Mr. ice prince

Class dragged on slowly, with Professor Danvier's voice droning in and out of focus. I tried, really tried, to pay attention, but my mind was a jumbled mess. Zachary's stare from earlier lingered in my thoughts, like an itch I couldn't scratch.

Why was he staring at me like that? Did he even know it was me? Was this another one of those weird moments where he only connected the dots through my voice?

I shook my head lightly, trying to ground myself. But every time I snuck a glance his way, there he was—sitting perfectly still, head tilted slightly, his eyes unwavering. As if I was the only thing worth noticing in the entire room.

The thought sent an involuntary shiver down my spine, though I wasn't sure if it was from the cold or the weight of his gaze.

"Adina."

"Hm?" I snapped out of my daze to see Greg giving me a curious look.

"You good?" he asked, brows furrowed in concern.

"Yeah, yeah. Just cold," I muttered, brushing off his concern. The last thing I needed was Felícia or Greg getting too involved in whatever bizarre interaction was happening between me and Zachary.

Felícia, who had clearly been observing me like a hawk, leaned closer. "If you're cold, we can switch seats. I bet if you sit closer to Mr. Ice Prince over there, the frostbite will spread faster."

I stifled a laugh, nudging her shoulder. "Stop it."

"Oh come on. It's hilarious how he stares at you like you're some sort of puzzle." She grinned mischievously. "I swear, it's almost romantic if you squint hard enough."

Greg snorted quietly beside her. "Romantic? Please. The guy looks like he's trying to figure out how to disassemble her brain."

I rolled my eyes. "Both of you, quit it."

Thankfully, the lecture ended before they could tease me any further. Professor Danvier shut his book with a decisive thud, signaling our release from the academic prison. The students around us began packing up, chatting and filing out of the hall.

Felícia leaned over to whisper one last taunt. "Bet you five bucks that Zachary will magically bump into you after class."

"I'll pass." I tried to sound unbothered, but I couldn't ignore the fact that she might be right.

And sure enough, as I stuffed my notebook into my bag and stood up, I felt it—the awareness of someone approaching before I even saw him.

"Adina," a familiar voice drawled from just behind me.

I exhaled slowly, closing my eyes briefly to compose myself. When I turned, there he was—Zachary Stone, standing too close for comfort with that same unreadable expression.

"Hey." I forced a casual smile. "What's up, Zach?"

His lips twitched slightly, almost like he wanted to smile but couldn't quite figure out how. "You left before I could say hi yesterday."

"Ah, yeah." I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly. "I was in a bit of a rush."

He tilted his head, eyes locked on me with that same strange intensity. "Are you rushing now?"

There it was—an unspoken invitation hidden beneath a simple question.

I opened my mouth to reply, but Felícia swooped in, slinging her arm around my shoulders with the grace of a meddling older sister.

"Hello, Zachary," she greeted with a wicked grin. With the way she spoke you'd think they were long time friends. "Nice to see you're still as conversational as ever."

He gave her a flat look but didn't bother responding. It was almost impressive how he ignored everyone else like they barely existed—like I was the only one worth his time. Dare I say it almost seemed..cute?

Felícia leaned closer to me, lowering her voice. "You two kids have fun," she whispered with a sly wink. "I'll drag Greg to the cafeteria and let you handle this one"

Before I could stop her, she was already pulling Greg away, leaving me standing awkwardly in front of Zachary. I shot a mental glare at her retreating back. Traitor.

"Do you want to go somewhere?" Zachary asked, his voice cutting through the awkward silence.

I blinked, caught off guard by the directness of his question. "Uh… where?"

"The roof," he said simply, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Of course. The roof. Where else would Zachary Stone want to hang out?

I hesitated for a moment, but curiosity won out. "Okay," I said. "Lead the way"