Ciro's P.O.V
It was Thursday, and all my life-ending crises had finally been submitted for the week. No overdue reports, no all-nighters, just one last thing hanging over my head: finishing my final assignment with Kenan. But before I could face that chaos, I found myself heading back to the same café I'd visited last week.
I'd already written my part of the group project, so all that was left was to sit with the rest of my group and glue everyone's half-finished pieces together before tomorrow's presentation. My bag felt lighter than usual probably because my anxiety was carrying most of the weight for me.
I climbed the stairs two at a time, my breath fogging slightly in the crisp afternoon air. The café door swung open with a faint jingle, and the warm buzz of chatter and coffee machines washed over me instantly. It was more crowded than usual ,students hunched over laptops, a few couples tucked into corners, and the familiar scent of roasted beans battling with cheap air freshener.
I scanned the room for familiar faces from last week. I was running a bit late, but it wasn't the end of the world. I hurried over to our table and pulled out a chair, mumbling an apology as I sat down.
We fell into the routine immediately, everyone comparing slides, fixing typos, and pretending we understood our own citations. I tried to keep my eyes on my laptop, but halfway through editing a paragraph, something hit me harder than caffeine.
A scent warm, subtle, and annoyingly familiar snuck into my nose and refused to leave. It was ridiculous how fast my brain recognized it.
Kenan.
My head jerked up before I could stop myself. I scanned the crowded café once, twice, until my eyes caught him near the back of the cafe , sitting down with Lucian, wearing his usual infuriating calmness.
Of course he would show up here. Of course.
He didn't look away when I glared at him. If anything, he raised his eyebrows in mocking innocence.
Before I could figure out why he was even here, one of my group members nudged me. "Ciro, can you get us some drinks? Just the usual."
"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, pushing back my chair again. I joined the line, ignoring the burning sensation of Kenan's stare on the back of my neck.
I kept my back to him, focusing on the slow shuffle forward, but I could feel him getting closer like a stray cat drawn to chaos.
Sure enough, a familiar weight landed on my shoulder. A warm, solid presence that smelled faintly like pine and something sharper underneath. I didn't need to turn around to know who it was, but I did anyway, mostly to glare.
Kenan leaned closer, his voice a soft hum near my ear. "Don't you owe me a coffee, Ciro?"
I turned way too fast, and his face was right there. His chin brushed my lips. I froze for half a second, my brain short-circuiting like my old laptop.
"Don't you think you're a little too close?" I bit out, my voice low.
Kenan smirked, unbothered. "I find the space just right."
His breath ghosted the side of my neck. His scent mingled with cinnamon buns and espresso, and I hated how it made my chest feel too tight. If anyone could see how fast my heart was going, I'd be medically classified as unwell.
I clenched my jaw and tried not to look like I was leaning away. I caught a few stares from other customers but pretended not to care.
Before I could swing my elbow into his ribs, the barista called my name loud enough for the entire line to hear. I lunged for the tray, muttering curses under my breath while Kenan laughed softly behind me.
I stomped back to the table, carefully setting everyone's orders down, ignoring the heat crawling up my neck.
I handed out everyone's individual orders. One group member gave me a curious glance, and I regretted returning her smile immediately.
"I didn't know you and the class president were together."
To say I wasn't surprised would be an understatement.
"I didn't know either," I said dryly, taking a sip of my drink and setting it down.
"You guys looked close a minute ago."
This was the second time this week someone had asked if Kenan was my partner.
"That's just how Kenan is. He isn't aware of personal space."
Thankfully, the topic died quickly, and we resumed working. I kept sending glares at Kenan whenever I caught him peeking over, but he eventually left with Lucian.
Halfway through organizing the slides, Brooke, one of my group mates, tapped my arm. "Hey, by the way you're presenting with Leone tomorrow , right?"
I blinked. "I am?"
Leone didn't really say anything but shrugged as I looked at him and Brooke.
"You are now," she said with a grin. "Professor said you two are up first."
Great. One more thing to survive. I forced a smile and nodded at the newfound information.
By the time we finished, dusk was settling outside. I gathered my stuff and stepped out into the cooling air and there he was again. Kenan, leaning against a lamppost across the street like some discount drama villain.
I pretended not to see him. He lifted his hand and waved anyway, big sweeping gestures like a lighthouse signal.
As I walked closer to Kenan, closing the distance between us. "I thought I had to sleep here tonight."
Ignoring his statement ,I trudged over, defeated. "What now?"
"Don't we have an assignment to do, Ciro?" he said simply, falling into step beside me as I crossed the street.
Right. It was just an activity assignment . We had to pick something to do together outside of class, like a hobby or an outdoor outing , write a short reflection about it, then attach a few pictures and it was complete. Simple enough, except nothing with Kenan ever stayed simple.
"Can't we wait till the weekend?" I tried, half-heartedly.
"I'm busy this weekend."
I snorted. "Doing what, exactly?"
"Being busy."
I hated how vague he could be and still sound confident. I adjusted my bag and sighed. "Fine. What's your plan, then?"
Kenan glanced at me, a hint of amusement flickering across his face. "Something we did together in high school."
My eyebrows shot up. "Kenan, we did literally everything in high school. Because every time I joined something, you joined a week later."
"Not my fault I have diverse interests…" he said without shame.
"But you lasted more than two weeks, and it's the only time you got first place."
I paused. Oh, I knew exactly what he meant.
There was one thing I truly enjoyed until Kenan and I got into an argument and I quit the club.
Crocheting. We'd been in a lot of clubs together back then, but most ended in disaster mainly because I couldn't stand more than two weeks of his nonsense. The one place I was sure he'd never follow me was the crocheting club. No self-respecting alpha with an ego the size of his would dare.
Or so I thought. Two weeks later, there he was the only alpha in a circle of very confused omegas and betas, acting like he belonged there.
I let out a sharp laugh. "You call terrorizing a club mostly of omegas an interest?"
His eyes glinted. "I didn't terrorize no one I joined because I was interested"
Please, you joined because you wanted to be an over competitive dickhead.
I nearly tripped over my own feet. "No. No way. I haven't crocheted in years. Pick something else."
Kenan laughed. "But you loved it."
I shot him a glare and tried to kick his leg, but he dodged. "I was sixteen, and you ruined it for me."
"Think of something else, like hiking," I snapped.
Kenan gave me a look like he was weighing his next insult carefully. "The last time you ran one lap, you sounded like a hyena. What makes you think you can hike?"
Unfortunately, I had a vivid memory of that disastrous sports day and my aching joints afterward.
"It wasn't that bad," I grumbled. It was that bad.
"It's just a beginner class. It'll be good for you. Relaxing." He put a suspicious emphasis on relaxing.
Which was funny, anything involving Kenan was anything but relaxing.
"But I haven't crochet in years. Let's pick something else."
"It's just a beginner class, Ciro. You'll be fine."
I stared at him, defeated. "When is it?"
"Tomorrow evening. I'll pick you up."
"Of course you will," I muttered. I wanted to argue more, but honestly, arguing with Kenan was like arguing with gravity;pointless and exhausting.
We fell into a quiet step back toward the dorms, the street lights flickering on one by one above us. Neither of us said much, but the silence wasn't awkward.