Meilin's POV
I had exactly three goals today:
1. Avoid Theo.
2. Avoid Theo.
3. Avoid. Theo.
Guess what I failed at by 9:03 AM?
I was peacefully sipping my matcha in the courtyard when Ava SHRIEKED beside me like she'd been electrocuted.
"Oh. My. GOD."
"What?" I blinked.
She shoved her phone in my face.
A selfie.
Posted by Austin Blake.
Captioned:
> "Y'all ever catch your bro back-hugging the sunshine scholarship girl on a rooftop? Just Wattpad things."
And there it was—me, trapped in Theo's arms, his chin near my shoulder, cigarette gone, expression like I belonged to him, and me looking like a stunned raccoon caught on camera.
I shrieked, "HE DID WHAT?!"
Ava nodded solemnly. "Yes. And it's viral."
> OMG who is she?? Not the Theo Ashford posting up with a GIRL— Backhug?? What are we watching, a k-drama?? Theo's taken?? I'm reporting this account out of jealousy.
By lunch, it was a full-blown scandal. People pointed. Whispered. Recorded. One girl even asked me if I was getting engaged. ENGAGED?!?
I stormed into the cafeteria like a girl on a mission, Ava jogging behind me, muttering, "You know you're a meme now, right?"
And there they were.
Thee Theo and Austin.
Sitting like royalty in the center of chaos.
Theo in black again, hoodie up, casually sipping soda.
Austin munching fries like he hadn't ruined my life today.
I slammed my tray down. "YOU!"
Theo blinked innocently. "Me?"
"NO—not you. HIM."
I pointed directly at Austin the Menace.
"Wow," Austin said. "Disrespect."
"WHAT gave you the right, huh?! To post that picture? To use that caption? To drag me into your fanfiction plotline! I should sue you for emotional trauma and defamation!"
Half the cafeteria paused mid-bite.
People had their phones out. Recording. Whispering.
> "Is that the girl from the post?"
"Yup."
"She's kinda scary."
"He's smiling like he loves it."
"Bro this is better than Netflix."
Austin just popped a fry into his mouth and went, "I regret nothing."
I nearly leapt across the table. "I am going to delete your social media with my bare hands."
Theo chuckled low. "Breathe, sunshine."
"Don't sunshine me!" I turned to him, fuming. "You didn't even stop him!"
Theo shrugged. "You look cute when you're mad."
That got actual gasps. One girl near us literally fanned herself.
"Not helping!" I yelled.
Austin raised his drink. "To chaos. And the legend that is Meilin Chen, Wattpad edition."
Ava leaned over to me. "You know, you are going viral. Might as well get brand deals."
I glared at all of them.
And the worst part?
Theo looked like he was enjoying this way too much.
---
I was fuming. I mean absolutely raging. Arms flailing, words spilling out of my mouth like a dramatic Shakespearean monologue as I pointed accusingly at Austin Blake.
"I swear, you're all the same! You and your best friend and your dumb smirks and your—your face! Why are you always there?! Everywhere I turn—it's Theo this and Austin that—why don't you people go to your own classes instead of ruining mine?!"
Austin had the audacity to just grin and wiggle his eyebrows. "Technically, this is our campus too, sunshine."
"Don't call me—ugh!" I turned to Ava for backup, who was very unhelpfully choking on her iced coffee, hiding her laughter behind a straw. "Ava!"
Then it happened.
My foot hit the edge of a chair leg. Not even a dramatic obstacle. Just... furniture. My balance gave out mid-word. I reached for air—failed.
And plop.
Right into Theo Ashford's lap.
The entire cafeteria went silent.
Even the birds outside? I swear they stopped chirping.
My heart slammed against my ribs like it was trying to escape my body. Theo's arms had instinctively caught me, one around my waist, the other resting on my thigh like this wasn't the most scandalous thing that could happen in the middle of the university cafeteria.
He looked down at me, black hair falling across his forehead, blue eyes dancing. "You done ranting, sunshine?"
"I—uh—y-you—what—I didn't—I tripped!" I stammered, my voice ten octaves too high.
From the other side, Austin stood up dramatically, hands over his eyes like he was in pain. "OH MY GOD. MY INNOCENT EYES. BURN THEM. I NEED HOLY WATER. SOMEONE CALL MY MOTHER."
A chorus of laughter erupted from surrounding tables.
"Oh my god she fell into his lap!"
"Bro I saw that. I got it on camera."
"Is this, like, a thing now? Are they dating?"
"This is so going on the uni gossip page."
I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks like a tidal wave. Theo, the absolute menace that he was, didn't let me go.
"Need help getting up, sweetheart?" he murmured, low and way too close to my ear.
His cologne—a warm, woody scent, definitely not cigarette smoke today—wrapped around me. My heart did somersaults.
I attempted to scramble off, but my hand landed on his chest, which was solid, and why was he wearing that stupid smirk like he knew exactly what he was doing?
He leaned forward, still holding me close. "Look at me when I'm talking to you," he said smoothly, catching my chin with his fingers. My breath hitched. My brain? Gone. Completely offline.
Ava was now fully wheezing with laughter.
Austin fake-sobbed behind his hands. "I used to believe in love. Now I believe in therapy."
I finally managed to push off Theo and stand, but the whispers and camera clicks didn't stop. My knees were shaking.
Theo, still lounging in his chair like the king of campus, winked up at me. "You really can't stay away, can you?"
I threw a napkin at his face.
He caught it midair, grinning. "You missed."