“I’m Delilah.” She strides forward to introduce herself. “Kady’s housemate.”
“Riven.” He holds out his hand, smiling shyly. “I’m glad to meet one of Kady’s housemates.”
“You’re going to be late for class, Del,” I say through gritted teeth as they shake hands. “You better go.”
“I’ll catch you later, Kady.” Delilah gives me a hug. “You have some explaining to do.”
I roll my eyes as she heads off. Over Riven’s shoulder, she gives me a thumbs up and mouths, “He’s hot!”
I have no time to think about the interrogation I’ll face at Stella House tonight before I return my attention to the remains of Riven’s telescope.
We both kneel to inspect it, making contact as we reach for a piece of shiny metal at the same time. I shiver as the soft pad of his finger skims the top of my hand. We look up at one another, rooted to our spots.
I clear my throat, tucking a long hair behind my ear. “How did they even get a hold of your telescope?”
Riven carefully disassembles the parts, then stashes them into his backpack, holding the lens in his hand. “They asked me if they could take a look. I thought they might be interested in stargazing.”
“Football players interested in stargazing?” I scoff. “They’d be as likely to be interested in crochet.”
He bashfully looks down at the ground. “I guess it’s a nerdy hobby.”
“No,” I hurriedly reply. “I just meant they obviously wanted it for nefarious reasons. Jocks here kinda have a reputation for being assholes.”
He shifts his weight from one foot to another. “I guess I’m not very good at reading social cues. If someone says something, my brain doesn’t question whether they mean it.”
I can’t imagine how thinking that way would be. Having Richard Sinclair as a father usually means that I’m questioning everyone’s motives. There’s something refreshing about how Riven thinks and how he takes everything at face value.
“Hey.” I gently take his arm. “This isn’t your fault. They’re just jerks, okay?”
“I should know better.” His teeth catch his lip. “It’s not the first time something like this has happened.” His expressiongoes almost vacant, his eyes glazing over before light returns to them a few seconds later. “It’s fine, though. The damage looks fixable, but next time, I’ll remember what you said about the football team. Jerks. Noted.”
“Do you have to get to class right away?” I ask. “Or do you want to grab a coffee?” I notice how his nose crumples. “Or hot cocoa?” He instantly grins, showing two perfect dimples that contrast with the lines of his nose and sharp chin.
“Cocoa sounds good.” He slings his bag over his shoulder. “I only came onto campus to check out a few vantage points for an eclipse. I found a pretty good spot. If you’re free, I could show you? It’s worth a look.”
I hesitate before responding, wondering whether spending more time with him is really a good idea. “I guess I have some spare time.”
“Perfect.” He beams even more as we head to Bouncing Bunna’s takeout window to order drinks. Riven insists on paying, despite my being partially responsible for breaking the telescope.
“Where is this mystery spot?” I ask as we set off.
“You’ll see.” He blows on his steaming cocoa, his reply cryptic.
“I’ve been at SVU a whole year longer than you, remember?” I tease, nudging him playfully. “I know all the best places.”
“I seem to have a way of finding places that others overlook.”
Somehow, I think he may be right.
Ambling down the main street, we pass early morning joggers and some of the faculty buildings before taking a steep path lined with towering pine trees.
As we reach the edge of campus, the walkway narrows, the trees becoming denser until it opens up onto a small clearing I never knew existed. I gaze around, surprised at how high we climbed. Below us, I spot the glass dome of the greenhouse andthe roofs of Omega Village. In the other direction, the mountain view is even more breathtaking than usual.
Riven leads me over to a bench to sit down. His clean and fresh scent makes me feel calm, erasing all the stress I’d felt upon leaving Stella House this morning. Being around Riven has a way of cutting through the noise, getting rid of all distractions, and letting me fully tune in to the present moment—something I usually struggle to do, too preoccupied with chasing my next goal or assignment, always thinking about what’s coming up. The stillness is comforting.
“Do you like it?” His heated gaze prickles my skin. “The view?”
“I usually have my head stuck in a book, so I don’t take the time to really appreciate where we are.” I take a moment to fully soak in the snow-capped mountain view and caress my warm cup to bring warmth into my fingers. “This is amazing.”
