“Which is why I’m taking her out to show her otherwise,” he says, seemingly unbothered by her stares. “Care to join us?”
“I’d love to!”
I’m about to protest, but Reid cuts me off.
“Great, follow me.” He strolls along a path that meets the gravel road leading to Haven. Alexis silently squeals before skipping after him.
My jaw tenses. He isn’tthatgood-looking,despite his perfect hair and uniform that seamlessly follows the cut of his body.
Torn between hating how different this is from how I imagined making friends and not wanting to miss out on the opportunity, I hurry to catch up, then ask Alexis about Sophie.
“Haven’t seen her,” she says, waving her hand aside. “She wasn’t in my group, so she must have placed low. She better not be in either of the window rooms when we get back.”
A cringe pulls my face tight. If Alexis’s suspicions are true, then our roommate relations are likely headed in a rocky direction.
“Hey, Cay! Wait up!” Reid calls.
I almost trip glancing at the student walking ahead of us, his hands in his pockets and his head down. He stops, turning back as Reid jogs over to him, and the universe stutters to a halt.
He’s a few inches shorter than Reid and otherwise similar in build, but where Reid’s appearance exudes care and precision, he’s all casual. The waistcoat of his Academy uniform hangs open, while dark, unkempt hair gently curls away from metallic eyes that tug with a magnetism unlike anything I’ve ever known.
My gaze drifts to the mother of pearl button at the top of his collar—undone, in complete violation of the rules of propriety. The neck should remain covered in mixed company at all times.
I avert my eyes, tearing them away from the glimpse of skin beneath his chin. But Reid and Alexis don’t appear bothered, and I don’t want to come off as an uptight prude, so I lock my gaze on his face as he approaches.
His soft yet striking face.
“Ellie, Alexis, this is Caeo. We’re basically brothers,” Reid says, patting him on the back.
Caeo’s half-hearted smile sends a flutter through my stomach, and my palms are sweating as I shake his hand and mutter a quick “Hello.”
Alexis drops into a curtsy when introducing herself, her eyes practically salivating as they sweep across him. There’s a minor relief that I’m not the only one caught in his gravity, but I wish I had her confidence to hide behind.
Reid turns to Caeo. “How’d your placements go?”
“Terribly. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Sounds like you could use a drink.”
Caeo shakes his head. “I don’t know. I have class in the morning.”
“So do we,” I say, thankful for an excuse to pull my gaze toward Reid. “And I never agreed to go drinking.” My nerves are coiling at the very idea—it’d never even be considered at home. Even special occasions are typically limited to lemonade.
“You never agreed to anything.” Reid slaps his hand on Caeo’s shoulder. “Do you really wanna be alone and miserable right now?”
Alexis rests her fingers against Caeo’s forearm. “That sounds awful.”
He eyes her warily, and her mouth curls into a disarming smile. Then he glances at Reid and me, and I attempt to veil my face with an impassive shroud to hide the irritation flickering behind it.
“Fine,” he grumbles, his shoulders sinking.
Before I know it, they’ve all made plans, choosing the Kettle Maker tavern for food with hopes to go somewhere called The Duck after. Alexis never let go of Caeo’s arm, and Reid rolls his eyes before wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her away.
A sharp thump pounds in my chest as Caeo’s eyes land on me. He tilts his head slightly, as if inviting me to lead the way. My nerves swell, but I force myself to trudge after them.
“So, how did you end up on this outing?” Caeo asks, falling into step beside me.
It’s easier to keep my eyes off his jawline while walking, and my heart quickly settles back into its annoyance at this turn of events—everyone else seems so at ease, with me clearly the odd one out.
