Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 148962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 745(@200wpm)___ 596(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 148962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 745(@200wpm)___ 596(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
The café isn’t an ideal space to work between classes, but all my usual spots are taken. I’m digging through my backpack for my headphones when someone sits down across from me.
“Hey, Gabi.”
I freeze, blinking at the guy across from me in confusion. I’ve seen him around campus a few times, and I’ve caught him watching me more often recently. Once he smiled, and another time he winked. It felt like he was flirting with me, but I don’t know. We’ve never actually spoken before.
“How do you know my name?”
“You’re BiteSizedGabi on the university Discord, aren’t you?”
My stomach flips at the mention of my username. It’s very specific, and while I suppose he could have randomly noticed my profile picture, what are the odds? It’s not like we’d be in the same communities. I know he’s not a design student. But then again, I have been lurking in the bio server.
As I study him, I wonder if he could actually be Eros415. He’s tall and muscular, with brown hair and piercing blue eyes. It was hard to tell with the mask and hoodie, but they look like they have a similar build.
I shift in my seat, feeling Julian’s gaze from his usual post by one of the brick columns.
“What’s your name?” I ask.
The guy leans forward with a smirk. “Are you going to pretend you don’t know?”
His answer seems to confirm my suspicions, though he isn’t what I pictured when I thought of Eros. This guy looks like he majors in beer pong, and I imagined Eros as something more…intense. But what are the chances someone else would approach me with my username the day after I asked him to meet?
“Are you a biology major?”
He arches a brow at me like I’m missing the obvious. “You’re not the only one who likes sharks.”
Okay, it has to be him.
I want to ask what happened to us not meeting, but Julian’s giving him the stink eye as he texts someone on his phone. I have a feeling he’ll be over here any second now, and I’m not the only one who’s noticed.
“What’s up with that guy? He’s always following you around.”
“It’s hard to explain,” I mumble.
“He’s not your boyfriend?”
“No. Definitely not.”
“A guard then?”
That’s too specific to be a guess, so he must be a member of IVI, or at least know about it. In the past, having a guard with me deterred most guys. The few who did approach usually got freaked out and stopped talking to me quickly. I never knew if that was because of the guard or something else. My previous guard didn’t care who talked to me as long as he could observe. Julian, on the other hand, seems to mind an awful lot.
His scowl deepens as he shoves off the brick column and heads our direction.
“Can you ditch him on Saturday night?”
“I can try,” I blurt, because I don’t have time to think about it.
“Give me your phone for a sec.”
I unlock it and hand it over, watching him enter his contact as "Nate". He sends himself a text from my phone, then saves my contact.
“I’ll fill you in on the details later.”
Before I can say anything else, he stands up just in time for Julian’s arrival.
“Everything alright here?” Julian glares at the interloper.
“Everything’s fine.” I squeak. “We were just talking about the fall event calendar.”
I’m the worst liar ever, and I can tell Julian isn’t remotely buying it, but he seems to let it go as Nate turns to leave.
“See you around, Gabi.”
I nod at him and gather up my things, avoiding Julian’s gaze.
“I should get to class.”
By Friday, Nate has called me a few times, seemingly abandoning our Discord chat.
I’m not sure if it’s my imagination, but our conversations feel more stilted. Part of me wonders if he’s actually Eros, but I’m too embarrassed to ask now. I keep thinking about what he said in the café—if I was going to pretend I didn’t know who he was. It makes sense that he’s Eros, but I think I’m a little disappointed.
When he invites me to a dock party on Saturday, my first instinct is to say no. Parties with strangers aren’t my scene, and it gives me anxiety even thinking about it. But at the same time, I feel like I need to step out of my comfort zone and give this a chance. I can’t just let the months pass me by until I’m forced to marry Riccardo and let him touch me. I want to live while I still can.
I call Mariella and ask for her help. Being the only daughter of the Vitale family, she’s spent a lot of time in this penthouse and knows it well. She’s also one of the smartest people I know. When she isn’t helping abused women through the Aegis network she created, she’s doctoring for The Society and the Cosa Nostra alike. Whenever there’s a problem, she almost always has a solution, and she doesn’t let me down.