Chapter 2 :- Familiar strangerstrangers

The following day, the lecture hall buzzed with the usual pre-class chatter. Sophia slipped into her seat near the middle of the room, hoping to blend in with the sea of students. She was always careful not to draw too much attention to herself; the last thing she needed was someone asking questions about her past.

As she pulled out her notebook and textbook, she caught snippets of conversation around her—discussions about assignments, weekend plans, and the occasional grumble about the upcoming exams. It was the kind of ordinary college life she craved, a stark contrast to the life she had left behind.

The professor walked in, and the room gradually quieted. Just as the lecture was about to begin, the door at the back of the room creaked open. Sophia glanced up, her breath catching in her throat. It was him—the man from the coffee shop.

Luca.

His presence immediately shifted the energy in the room. As he strode down the aisle, his eyes scanned the rows of students, and for a brief moment, they locked onto Sophia's. She quickly looked away, her heart pounding. What was he doing here?

She tried to focus on the lecture, but she could feel Luca's presence like a magnetic pull. He took a seat a few rows behind her, and even though she couldn't see him, she was acutely aware of his every movement.

As the lecture droned on, Sophia found herself unable to concentrate. Her mind kept wandering back to the coffee shop, to the way his gaze had lingered on her, as if he knew something she didn't. There was an unsettling familiarity about him that she couldn't shake.

When the class finally ended, Sophia gathered her things quickly, hoping to slip out unnoticed. But as she stood up, she felt a presence behind her. She turned to find Luca standing there, his expression unreadable.

"You left in a hurry yesterday," he said, his voice low and smooth.

Sophia blinked, caught off guard by his directness. "I… had things to do," she replied, her voice wavering slightly.

He nodded, his gaze unwavering. "I see. Mind if I walk with you?"

Sophia hesitated, every instinct telling her to say no, to distance herself from him. But something about his presence made it hard to refuse. Reluctantly, she nodded, and they walked out of the lecture hall together.

The campus was alive with students, but Sophia felt isolated in Luca's company. They walked in silence for a few moments before he spoke again.

"Do you always come to that coffee shop?" he asked, his tone casual.

Sophia shrugged, trying to keep her voice light. "Sometimes. It's a nice place to relax."

"Yeah, I noticed." He glanced at her, a faint smile playing on his lips. "I've seen you there before."

She frowned slightly. "You have?"

"Yeah," he said, a hint of something unspoken in his tone. "You're hard to miss."

Sophia felt a blush creeping up her neck and quickly looked away. There was something about Luca's attention that both intrigued and unnerved her. It was as If he saw right through her, past the carefully constructed walls she had built around herself.

They reached the edge of the campus, where the paths diverged. Sophia stopped, turning to face him. "This is where I have to go," she said, hoping to end the conversation.

Luca nodded, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes—something dark and unreadable. "We'll see each other around, Sophia."

The way he said her name sent a shiver down her spine. It wasn't just the sound of it; it was the way he seemed to linger on it, as if he had known her for much longer than a few fleeting moments.

As she watched him walk away, Sophia couldn't shake the feeling that this was no ordinary encounter. Luca was different, dangerous in a way she couldn't yet understand. And as much as she wanted to distance herself from him, a part of her was irresistibly drawn to the mystery that surrounded him.

Little did she know, that mystery was about to pull her into a world she had desperately tried to escape—a world where her past and present would collide in ways she couldn't have imagined.