Self

Chapter 32

Solomon had been gearing up for his Ph.D. entrance exams since his first year of grad school, nailing down the perfect study groove.

With him leading the charge, Yara’s study game had leveled up.

They went through two sets of practice questions by lunch.

While grading her work, Solomon was floored–her scores were through the roof, hitting a 95 percent accuracy rate on both tests.

Yara had been out of school for three years and only recently dusted off her textbooks, yet she was crushing it.

It was no wonder that Professor Olson thought the world of her.

Oblivious to Solomon’s impressed musings, Yara excused herself to the restroom. Xandra, seizing the moment, tailed her.

“Wait up.”

Yara glanced back, unfazed by Xandra’s sudden appearance. “Yes?”

“Last night, I brought him homemade mushroom soup at the villa. He couldn’t get enough of it; he devoured every last drop,” Xandra said, her smile revealing cute dimples.

“And that’s not all. Yale asked me to stay over. It was the first time I

saw that side of him–so intense, so hot. I barely slept a wink.”

Her words hung in the air, heavy with suggestion, as she bashfully looked down, her eyelashes fluttering like she was the picture of innocence after a night of passion.

A sharp pang hit Yara’s chest, her breath catching.

“Feeling jealous?” Xandra whispered, her breath tickling Yara’s ear. Regretful? Too bad you’ve missed your chance.”

Out of nowhere, Yara cracked a smile. She locked eyes with Xandra and said, “How do you know he hasn’t done the same things with

someone else?”

Xandra paled. Yara’s voice was flat, emotionless. “Maybe you’re just one of many. And definitely not the last.”

Then, Yara walked away, leaving Xandra with her ugly expression.

Solomon had been so focused on the last problem that he had not noticed the empty seat next to him until then.

He was about to text and check in when Yara came back.

He glanced over and saw her pale face. “Everything okay? You don’t look so good.”

Yara pinched her palm hard, trying to regain her composure. “I’m fine; the heat is getting to me. Let’s keep going.”

Solomon nodded. “Sure.”

The study session wrapped up at five. Solomon, remembering the dinner he missed yesterday, perked up. “Hey, there’s this new restaurant that’s supposed to be awesome. Do you want to try it? My

treat.

Yara stood there, her mind miles away. She managed a regretful shake of her head. “Sorry, I’m not feeling great today. Maybe next time?”

“No worries,” Solomon said. “Another time.”

Back at home, Yara collapsed on the couch, feeling utterly drained.

The goldfish in the tank, a bit bigger already, were blowing bubbles.

She watched them swim around, and sleepiness crept in.

When she woke up, it was pitch black outside. It was 8:00 PM.

Chapter 12

already–no wonder her stomach was growling.

Slipping into her slippers, Yara was on a mission to whip up a snack in the kitchen.

However, halfway there, it hit her–she had been swamped lately, and the fridge was as empty as a ghost town. She had meant to hit the grocery store that afternoon but forgot about it.

The supermarket was still open, so Yara grabbed her keys and headed out. The veggie selection was picked over, but the seafood section was hopping with fish and shrimp.

She snagged a fish, suddenly in the mood for something with a tangy kick, and made a beeline for the spices.

Hunting down the pickled veggies was a mini adventure, and just as she reached out, she brushed against a warm hand.