Ava didn't expect the silence to hurt.
Monday morning came far too quickly. She'd barely slept, replaying everything that happened at the pool party — the way Nicholas Wolfe had held her waist underwater, the quiet tension between them, and most of all… the kiss in that narrow hallway.
It had felt like a spark, a shock, a mistake she wanted to repeat.
But apparently, Nicholas didn't.
Because by the time Ava reached campus, Nicholas was already surrounded by a small group of students — effortlessly settling into popularity like he'd been here for years instead of weeks. The morning sun cut through his dark hair, which was still damp from the gym, and his white T-shirt clung to him in a way that made half the girls stare too long.
Ava's stomach twisted, but she told herself she was fine.
She didn't need him to notice her.
She walked past the courtyard alone, hugging her books as if they could hold her together. Lila had left early for her own department's seminar, so Ava had only herself for company.
That made it worse — the silence, the way her mind kept returning to his hands on her waist.
She dropped onto a bench, pretending to scroll her phone.
"Ava?"
She looked up to see Maya, her coursemate, with a puzzled expression. "You look like someone told you classes were extended till midnight."
Ava forced a laugh. "Just tired."
Maya tilted her head. "Since when do you come to school tired? Something happened?"
Ava shook her head quickly. "No. Nothing."
Before Maya could push further, someone shouted her name from across the courtyard.
"I need to go," Maya told her. "But… seriously, drink water or sleep. You look stressed."
Ava smiled weakly. "I'll try."
Maya hurried off, leaving Ava alone again — alone with her thoughts and the sting of everything she couldn't say out loud.
She drew in a deep breath and stood up, deciding to ignore Nicholas the same way he was ignoring her. She could do it. She could walk right past him without a single glance.
But she didn't make it two steps.
Because Nicholas Wolfe — the same boy who kissed her like he needed to breathe her in — was kissing someone else.
A brunette stood on her toes, her hands twisted into his shirt, her glossy lips pressed against his. Nicholas leaned casually against the tree behind him, barely reacting, like the kiss meant nothing. Like it was normal. Like it was absolutely unimportant.
Laughter erupted from the boys around him.
The brunette giggled and whispered something in his ear, and he gave her a half-smirk in return.
Ava's heart dropped.
Her breath left her in one sharp exhale, so quiet no one heard. The world didn't freeze — it kept moving, buzzing, laughing — but she felt frozen in place, standing there like an outsider in her own skin.
Of course he kissed other girls.
Nicholas Wolfe was a player.
He'd probably kissed a dozen girls before breakfast.
So why did it hurt this badly?
Ava turned quickly and slipped into the hallway, needing space, air, anything that didn't smell like chlorine and heartbreak. She walked fast, her eyes stinging, telling herself she didn't care.
She wasn't expecting to crash into someone.
A steady hand caught her arm. "Whoa — careful."
Ava blinked up.
A boy with sandy hair and warm brown eyes looked down at her. She recognized him — Liam Hayes, the quiet guy from her introductory economics course. He sat two rows behind her and always seemed to be smiling politely at everyone.
"You okay?" he asked gently.
"I'm fine," she said too quickly.
"You don't look fine," Liam said with a small, concerned smile. "You look like you're trying not to cry, but failing."
A weak laugh escaped her. "That obvious?"
"Only to someone paying attention," he said.
Ava bit her lip.
He didn't know her. Not really. But the kindness in his eyes was more than she could handle at that moment.
"Do you want to walk outside?" he asked. "Fresh air might help."
Normally, Ava would say no. She hated people seeing her vulnerable. And she barely knew Liam.
But the image of Nicholas kissing that girl was still burning behind her eyes.
"Yeah," Ava whispered. "Walking sounds good."
Liam smiled, relieved. "Come on."
They walked side by side toward the courtyard exit — but Ava felt someone watching her before she saw him.
Nicholas.
He stood near the hallway entrance, his hands shoved in his pockets, his expression unreadable but dark. His eyes flicked from Ava to Liam — slowly, deliberately — and his jaw tightened.
For the first time that morning, he looked directly at her.
Not through her.
Not past her.
At her.
Ava lifted her chin and looked right back.
If Nicholas Wolfe could pretend she wasn't important, she could pretend the same.
Liam nudged her gently. "Ready?"
Ava tore her gaze away from Nicholas and nodded.
"Yes."
As they walked off together, she didn't look back again.
But Nicholas did.
And the look in his eyes wasn't confusion.
It was jealousy.