The library was quieter than usual—muted sunlight filtered through the tall windows, casting long, golden beams across the rows of dusty books and worn wooden tables. You sat tucked in the farthest corner, away from the steady shuffle of students. Your notes were spread out before you, highlighters uncapped, and a half-empty coffee sat cooling by your elbow. The hum of silence, finally, was helping you focus.

Until it wasn’t.

A chair scraped suddenly beside you. No footsteps. Just the weight of someone dropping into the seat like they owned the place. You didn’t need to look. You already knew.

You sighed, your pen pausing mid-sentence. “Kayden…”

“Ciao, bella.” His accent laced the words like silk as he leaned forward, elbows on his knees, that smug grin tugging at his full lips. “Miss me?”

You turned your head, giving him a flat look. “What.”

Kayden Salvatore grinned wider. Tousled dark hair curled slightly over his brow, and that usual gleam lit his mismatched eyes—one earthy brown, the other an almost surreal pale green. His warm olive skin glowed beneath the soft light, and the classic smirk that girls whispered about in the halls played lazily on his face.

“I missed you too, angel face,” he teased, the words broken just enough by his thick Italian accent to make them almost endearing.

You rolled your eyes, “You know I’m way too smart to be seduced by you.”

He cocked his head, smirking. “That’s why I like you.”

You rested your arms on the table, leaning forward until your eyes were level with his. The playfulness in his gaze flickered for a moment, and you noticed the way his ears reddened slightly.

“Why?” you challenged softly.

“I just like knowing that I deserve what I get.”

You tilted your head, studying him, caught off guard by the sincerity in his voice. “And you think you deserve me?” you asked, voice low.

He looked into your eyes, quiet and steady. “Not just yet,” he murmured. “But I’ll get there.”