The campus library was nearly empty when Brooklyn arrived the next evening. She picked a quiet corner table, spreading her notes out as if the extra space would shield her from distraction.
Five minutes later, distraction walked in.
Bryant dropped his bag on the chair across from her with a grin. "Relax, partner. I'm on time today."
Brooklyn raised an eyebrow. "Congratulations. Do you want a medal?"
He chuckled, pulling out his notebook. "A smile from you will do."
She rolled her eyes and tried to focus on her textbook, but his presence was annoyingly magnetic. The more she tried to ignore him, the more aware she was of his tapping pen, his low hum when he read, the way he leaned back casually like he owned the whole space.
"Okay," she said briskly, pushing papers toward him. "You take methodology. I'll handle the literature review. No distractions, no jokes. Just work."
Bryant put a hand over his heart. "I can be serious when I want to."
"Prove it," she shot back.
For the next half-hour, they actually worked in silence. Brooklyn was surprised at how quickly Bryant gathered sources and scribbled notes. He wasn't just coasting — he knew what he was doing.
Finally, she looked up. "You… you're actually good at this."
He smirked. "Don't sound so shocked."
"I just thought—" She hesitated. "I mean, people say things about you."
His expression shifted, a flicker of something softer beneath the cocky grin. "Yeah, I know what people say. But you shouldn't believe everything you hear."
Brooklyn swallowed, suddenly unsure how to respond. The tension between them thickened, not the playful kind — but something deeper.
Before she could break the silence, his phone buzzed. He glanced at it, then slid it aside.
"You're more important," he murmured.
Brooklyn's cheeks warmed. She quickly buried herself in her notebook. This is dangerous, she thought. I can't let this get to me.
But as she sneaked another glance at him, bent over his notes with surprising focus, she couldn't deny it anymore — Bryant was not what she expected. And that scared her more than anything.