he said. "The chaos is a bonus."
Professor entered, attempting to ignore the classroom's collective implosion. Theo, like the menace he was, gave the faculty rep a lazy nod to carry on—as if he hadn't just hijacked the entire mood of the room.
His hand stayed casually draped over my shoulder while I tried to pretend my face wasn't on fire. When I started taking notes, he leaned in, his breath brushing the shell of my ear.
"What's that perfume?"
I didn't respond.
"Because you smell good," he added, voice low.
That was it. My pen stopped moving.
Around us, students whispered. A girl behind me muttered, "She's literally the luckiest person alive," while someone across the room hissed, "I swear if he looked at me like that I'd faint."
Theo's fingers absentmindedly traced the curve of my upper arm.
I turned to him slowly, trying to be composed. "People are staring."
"Let them."
"You're too close."
He grinned. "Says the girl still wearing my hoodie."
My jaw dropped. "You gave it to me!"
He leaned closer. "And I'll keep giving you things if it means you'll wear them."
Ava let out another over-the-top groan. "Please, I'm begging. PDA in moderation!"
I should've been embarrassed.
But instead, I kinda liked it.