Zay Pov
If there is one thing I have learned about the universe, it is that it loves to kick you when you are already down.
After the traumatic basketball court reunion yesterday, I barely slept. I spent the entire night staring at the ceiling of my beautiful new condo, tossing and turning. My brain kept replaying the moment our eyes locked, and the heavy silence between us when we took that group photo.
By the time Tuesday morning rolled around, I was running on pure spite and three shots of espresso.
"You look like you're plotting a murder" Pai chirped, sliding into the seat next to me in the lecture hall.
I blinked, snapping out of my trance. I was sitting in the very back row of the Veterinary Anatomy hall, gripping my digital pen so hard it was a miracle it hadn't snapped in half.
"I'm fine," I lied, forcing a bright, fake smile. "I am just incredibly excited to learn about the skeletal system of domestic canines. It's my passion, Pai."
Pai laughed and opened his notebook.
"Sure it is. You don't have to lie to me, Zay. You still look like you want to fight that basketball player from yesterday. Are you sure you don't know him? He was staring at you so hard during the photo that I thought his eyeballs were going to fall out."
"Coincidence!" I hissed, leaning over to whisper. "He was probably just staring at a smudge on my forehead. Now, shh! The professor is starting."
I turned my attention to the front of the room. The lecture hall was massive, built like a movie theater with steep rows of wooden desks. At the bottom, our professor was setting up a microphone.
This is it, I thought, taking a deep breath. This is where my real life starts. I am a Vet student. I don't have time for boys, drama, or past situationships. I am going to focus, get my degree, and save animals.
The professor tapped the microphone, the feedback echoing through the speakers.
"Good morning, freshmen," she said, her voice commanding and strict. "Welcome to Veterinary Anatomy 101. This is the hardest course of your first semester. If you do not put in the work, you will fail. It is as simple as that."
A collective, nervous gulp rippled through the room. I felt a thrill of excitement. Yes! This was exactly what I needed. A brutal, difficult distraction.
"Now, before we begin the first slide, let's address our sit—"
The heavy wooden doors at the back of the lecture hall suddenly creaked open.
The entire room went silent. A hundred heads turned toward the back door.
I didn't turn around immediately. I didn't want to be distracted. But then, a familiar scent drifted past my desk. It was the scent of rain and expensive cedarwood cologne. My heart did a violent, painful flip in my chest.
No. no, no, no.
I slowly, painfully turned my head to the left.
Standing in the doorway, wearing a casual black hoodie with the hood down, was Kai Alexandre Frasier. He had a black backpack slung lazily over one shoulder. His dark hair was a little messy, and his expression was as bored and grumpy as ever.
He didn't look like he belonged in a Veterinary class. He looked like he belonged on the cover of a sports magazine.
"You're late, Mr. Frasier," the professor said, tapping her podium.
Kai didn't flinch. He just nodded politely. "Sorry, Professor. My morning training ran over. It won't happen again."
His voice was a low, smooth rumble. The exact same voice that used to whisper jokes into my ear during late-night study sessions two years ago. A group of girls in the front row started whispering and giggling, elbowing each other.
"Well, find a seat quickly," the professor sighed, waving her hand dismissively toward the rows. "We are already behind schedule. And since this is a heavy science elective for your Sports Science degree, you cannot afford to miss a single minute."
My jaw dropped. A science elective? Sports Science students were allowed to take Vet Anatomy for credits? Who designed this curriculum?! I wanted to file a formal complaint with the Dean immediately.
I quickly turned my head back around, staring lasers at my blank tablet screen. I hunched my shoulders, trying to shrink my body. I prayed to every deity out there that Kai would just sit in the front row with the giggling girls.
Kai started walking down the stairs. I could hear the thud of his sneakers on the linoleum floor.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
He was getting closer. He passed the first row. He passed the second row. He passed the middle section.
The footsteps stopped.
The desk chair right next to me creaked as someone sat down.
I didn't look. I couldn't breathe. I kept my eyes locked on the front of the room, my vision blurring.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a large, tan hand reach into a backpack and pull out a notebook. Kai unzipped his pencil case, lean back in his chair, and crossed his long legs under the desk.
He was sitting right next to me. Out of a hundred empty seats in this massive lecture hall, he had chosen the one right next to his ex-situationship who ghosted him two years ago.
The universe didn't just kick me when I was down. It was actively laughing at me.
I sat frozen in my seat, my eyes glued to the front of the lecture hall. If I didn't look to my left, Kai Alexandre Frasier didn't exist. That was the rule. If I didn't acknowledge him, he was just a ghost, a figment of my sleep-deprived imagination.
But it's hard to ignore a ghost when he's sitting close enough for your elbows to brush.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see his profile. He looked so infuriatingly calm. He leaned back in his chair, his long legs stretched out under the desk, and casually uncapped a black ink pen. He didn't pull out a fancy tablet or a colorful binder like the rest of the overachieving Vet students. He just had a simple, spiral-bound notebook.
He didn't look at me. He didn't wave. He didn't even clear his throat. He just sat there, breathing, and sending my entire nervous system into a tailspin.
Next to me, Pai was vibrating with pure, unadulterated chaos. He kept leaning forward, pretending to look at the professor, but his eyes were darting wildly between me and Kai. He looked like he wanted to scream. He scribbled something furiously on a sticky note and pushed it toward me.
ZAY!!! IT IS THE GUY FROM THE BASKETBALL COURT!!! HE IS SITTING NEXT TO YOU!!! AM I DREAMING?!
I didn't answer. I just took my digital pen and aggressively scribbled a giant X over Pai's note.
The professor cleared her throat, tapping her microphone to get everyone's attention.
"Alright, class, settle down," she commanded, her voice sharp. "Today, we are going to dive into the skeletal system of domestic canines. But before we begin the slides, I have a very important announcement about how this semester will run."
She clicked her remote, and a slide titled LABORATORY PARTNERSHIPS popped up on the giant projector screen.
A collective groan rippled through the room. Vet students were notoriously independent. We liked our own notes, our own schedules, and our own study habits. Sharing a grade with someone else was a nightmare.
"This is not a suggestion, students," the professor said, her eyes narrowing over the rim of her glasses. "Veterinary Medicine is team-based. You will never work a clinic alone. Therefore, for the entire semester, you will be paired up. You will share a lab bench, you will do dissections together, you will write your reports together, and you will share the same project grade."
My heart started to beat a little faster. Okay. That's fine. Pai is sitting right next to me on my right. Pai is smart. Pai is my friend. This is perfect.
I turned to my right to give Pai a thumbs-up.
"The pairings are very simple," the professor continued. "You are paired with the person sitting directly to your left, No switching, No exceptions. If your partner drops the class, you drop the class. Look to your left, shake hands, and get used to each other."
The world tilted on its axis.
The breath was completely knocked out of my lungs. Slowly, painfully, my head turned to the left.
Kai was already looking at me.
His dark eyes were unreadable. Up close, he was even more striking than he had been yesterday. There was a tiny, faint scar right above his left eyebrow that I didn't remember from two years ago. His expression was neutral, but there was a flicker of something intense in his gaze.
I stared at him, my mouth slightly agape.
No. no, no, no. There is no way. This is a prank. I am on a hidden camera show.
"Well?" Kai said, his voice a low, smooth rumble that vibrated straight through my chest.
It was the first time he had spoken to me in two years. Hearing his voice up close was like a physical blow. It was deeper than it used to be, but it still had that lazy, effortless edge to it.
"Well, what?" I snapped, my voice coming out a little sharper than I intended. My self-defense mechanisms were working overtime.
Kai tilted his head, a tiny, almost imperceptible smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. He slowly extended his large hand toward me over the wooden desk.
"Aren't you going to shake your new partner's hand, neighbor?" Pai whispered.
I looked down at his hand, then back up at his face. My heart was pounding so hard I was sure Pai could hear it. The heat in the room seemed to rise by twenty degrees.
I reached out, my hand shaking just a tiny bit, and let my fingers brush against his. His palm was warm, his grip firm and strong. An electric jolt shot up my arm, making my hair stand on end. I pulled my hand back as fast as humanly possible, tucking it under the desk.
"Zay," I whispered, refusing to give him my full name. "My name is Zay."
"I know what your name is," Kai murmured, lean back in his chair. He didn't break eye contact. He just sat there, twirling his pen between his long fingers.
The professor started the lecture, her voice droning on about femur bones and joints, but I couldn't hear a single word. My brain was a static mess of panic. I tried to focus on my tablet, drawing a very aggressive, very ugly diagram of a bone that looked more like a lumpy potato.
After about twenty minutes of heavy silence, I felt a shift next to me.
Kai leaned over the desk. He didn't touch me, but he was close enough that I could feel the heat radiating off his shoulder. He leaned in close to my ear, his warm breath fanning across my neck. It sent a shiver racing down my spine.
"Are you going to keep pretending you don't know me for the whole semester, Zay?" Kai whispered, his voice dangerously low.
"Because it's going to be a very long four months if you do."
I gripped my pen so hard the plastic creaked. I slowly turned my head, our noses only a few inches apart. I could see the flecks of gold in his dark irises.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I lied through my teeth, my voice a cold, sharp whisper. "We are lab partners, Mr. Frasier. Nothing more, nothing less. Now, please let me focus. I am trying to pass this class."
Kai didn't look angry. He didn't look upset. Instead, that tiny, frustrating smirk returned. He leaned back in his chair, a look of amusement dancing in his dark eyes.
"Fine," Kai whispered, clicking his pen.
"Have it your way, Partner."
I turned back to my notes, my face burning red. I was in deep, deep trouble. My fresh start was officially dead.
The rest of the two-hour lecture was pure torture.
I didn't absorb a single thing about canine skeletons. Every time I tried to focus on the projector screen, my mind would drift to the heat radiating off the person sitting to my left. I could feel Kai's gaze on me every few minutes, even though I refused to turn my head. It was heavy, silent, and incredibly distracting.
Finally, the professor tapped her microphone one last time.
"That is all for today, class," she announced, gathering her papers. "Make sure you exchange contact information with your partner before you leave the room. You have your first laboratory dissection module due next Tuesday. Don't be late."
The lecture hall instantly exploded into noise. Chairs scraped against the floor, zippers zipped, and students began chatter-shuffling toward the exits.
I didn't waste a single second. I grabbed my tablet, stuffed it into my backpack, and practically leaped out of my seat.
"Let's go, Pai," I said, my voice urgent. "I'm starving. Let's go find that cafeteria you were talking about."
"Wait, Zay!" Pai yelped, tripping over his own bag as he tried to keep up with me. "You can't just leave! The professor said you have to exchange numbers with your partner! You're going to get a zero if you don't do the lab report!"
I froze mid-step. My shoulders slumped. Pai was right. It didn't matter how much I wanted to run away; if I failed this class, my parents would drag me back home so fast my head would spin.
I slowly turned around.
Kai was still sitting in his seat, leaning back with his arms crossed over his chest. He was watching me with an amused expression, like he knew exactly what internal war was happening inside my brain. He didn't even look like he was in a rush to leave.
I walked back to the desk, stopping a safe three feet away from him. I pulled my phone out of my pocket, keeping my face as blank as a sheet of paper.
"Your number," I said flatly, holding the phone out toward him.
Kai didn't take my phone. Instead, he just pulled his own device out of his hoodie pocket and unlocked it. He tapped a few times and then slid it across the wooden desk toward me.
"Type it in, Partner," Kai murmured.
I gripped my phone tightly, picking up his device. It was a sleek, black smartphone with a plain clear case. I typed my phone number into his keypad, saved it under the name 'Zay - Vet Lab', and slid it back to him.
"There," I said, pointing at his screen. "I'll text you the lab schedule later. Don't call me unless it's about the canine anatomy report."
Kai picked up his phone, looking at the screen. A slow, lazy smile spread across his face—the kind of smile that used to make my heart skip a beat two years ago. He didn't look at the screen for long before his dark eyes flicked back up to mine.
"Sure," Kai said, his voice dropping an octave. "Whatever you say, Zay."
He stood up, slinging his black backpack over one shoulder. Because he was so tall, he completely towered over me. He leaned down slightly, his face hovering just a few inches from mine, his voice a low whisper that only I could hear over the noisy classroom.
"But just so you know... you're a really bad liar. You haven't changed at all."
Before I could process the words, let alone think of a witty comeback, Kai straightened up, gave a casual two-finger salute to a very confused Pai, and strolled out of the lecture hall with his hands in his pockets.
I stood there, blinking, my cheeks flushing a bright, furious red.
"Okay, spill it!" Pai shouted, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me. "Spill it right now, Zay Niall Earl! 'Partner'? 'You haven't changed'? Who is he?! How do you know the campus heartthrob, and why did it feel like I was watching a K-drama scene unfold in front of my very eyes?!"
I sighed, rubbing my temples. The headache was already starting to form.
"Let's get lunch first, Pai," I groaned, dragging my feet toward the exit. "I think I'm going to need a very large iced coffee for this explanation."
The campus cafeteria was a chaotic mess of clattering trays, loud laughter, and the rich smell of fried food.
Pai and I navigated the sea of students, balancing our lunch trays and two massive cups of iced coffee. We managed to snag a small, wobbly table in the very back corner, hidden behind a giant potted plant. It was the perfect fortress for a secret interrogation.
Pai didn't even touch his food. He leaned over the table, his eyes wide and sparkling with anticipation.
"Okay, Zay. No more distractions. No more hunger excuses. Spill it," Pai whispered, pointing his plastic fork at me. "Who is Kai Alexandre Frasier to you? And don't tell me he's just some guy from your neighborhood, because the tension in that lecture hall was thick enough to suffocate a horse."
I sighed, staring down at my pasta. I picked up my iced coffee and took a long, deep sip. The caffeine hit my system, giving me the courage to finally say it out loud.
"He's my ex-situationship, Pai," I muttered, my face heating up. "Or... whatever you call it when two people are practically dating but never make it official because one of them is too scared to commit."
Pai gasped so loudly the student at the table next to us turned to look. He slapped his hands over his mouth, his eyes nearly popping out of his head.
"I knew it!" Pai squealed in a hushed tone. "I knew it was something juicy! So wait, you guys were together two years ago? Before you moved away?"
I nodded miserably, twirling my pasta with my fork. "Yeah. It was right before I left. I was completely head over heels for him, Pai. I was the 'sunshine' one, always following him around, making him lunches, cheering for him at his games. He was always so grumpy and quiet, but I thought he liked me back."
"And did he?" Pai asked, leaning in closer.
"He never said it," I whispered, the old rejection stinging my chest. "He took me for granted. He never initiated anything. It felt so one-sided that it started to break me. I felt like I was begging for his attention. So, instead of letting my heart get completely shattered, I made a choice. I packed my bags, ghosted him, and moved abroad for two years to heal."
Pai sat back in his chair, a look of sympathy softening his features. He reached across the table and patted my hand.
"Zay... that's heavy. I had no idea you went through that. You ghosted the campus heartthrob? That's incredibly bold of you, honestly."
"I was desperate!" I groaned, hiding my face in my hands. "I thought two years would be enough to get over him. I thought I was fine! But then I saw him yesterday, and then today he sits right next to me, and now the universe has made us lab partners for the entire semester!"
"It's like a plot of a romance novel," Pai giggled, completely ignoring my distress.
"The universe is clearly trying to tell you guys something."
"The universe is trying to ruin my GPA!" I countered, sitting up straight. "I am not falling for it, Pai. I am not going to let him back in. My heart cannot take another round of one-sided pining. I have a plan."
Pai arched an eyebrow. "Oh? And what is this brilliant plan of yours?"
I puffed out my chest, trying to look confident.
"The Professional Wall," I declared. "I will be the perfect lab partner. I will text him only about muscle tissue and dog skeletons. I will answer his questions in five words or less. I will be cold, distant, and incredibly professional. If he tries to flirt or bring up the past, I will ignore it. By the end of the semester, he will realize I am a completely different person now."
Pai smiled, looking at me like I was a cute puppy trying to bark at a lion. He picked up his iced coffee and clinked it against mine.
"I love the enthusiasm, neighbor. I really do," Pai laughed. "But if Kai looks at you the way he did today... I think your 'Professional Wall' is going to crumble faster than wet tissue paper."
"Just watch me, Pai," I huffed, taking another sip of my coffee. "I am a new Zay. And this time, I'm the one in control."
End of Chapter 2