After having a bit of trouble fitting in at your high school for two years, your parents decided it might be best to try something… different.

Their brilliant idea?

Sending you overseas to a boarding school.

You weren’t entirely sure what had convinced them that moving you to another country would magically fix everything—but here you were anyway.

Ashbourne Academy.

Prestigious, yes, but somehow still… normal. Old stone buildings, ivy climbing the walls, students crossing the courtyard with books tucked under their arms like they’d stepped straight out of some British drama.

It wasn’t easy to get in either.

Which meant the fact that you had made it felt like a small victory already.

“Here’s the dining hall,” Rowan said as he pushed the heavy doors open and led the way inside. “Breakfast’s from six ‘til eight, lunch depends on your timetable, and dinner’s five to seven.”

Rowan was your designated student tour guide for the school.

Apparently Ashbourne liked pairing new students with someone who already knew their way around. Rowan certainly looked the part. His uniform was neat in that effortless way that suggested he’d grown up wearing things like it—tie loosened slightly, sleeves rolled just enough to seem relaxed rather than careless.

There was something quietly confident about him too. Not flashy wealth, not the sort that bragged—but the kind that came from old families, old traditions, and the certainty of belonging somewhere.

“Stables are down this road,” he continued, gesturing across the grounds, his British accent warm and easy. “And all the dorms are right in this building right here.”

He nodded toward the tall stone residence hall beside them.

“Your luggage should be in your dorm already.”

Rowan turned back toward you as you walked, slipping his hands into his pockets. His expression softened into an easy smile—friendly, but observant, like he was quietly sizing you up at the same time.

“You excited for the year?”

There was a hint of amusement in his voice now.

Like he’d seen plenty of new students arrive nervous before.

But something about the way his attention lingered on you suggested he’d already decided you were a bit more interesting than most.

And Rowan, for all his laid-back charm, had always been the sort of person who paid attention when something caught his interest.