By Wednesday, the "Aria vs. Ethan" war had officially gone nuclear.
The business faculty group chat was on fire.
Everyone was waiting to see which one would crack first.
And, honestly? Aria was done.
She'd just walked into the library to find her perfectly organized project notes gone — replaced by a sticky note that read:
> "Organization is overrated. —E.C."
Her jaw tightened. That smug bastard.
She grabbed her phone and started typing furiously.
Aria: You touched my stuff, Cole?
Ethan: Relax, Blake. Just cleaning up your mess.
Aria: Oh, I'll clean something — your face, maybe.
Ethan: Kinky.
Her fingers froze mid-text. Did he just—
"Unbelievable," she muttered, slamming her phone down.
That afternoon, payback came swift and savage.
Ethan strutted into class, all chill and smug, only to find his presentation slides replaced with a giant meme that read:
> "Ego Level: 1000% — Warning: May Cause Eye Roll Damage."
The class lost it.
Ethan blinked, slowly turning toward Aria, who sat sweetly in the front row, pretending to take notes.
"You think you're funny?" he said afterward, catching her outside.
"Funniest thing you'll see all week."
"You really wanna play games?"
"Oh, it's not a game, Cole. It's a lesson."
"Good," he said, stepping closer, voice low. "Because I love learning the hard way."
Her pulse spiked. Damn it — why did he have to sound so good when he was being annoying?
"Stay out of my way," she snapped.
He smirked. "You keep saying that, but somehow we always end up in the same place."
Aria shoved past him, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a reaction.
But later that night, when she opened her email, she found a message from the professor.
> SUBJECT: Midterm Project Partners (Finalized)
Blake, Aria & Cole, Ethan
Topic: Ethical Leadership and Influence in Modern Business.
Deadline: Three weeks.*
Her phone buzzed again. Ethan.
Ethan: Looks like we're stuck together for real, partner.
Aria: I'm blocking you.
Ethan: You won't. You love the drama.
Aria: You're delusional.
Ethan: And yet you're still replying.
She threw her phone onto her bed and groaned. "Why is he like this?!"
Tessa poked her head out from behind her laptop. "Because, babe… he likes you."
Aria glared. "He likes chaos, not me."
"Same difference."
Aria pulled the blanket over her face, mumbling, "I'm going to murder him before graduation."
Meanwhile, across the dorm, Ethan leaned back in his chair, staring at his phone — smiling like he just found his favorite game.
"Let's see how long you can resist me, Blake," he whispered to himself.
Outside, rain started tapping the window — slow, soft, rhythmic.
Neither of them
knew it yet, but this was how it started.
Not with love.
Not with warmth.
But with fire.