"I'll see you after practice," Josh whispers lowly before leaving a small kiss on my lips. I hum softly, and he walks off, wearing a blue button-down for his business lectures.

"You two are so cute," Ali lets out a little squeal, poking at my side. I try to smile, but my insides clench at the thought. My hand runs softly through my loose waves, moving my long hair behind my shoulder. That's all everyone considers us to be. To them, we are that cute couple that was the best of friends at first. Of course, our friends believe that when he puts up a front around them. A facade. A show. Little do they know how much he has changed behind the scenes when no one else is around. She tucks her curls behind her right ear, and her eyes follow some guy that walks past. Her eyes meet mine once more, and she beams cheekily after getting caught. "I'll see you when lectures are over."

"Bye," I sing softly before slipping into my lecture hall. I go to the second row and sit in a random chair. The class is already filling up, and a woman with white hair in a bun and a brown dress suit is upfront. She's old and frail, the dress suit making her appear even blander. I inwardly groan, hoping this lecture won't drag. I settle in my seat and set my book bag down beside my legs.

"We have a lecture together," a familiar voice grasps my attention. The seat to my left is no longer empty, and my body stills. Louis flashes me a daunting smile, showing off a dimple that I didn't know existed, and I can barely breathe. Oh no. I can't do this. He's in a white tee that fits clad to his body, showing off every possible muscle and drawing more attention to those tattoos. I look away without saying a word, my heart spastic in my chest. This lecture hall is filling fast. Trying to escape him will be impossible without looking strange to others. "You're not going to talk to me?" he asks in a whisper. I still don't say a word. What is wrong with me? He chuckles under his breath, and I keep focused ahead.

I twiddle my pen between my two fingers, trying my hardest to act like he isn't there. That spicy scent of cologne he wears has me back to that night on the beach—me, sitting with him on that warm, starlit night. I can still feel his hand cupping my cheek and that warm wind making my hair flow back. I felt shiny and new under his stare before he kissed me. I felt wanted based on the intensity of his kiss, and my hands were obsessed with how hard his muscles were. I was weak beneath his touch and hadn't felt as drawn to anyone as I did that night.

"You must be new," a soft voice distracts me from my thoughts. The realisation that I was beginning to daydream about him hits me, and anxiety rakes through me. I cross my right leg over my left, so nothing is obvious, and glance up at Heather. Her auburn hair has gotten longer over the Summer, and her blue eyes are just as vibrant as before. She has a flirty, little smile that makes me grimace as she happily sits to his left. Almost everyone knows her. She has slept with nearly every guy on every sports team or tried to—the wild one at parties that makes everything about her and the one that believes she's the main character. I couldn't care less about her. "I would have noticed a guy like you around here before. I'm Heather."

My arms cross tightly over my chest, and I gaze off towards the chalkboard. Tons of girls are attracted to him; that's a given. I can't blame them for looking his way or throwing themselves at him, but my blood is slowly heating up. I bite the inside of my cheek, attempting to keep my cool. He isn't mine, and it was just one night that we were together. My body is slowly torturing itself, all for no good reason.

"Yeah," Louis murmurs without introducing himself. "Megan, do you have a pen?" he switches back to me. I'm thrown off by him not giving into Heather's flirtatious way, not expecting it. Nearly every guy has caved into her flirty, suggestive manner and tight clothing. My eyes are on him, and he gives a tight-lipped smile. Heather gives him an odd look, not satisfied by him paying attention to me instead.

"Uh, yeah," my voice sounds off. I reach down into my bag to grab a spare pen for him. There's the slightest warmth in my stomach, happy that he chose me to ask instead of her, but I try to push the feeling aside. I hand it to him, and my eyes linger on his tattooed arm once more. Already my skin is beginning to warm up with the memory of his lips trailing down my body. I was obsessed with his inked arms.

I need to stop. My cheeks are already becoming a rosy red.

"Hey, Megs," Heather gives a fake smile with a bat of her eyelashes. I almost want to laugh. She's not my friend and never was. "How's Josh?" she beams, resting her hand on her chin while propping her elbow on the table. There it is, the venom that she uses to strike. At least I can say that neither Josh, Shane, nor Derek has fallen for her little traps, despite her previously trying to get her way with them.

"Wouldn't you love to know?" I smile tightly. Her nose scrunches sarcastically before she begins to eye Louis once more. I don't bother looking at him, focusing ahead instead.

"We got pizza," Ali cheers happily at the end of the day. It's been a long first day back, with lectures focusing more on syllabuses than anything. The three guys finished practice not long ago and showered before arranging for us all to meet at one of the student lounges. My stomach rumbles with the sight of the pizza boxes carried in by Shane as he and Ali join us.

"Oh, thank god, I'm starving," Hannah cheers, clasping her hands together. She's sitting to my left on the blue couch while Josh sits to my right, tapping away at his phone. Derek is already sitting on the blue couch across from us, bringing his feet down from the glass table.

"That's disgusting. We told you people use that for food," Ali snaps quietly at him for having his feet on the table. He laughs with a simple, little shrug. She sits beside him, with Shane sitting on the other side of her.

"Oh, I invited Louis, by the way. He should be here at any moment," Derek announces, reaching over to open the box. My stomach dives immediately. Hannah even lets out an awkward laugh. Of course, he'll be here; there's no escaping him.

"I love you guys so much. I would kill to be with someone that attractive. Set me up," Ali whispers with a tedious smile. She nibbles on her bottom lip, filled with excitement. Josh is now off his phone, instantly taking my hip and moving me onto his lap. His arm wraps tightly around my torso from behind, all because Ali keeps going on about Louis. His way of trying to mark his territory before Louis even gets here. Hannah and Ali could obsess over someone, and he will act like I'm doing so too.

Hannah has grabbed the pizza box and holds it up so I can take a slice. I thank her softly, taking one for myself, and Josh doesn't reach to grab any himself, so she puts it right back onto the table.

"Megs," Derek grasps my attention. I look at him, holding the slice in my hand and keeping the other hand below in case any cheese drips. "Your boyfriend took a bad tumble at practice. He went for the ball, tripped over it, and fell right on his back," Derek snorts. Shane bursts into a laugh, and even I have a little laugh myself.

"He better keep up before the scouts choose someone else," Shane notes sarcastically.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh away," Josh mutters.

"Aw, it's okay," I jokingly pout, twisting a little to look back at him. I offer him a bite of my pizza, which he takes instantly.

"Are you still going to that convention on Friday?" Hannah distracts me, tapping softly at my leg. I nod with a hum, and her nose twitches with disappointment.

"I know. I told her she's missing out on another party over some boring, old convention," Josh mutters bitterly. In other words, he's still pissed that I'll be somewhere else without him able to attend. Of course, he won't say that before the group, but the snide remark is evident to me.

"It's important to me. You know that," I frown a little.

"Don't be a buzzkill. You know how important social work is to her," Hannah giggles, thinking he's only messing around. She doesn't realise that he genuinely isn't thrilled about me going. I've already gotten an earful about it for days. "I mean, it does sound boring, but it will help with her career. Jason's proud that you're going that route".

"He's my brother. Of course, he's proud," I snort a little before shyly covering my face with the pizza. Shane lets out a heavy laugh after hearing my little snort, and my face turns red. My hair falls over my cheeks as I lower my head, wishing I could take back that sound.

"Well, we'll be at the party while you do that. You should come after," Ali grins eagerly.

"Maybe. It probably will be extremely boring and put me to sleep, so I may end up back at my dorm after," I admit sheepishly.

"Speaking of parties, did Josh tell you what happened Friday with Heather?" Shane asks.

"What happened with Heather?" my voice falls flat as I look back at Josh. His lips are in a firm line, and he shakes his head. Annoyance immediately starts to take over my insides. That venomous remark she had this morning held some meaning behind it.

"She was all over him, trying to get him to dance and shit the second he came back without you like she was waiting to pounce. Derek finally told her to fuck off after a bit," Shane points out. I hum and look away, my eyes lingering on the grey wall across the way.

"Thanks, Derek, for stopping her," I flash a fake grin, finding it amusing that it wasn't Josh who stopped her. God forbid if some guy even tried to hit on me, I'd never hear the end of it. I don't even bother looking at the others, knowing all eyes are on me. Hypocritical of me, I guess.

"I was going to stop her," Josh huffs, his arm wrapping tighter around my waist. He wants me to shut up. I swallow back the lump in my throat and keep my eyes up. "I'm serious. I wouldn't have done anything with her, and if I were single, that'd be a different story." My jaw immediately clenches after that.

"Wrong thing to say," Hannah coughs. My blood is instantly boiling. I let out a pathetic laugh, finding it hard to believe that he had just said that.

"Oh really? So you're interested in her?" I let out a bitter laugh.

"Yeah, you dug your own grave with that one mate," Shane murmurs.

"Shane, shut up. What does it matter if I find her attractive? I'm not doing anything with her. She has texted me, but I refused to let it get much farther," his words slice through me with ease. Hannah whispers something incoherently, knowing that rage is now taking over.

"Nice," I mutter sarcastically. "I'm going back to my dorm," I mutter with my heart angrily pounding against my chest. I free myself from his arms and stand up. The others stay silent, not trying to intervene at this point. We rarely fight in front of them. Josh usually keeps up a good enough facade that they never question. This moment is foreign to them. I'm sure they don't know how to react. I head to the trash to toss out the pizza before brushing the crumbs off my hands. I hear him groan from behind, and I make my way out of the lounge into the empty corridor.

"Megan," he chases after me.

I don't stop walking.

He grabs my arm suddenly, and I whip around to face him. My shoulder aches from the jerking motion, and his hand is tight on my forearm. A small whimper escapes my lips as his grip tightens, forcing me to be just inches away from him. "Let me go. You're hurting me," I plead in a wavering voice. My eyes are clouding with emotions, but he doesn't let go. His eyes are filled with fury, glaring into mine. So dark and bone-chilling. I hate this look. I know it all too well. Fear rushes through my veins every time.

"Why would you embarrass me like that in front of my friends?" he doesn't let go. My heart is racing in my chest, and I regret coming out here. The group was my safe haven. I'm an idiot for leaving. I should have stayed silent and stayed with them. His grip is so tight on my wrist that I swear I'm losing circulation in my hand.

"You're hurting me. Let go," I choke out, on the verge of tears. He doesn't, and the intensity is picking up in my chest. The adrenaline surging through me makes me want to run, but I'm stuck in place. My free hand tries to push at his chest, and he only steps closer, cornering me against the wall. A whimper escapes me instantly. "Josh."

"Is everything alright over here?" a familiar voice interrupts us, and a cold flash takes over my body. Josh finally releases my arm, and I let out a shaky breath. It's Louis, I can tell by his voice, but I'm too afraid to look. My hand covers the red mark on my left forearm, and I gulp.

"We're good. Just a little talk," Josh answers harshly to coerce him into leaving. I can tell he is seething through his words, beyond pissed that someone had walked in. No one has ever caught him in these moments, and I'm afraid this will stir Josh up more. "Nothing to be concerned about," Josh adds, telling him to mind his business.

"Megan?" Louis asks, focusing his attention on me. My chest aches and fear takes over every fibre of my being. He's putting me on the spot before Josh, and I am overly cautious.

"I'm fine," I clear my throat a little. "I'm going to my room. Alone," I state lowly. I move from Josh and walk away with my head hanging low. I keep my arm covered and fight back the tears trying to wreak havoc on me. With Louis standing there, Josh doesn't bother trying to come after me to stop me. Stating that I'm going alone, in front of Louis, has forced him to stay back.

I make my way to my dorm room and lock myself inside. I find myself sitting on my bed, and finally, I allow myself to burst. I cover my face with both of my hands. My breathing is shaky. My pulse is thready. My cheeks become wet with tears. Not only is Josh pissed at me, but someone else witnessed it. That wasn't even the worst thing he has done, and it still has a major effect on me. What if that alone causes him to escalate things the moment we are alone? It's as if the world has slipped from beneath my feet, and I am just falling into the deep depths of despair. On days like this, I want to pack up my bags and run away without looking back. I want to leave, even if it means leaving everyone else behind. I don't know what I did to deserve this never-ending torture. I should have never said a word about him and Heather.