Jane's POV
I woke to the sound of someone knocking lightly on the wooden frame of my bed.
"Jane."
I groaned and pulled the blanket over my head.
"Jane."
I opened one eye and glared at the tall figure standing beside my bed.
Zach.
Of course.
He was already dressed, standing there like he had been awake for hours. His black shirt was perfectly fitted, his dark hair slightly damp as if he had already showered, and the same black mask covered the lower half of his face.
Honestly, it was starting to feel like that mask was permanently attached to him.
"What time is it?" I muttered.
"Breakfast."
"That's not a time."
"It's seven-thirty."
I groaned louder and turned onto my back.
"You woke me up… for breakfast?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"The cafeteria gets crowded."
I stared at the ceiling for a moment.
"I hate mornings."
"That's unfortunate."
I sat up slowly and rubbed my eyes, squinting at the sunlight leaking through the curtains.
"You're way too cheerful for this time of day."
"I'm not cheerful."
"You woke me up voluntarily before eight. That counts."
He didn't respond.
Typical.
I sighed dramatically and threw the blanket aside.
"Fine. Give me five minutes."
He nodded and stepped away as I grabbed some clothes from my suitcase and headed into the bathroom.
The shower helped a little.
Not much.
But enough to wake me up.
Warm water ran over my shoulders as I leaned my forehead against the tile wall. My mind drifted back to yesterday—the ceremony, the ridiculous compatibility watches, Zach's constant mysterious attitude.
And that stupid mask.
Why did he keep wearing it?
Even inside our room.
Even when no one else was around.
It didn't make sense.
Most people took off accessories when they were alone. Rings. Watches. Glasses.
But not him.
The mask stayed.
Always.
It wasn't just strange.
It was suspicious.
I finished showering and wrapped a towel around myself before stepping out of the bathroom.
My hair was still wet, so I grabbed the smaller towel and began drying it as I pushed the door open.
"Okay, we can—"
The sentence died instantly.
Zach was standing closer than I expected.
His eyes lifted the moment I stepped out.
And at the exact worst moment possible—
The towel around my body slipped.
For one second I just stood there frozen.
Then gravity did its job.
The towel dropped to the floor.
"Oh my—!"
I gasped and instinctively crossed my arms over my chest, but it was too late.
I was standing there in nothing but my black panties.
My face burned.
Zach didn't move.
He didn't look shocked.
He didn't even look embarrassed.
He just watched me calmly.
"What are you doing?!" I snapped.
Then he moved.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
He stepped forward until my back bumped lightly against the wall beside the bathroom door.
My heart began pounding.
He placed one hand against the wall beside my shoulder, leaning slightly closer—not touching me, just close enough that I could feel the warmth of his body.
"What are you doing?" I demanded again.
"You should be more careful with towels," he said quietly.
My mouth fell open.
"Excuse me?!"
"You dropped it."
"That was an accident!"
"I'm aware."
I glared at him.
"This is your fault! You were standing there like a creep!"
"I was standing in my room."
"You could have looked away!"
"I did."
"You absolutely did not!"
A faint hint of amusement appeared in his eyes.
The arrogant giant was enjoying this.
"You're impossible," I muttered.
"And yet," he said softly, "you're the one who forgot to get dressed."
My cheeks burned even hotter.
"Are you going to move?"
"Eventually."
My heart was beating ridiculously fast now.
Why was he standing so close?
He wasn't touching me.
He wasn't even looking at my body anymore.
His gaze was fixed on my face.
Which somehow made the situation even more intense.
For a long moment neither of us moved.
The air between us felt thick.
Like something invisible was pressing down.
Then his eyes flicked briefly to the towel on the floor before returning to me.
Finally he straightened.
And stepped back.
Just like that.
The space between us returned.
"Get dressed," he said calmly.
I quickly grabbed the towel and wrapped it around myself again.
"You are unbelievably annoying."
He picked up his watch from the desk.
"Breakfast is still waiting."
I pointed at him.
"Turn around."
"Why?"
"So I can get dressed without you staring!"
He paused.
Then he turned his back toward me.
Finally.
I rushed to grab my clothes from the bed and pulled on my jeans and shirt as quickly as possible.
The entire time my mind kept replaying the moment he stepped toward me.
The way he had leaned in.
The way he hadn't touched me at all.
It was almost like he had been teasing me.
Which made it ten times worse.
"Done," I said.
He turned around.
"Let's go."
I grabbed my jacket and followed him out of Room 502.
The walk across the academy courtyard was quiet.
The early morning sun cast long golden rays across the stone paths and tall academy buildings. A cool breeze moved through the trees lining the courtyard, rustling the leaves softly.
Students moved around us.
Some chatting.
Others still half asleep.
A few glanced at the watches on their wrists, comparing glowing compatibility percentages with their partners.
I shoved my hands into my jacket pockets.
"You didn't have to trap me like that," I muttered.
"I didn't trap you."
"You pinned me against the wall."
"I leaned on the wall."
"That's the same thing."
"It isn't."
I stopped walking and looked up at him.
"You did that on purpose."
"You dropped the towel."
My cheeks heated again.
"That was an accident."
"I'm aware."
"You're enjoying this."
"I'm not."
"You definitely are."
He didn't respond.
Which somehow felt like confirmation.
I huffed and kept walking.
A few minutes later we reached the large glass building that served as the academy cafeteria.
Inside, the space buzzed with noise and conversation.
Students filled long wooden tables, trays of food scattered everywhere. The smell of coffee, toast, and eggs drifted through the air.
"Great," I muttered.
"Crowded already."
We grabbed trays and moved through the serving line.
Eggs.
Toast.
Fruit.
Coffee.
Simple breakfast food.
Zach moved efficiently, grabbing exactly what he wanted without hesitation.
Meanwhile, I stood there debating between pancakes and waffles like it was a life-altering decision.
Eventually I chose both.
As we turned toward the seating area, a voice suddenly called out.
"Well, well."
Zach stopped walking.
I looked up.
Two couples were sitting at a table near the windows watching us.
One girl with long silver-brown hair leaned back in her chair with a mischievous grin.
"Well this is interesting," she said.
Her eyes moved straight to me.
"And you must be the famous partner."
I blinked.
"Famous?"
Zach sighed quietly beside me.
The girl laughed.
"Oh don't worry, you didn't do anything wrong."
She gestured toward him.
"But it's not every day Zach Calder gets paired with someone."
She pointed to herself.
"I'm Rhea."
Then she pointed to the blond guy sitting beside her.
"This is Joren. My partner."
Joren gave me a friendly nod.
"Nice to meet you."
Across from them sat another couple.
The guy leaned casually against the table.
"I'm Adrian," he said.
"And this is Thalia."
Thalia gave me a small polite smile.
I looked at Zach.
"You didn't mention you had friends here."
Rhea laughed loudly.
"Oh we're more than friends."
She leaned forward slightly.
"I'm his sister."
My head snapped toward Zach.
"You have a sister here?"
Rhea smirked.
"He forgets to mention a lot of things."
Adrian chuckled.
"That's Zach for you."
Thalia watched quietly, her observant eyes moving between Zach and me.
I crossed my arms.
"I'm starting to notice that."
Rhea studied me with open curiosity.
"So," she said slowly, clearly enjoying herself.
"How was your first night with my brother?"
I nearly choked on my drink.
Zach looked mildly annoyed.
Rhea's grin widened.
"Oh this month is going to be fun."
I coughed and grabbed my napkin.
"It was normal," I said quickly.
"Nothing happened."
Rhea raised one eyebrow dramatically.
"Disappointing."
"Rhea," Zach said flatly.
"What?" she said innocently.
"I'm just curious."
Joren chuckled quietly beside her.
"You're always curious."
"That's because life is boring if you're not."
Adrian leaned forward slightly.
"So what do you think of the academy so far?" he asked me.
"It's… big," I said.
"And confusing."
"That's accurate," Adrian said with a grin.
Thalia finally spoke.
"You'll get used to it."
Her voice was calm and gentle.
I nodded.
"I hope so."
Rhea rested her chin on her hand as she looked at us.
Then her eyes suddenly narrowed.
"Oh wait."
She pointed between Zach and me.
"Why are you two sitting so far apart?"
I blinked.
"What?"
"You're partners," she said.
"You're supposed to sit closer."
"We're fine," I said quickly.
Zach continued eating like none of this mattered.
Rhea leaned toward him.
"Brother."
"Yes."
"You're being boring."
"Good."
"That's not good."
He didn't respond.
Rhea turned back to me.
"Don't worry," she said.
"I'll fix him."
I stared at her.
"Fix him?"
"Oh yes."
She grinned.
"This academy program lasts a month."
Then she gestured between Zach and me again.
"That's thirty days of forced proximity."
Joren laughed.
"Rhea…"
She ignored him.
"Thirty days of shared rooms."
Adrian leaned back with a knowing smirk.
"And training exercises."
Thalia added softly.
"And compatibility evaluations."
Rhea's grin widened.
"So trust me."
She looked directly at me.
"By the end of this month…"
Her eyes flicked to Zach.
"Something interesting is definitely going to happen."
I looked at Zach.
He looked completely unbothered.
Which somehow made me even more suspicious.
Something told me she was absolutely right.
And somehow I had a feeling—
Living with Zach Calder was about to become a lot more complicated than I thought.
And this was only day two.