The dorm doors clicked shut behind Ava, and the cool night wrapped around her shoulders. The street was quiet except for the hum of a lone engine idling near the curb.
She expected to see Mia waving from the passenger seat, but instead her eyes landed on a sleek black car, its headlights spilling pale light across the pavement. The driver's window slid down.
Ethan.
He leaned slightly toward the open window, one hand draped casually over the steering wheel. The dim glow from the dashboard lit his face, sharp lines softened by shadow. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes—steady, intent—found hers instantly.
"Mia asked me to pick you up," he said, voice low, almost too calm.
Ava tightened her grip on the strap of her overnight bag. For a heartbeat, she considered turning back inside. But her legs carried her forward, step by step, until she stood beside the car.
"You?" she asked, trying to mask her surprise with a steady tone.
"Problem?" His gaze flicked to her bag, then back to her.
"No," she said quickly, though her pulse betrayed her. "Just… unexpected."
He unlocked the passenger side with a soft click. "Get in. It's not safe to stand out here."
The words were simple, but the way he said them made her chest tighten—like a warning wrapped in protection. She slid into the seat, the leather cool against her palms as she settled her bag at her feet.
Inside the car, silence filled the space, heavy but not empty. She could feel him beside her, not looking at her, but present—like a storm just beyond the horizon.
She glanced sideways, catching the faintest hint of a smirk at the corner of his mouth. "What?" she asked before she could stop herself.
"Nothing," he murmured, shifting the gear. "Just didn't think Mia's best friend would look this nervous."
Ava scoffed lightly, trying to cover her flustered laugh. "I'm not nervous."
He didn't argue. But the silence that followed made her wonder if he believed her—or if he could see straight through the lie.
The car eased away from the curb, carrying her farther from the safe glow of the dorm windows and closer to whatever waited in the Moretti house.
And for the first time that night, Ava wondered if Mia had planned this on purpose.