Rhys hadn't slept properly, but he walked into campus with the same calm face he always wore — the night buried somewhere behind his eyes.
Half the day passed.
No sign of Seraphine.
Not in the hallway, not in the courtyard, not even in the lecture rooms where she usually owned every seat she walked past.
It almost felt intentional… as if she'd erased herself from his orbit after last night.
He told himself he didn't care.
He told himself it didn't matter.
But every time a door opened, he caught himself looking up.
She never walked in.
By noon, the professor assigned a new group project. Names were read out one by one, students shifting and mumbling as they clustered into teams.
"Rhys Hayes."
He stepped forward.
"And Seraphine Calder."
His heart paused—
He felt her before he saw her.
She stepped out from the crowd like she'd been there all along, calm, collected, her expression unreadable. Her hair neatly pinned, her dress crisp — nothing like the girl under the moonlight last night with champagne on her skin and fire in her kiss.
Their eyes met for half a second.
A flicker.
A breath.
A memory.
Then both looked away almost instantly.
No words.
No reaction.
Just two strangers pretending there wasn't a storm between them.
Their teammates began talking about the project, forming a small circle. Rhys and Seraphine stepped into it silently — close enough to feel each other's presence, far enough to act like nothing had happened.
And yet…
Neither of them could ignore it.
The space between them felt louder than anything being discussed.
Lunch Break — The Cafeteria
Rhys sat at his usual seat, eating in silence, trying not to think about the night before — the moonlight, her hair in the wind, her kiss, her eyes…
Until click.
Her familiar footsteps.
Seraphine slid into the seat beside him like it was the most normal thing in the world, like she hadn't disappeared all morning.
He didn't look at her immediately.
He lifted his head just a little — just enough to see her out of the corner of his eye — then returned to his food.
He took a bite, swallowed, and without looking at her, said quietly:
"I need my answers."
No anger.
Just steady expectation.
Seraphine didn't flinch. She simply folded her hands on the table and said gently,
"You should eat properly."
Then she stood up and walked away, as if that was all she came for.
Rhys stared at the empty space she left, jaw tightening.
A few minutes later, his phone buzzed.
Unknown Number:
Meet me after college. Same café.
He didn't need a name.
He already knew.
---
After College — The Café
Rhys arrived early, but she was already there — sitting by the window, back straight, hands folded neatly around a cup she wasn't drinking from.
He slid into the seat across from her, leaning forward, curiosity sharp in his eyes.
She didn't waste a second.
Her voice was calm. Too calm.
"Kevin."
Rhys blinked.
He felt the name hit like a cold ripple through his spine.
Seraphine continued, looking straight ahead:
"I'm sure you've already heard… but he's my fiancé. Or—"
She corrected herself,
"—going to be my fiancé."
Rhys sat still.
Emotion didn't reach his face, but his fingers curled slightly on the table.
She kept talking:
"I was told about it recently. And that's why… I came up with this."
Her eyes finally met his.
Calm. Determined.
And something else — tired.
"So I need you," she said, each word painfully clear,
"to fall in love with me."
The café went silent around them.
Rhys felt the air leave his lungs — not softly, but like a punch he didn't see coming.
Before he could speak, ask, demand, laugh, shout — anything —
Seraphine stood up.
She didn't wait for his reaction.
She didn't explain.
She didn't justify.
She just whispered,
"Please."
And walked out of the café, leaving the bell above the door ringing in her place.
Leaving Rhys staring at the empty seat…
And the impossible task she'd just placed in his hands.
Rhys sat there long after Seraphine left, staring at the door she disappeared through.
Her last word — "Please" — still echoed in his head.
There was so much more behind her story.
More than Kevin.
More than a forced engagement.
More than her games.
And he needed to know exactly what he had walked into.
He leaned back, exhaling sharply.
Kevin… fiancé… fall in love with me…
None of it added up.
None of it fit the Seraphine he knew — the one who moved with precision, not desperation.
As he was lost in thought, the chair across from him scraped lightly.
Someone sat down.
He looked up.
And blinked.
Her.
The girl from last night — the one who spilled her drink, whispered Kevin's name, and stared at him like he was artwork.
"Hi!" she said, smiling brightly, almost bouncing in her seat.
Rhys tried not to look too obvious in his confusion, but she instantly picked up on it.
"Oh— right," she laughed nervously, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Um… Hazel. Hazel Chen. We met last night."
She kept talking, her voice warm and slightly flustered.
"Actually, this place — the hotel and this café — my family owns it. And I'm… well, kind of in charge of this café."
She flushed a little.
"I always wanted one, and after graduating, I thought why not? So now I run this small place."
She suddenly stopped, eyes widening.
"Oh my god… I'm talking too much again."
She looked at him, embarrassed but eager, then leaned in slightly.
"Why don't you say something? Tell me about you too?"
Rhys sat there, still trying to piece together Seraphine's cryptic words when Hazel leaned forward expectantly, waiting for him to speak.
He finally opened his mouth — deciding he should at least try to avoid making things awkward — when a voice cut in smoothly from behind.
"Hazel."
Rhys froze.
Hazel straightened instantly, almost startled.
He didn't need to turn around to know who it was, but he did anyway.
Kevin.
The same Kevin who supposedly never spared Hazel a glance.
The same Kevin Seraphine mentioned as her future fiancé.
The same Kevin he saw her kissing last night.
Kevin didn't look at Hazel the way a fiancé-to-be should.
He looked at Rhys — openly curious.
"Oh," Kevin said with a polite smile, sliding his hands casually into his pockets. "Are you two… together?"
His eyes flicked between them, assessing, amused.
Hazel blinked rapidly.
"T–Together? No, we just—"
"You both look great," Kevin cut in lightly.
Then, almost teasingly, "Should I take a photo?"
Hazel flushed crimson, shaking her head.
Rhys kept quiet, watching Kevin's expression — the way he seemed too comfortable, too confident, too involved.
Something was off.
Way off.
Kevin wasn't here by accident.
And Rhys could tell he knew exactly who he was talking to.
Kevin pulled a chair over and sat with them, acting like he'd been invited.
He flashed a polite smile.
"I'm Kevin—Kevin Harlow. My father owns Harlow Industries… he's also pretty active in politics."
Hazel nodded, a little stiff. Rhys, however, only offered a curt glance. He didn't care who Kevin's father was—but something about the guy sitting there, speaking to Hazel of all people, made Rhys' jaw tick.
Kevin kept talking, but Rhys wasn't listening anymore.
Then—
Ping.
A notification lit up Rhys' phone.
For a split second, a pulse shot through him—hope, excitement, a rush he didn't even recognize.
His heart actually leapt.
It's her…
But reality hit just as fast.
It wasn't Hazel.
It wasn't who he wanted it to be.
It was just his driver messaging:
"Sir, I've located you."
The disappointment was almost embarrassing. He wanted to delete the feeling, pretend it never existed, but it sat heavy in his chest.
And then it hit him.
Phinnie.
If she wanted to play this game…
If she wanted him to watch her, to chase, to wonder—
Fine.
Rhys' lips curled into the faintest, dangerous smile.
Now watch me.