Episode 5: What trouble Feels Like

By Monday, the story had already spread across St. Marin University.

“Did you hear? The scholarship girl called Luca Rossi an idiot.”

Some laughed. Some gasped. Some didn’t believe it.

Luca didn’t deny it.

He just smiled when he heard the rumor spreading — the lazy, dangerous kind of smile that never reached his eyes.

⸻

In the cafeteria, sunlight poured through the tall glass windows, turning every table into a stage.

Luca walked in with his usual crew — Marco, the loud one; Val, the flirt; and a girl whose name he’d already forgotten.

People looked up.

He didn’t need to speak to draw attention — he just existed differently, like gravity bent around him.

But today, his eyes weren’t on the girls whispering or the guys nodding at him.

Emilia.

Head bent over her notes, headphones in, the world around her completely irrelevant.

Luca slowed his pace.

Marco nudged him. “You good?”

“Yeah,” Luca muttered. “Just… thought I saw someone.”

⸻

He watched her for a moment — the way her lips moved slightly as she read, the crease in her brow when she underlined something.

She wasn’t pretending not to notice him.

She really didn’t.

And that annoyed him more than he expected.

So he walked over.

“Scholarship girl,” he said, sliding into the seat across from her.

Emilia looked up, one eyebrow raised. “Do you call everyone by their financial status, or am I special?”

He grinned. “Special, definitely.”

She sighed, removing one earbud. “What do you want, Rossi?”

He leaned back. “Just saying hi.”

“I’m studying.”

“So? I can’t say hi while you study.”

“No,” she said calmly,

He blinked.

Luca tilted his head. “You really don’t like me, huh?”

“I don’t know you,” she said, returning to her notes. “And from what I’ve heard, I don’t think I want to.”

For a second, silence sat heavy between them.

Then he smirked, hiding the flicker of something sharper in his chest.

“Challenge accepted.”

She looked up again. “Excuse me?”

“Nothing,” he said, grabbing an apple from her tray before walking off. “Enjoy your studying, scholarship kid.”

He whispered.

Emilia watched him go, confused and mildly irritated — mostly because, somehow, he left her heart beating faster than it should.

⸻

That night, at the dorm, Maya burst through the door in her glittery skirt.

“Em! You’re coming to the party tonight!”

Emilia groaned. “Maya, I have class early tomorrow.”

“Boooring. Come on, it’s the first official St. Marin weekend party. You can’t keep studying forever.”

Emilia hesitated. “I don’t even know anyone there.”

“That’s the point! Meet people. Dance a little. Forget your books for one night.”

After a long sigh, Emilia finally agreed. “Fine. One hour.”

⸻

The party was already alive when they arrived — music pulsing through the old hall, colored lights flickering against the walls.

Emilia felt out of place, but Maya handed her a drink and dragged her to the dance floor anyway.

And that’s when she saw him.

Luca.

Leaning against the wall, drink in hand, eyes scanning the crowd — until they found hers.

He didn’t smile this time. Didn’t move.

But his gaze stayed.

Emilia turned away, pretending to focus on the music, her heartbeat betraying her calm face.

Maya leaned close, grinning. “He’s totally looking at you.”

“Don’t,” Emilia whispered. “He’s—”

“Trouble?” Maya teased.

“Exactly.”

Across the room, Luca smirked into his drink.

He wasn’t used to being ignored twice.

And as the bass thumped through the air, he made a silent promise to himself:

If Emilia Moretti wanted to pretend she was immune to him…

he’d just have to prove her wrong.

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