I'm going to assume the message you sent was purely accidental, Judah says, muscles ticking in his chiselled jaw as he exhales through his nose. Judah. Joo-da. Despite that incredibly embarrassing mishap, I could finally put a name to the face, and my oh my, did he suit it well.

I roll my shoulders, ready to deliver my white lie and grimace, an anxious laugh slipping past my lips. Well, you see the thing is... Judah,I begin to speak, his name rolling off my tongue effortlessly and swallowing thickly when my eyes collide with his own, a frown-turned-smile replacing the grimace on my lips. The thing is Judah, I was trying to take a clearer picture of the banner behind you,I smile innocently, blinking up at him and point to the white banner overhead.

He leans back to rest his left forearm against the neck of the chair and turns his head at the action, eyes following my pointer finger until it lands on the huge poster, skimming over the words written in gold. When he's done inspecting, he shifts back into his original position and squints his eyes at me in curiosity.

You're going to have to try a little harder if you want to make your lie sound believable, he deadpans, rolling his sleeves up his forearms-I internally drool at the sight-almost missing him continue to speak, What the fuck does your dumbass want with a picture of two engineering students pretending to laugh at their textbooks?

For Christ's sake, why does he have such great attention to detail? I just want to lie and save face in peace.

I successfully mask the surprise that graces my face for a few short seconds, tucking a silky strand of dark brown hair behind my ear and clear my throat. You see, the thing is I thought the... textbook, uh, looked interesting?My response is barely persuading that I almost miss the way his lips lift up for a brief second.

He releases a half suppressed scoff at my words, twiddling his thumbs and in a bored voice says, That's not a very convincing argument, Aiyana.

Teeth grazing my lower lip, I refrain from squealing like a little bitch when I hear him say my name. In all honesty, all I could think about right now was the way my name fell from his lips, soft yet firm.

I'm planning on-on reading it,I say in an obvious tone. I like to read academic textbooks in my free time. You should give it a try, maybe you'll learn something new.I almost pat myself on the back for managing to speak without stuttering and grin, rubbing my clammy palms against my jeans.

Bullshit. Now if you could delete the picture, that'd be great,he passes me a taunting smile and gestures to my phone.

I don't know what you're talking about,I shake my head and hold my breath, anticipating his response.

Is that so? Maybe if I pull up our-

Aiyana! Three voices call out collectively, footsteps growing louder against the wooden floors, and in an instant I'm breathing a sigh of relief.

I don't give Judah a second glance as I leap out of my chair and turn around to see three very familiar faces. The overwhelming scent of their Dior aftershave has me scrunching my nose up. Lips pulled up into a tight-lipped smile, I wait until they're at an appropriate distance to pinch the three of them. Cobie whines at the sensation of my fingertips against chin, accidentally knocking his arm into my side as one arm reaches out to rub the skin, the other holding his brushing over his cornrows.

Kazuo, however, dodges my aim and instead grabs my ear roughly. Behave, bitch,the Japanese native grins when he spots the glare I'm sporting and snickers. Bad doggy.

Kaz, you tramp,I whine, pushing him away as the sharp pain starts to numb my left ear. I'm telling your mother.

She doesn't like you.

I splutter at his words, Shut up. She loves me.

He waves me off in boredom and glances over my shoulder. I barely have time to register what's happening before Valentino appears in my line of sight, a nervous smile on his lips.

Aiyana, I can explain,he says cautiously, holding his hands out in front of him. I was just trying to-

Pull girls? Got it. If I ever see you in trouble, I'm going to pull out a damn chair and watch you suffer. I can't believe you let me embarrass myself like that,I whisper-shout, groaning in embarrassment at the remembrance of what occurred a few minutes ago.

It's what you deserve. Just don't talk about my brother like that and I'll be at your beck and call,he says casually, patting my head before stepping around me to greet Judah.

Brother?

When I turn around to ask him what he meant by brother, the answer presents itself before me. Judah stands, half hugging Valentino, pounding his back with his curled fist before turning to Kazuo to greet him.

And when my eyes flicker between the two, it all makes sense; the features-the slant of the nose, the curve of their lips, the eyes-it's all so similar.

Brother.

Brother.

Holy shit.