I knew more than anyone that Caleb wouldn't. My trust wasn't easily given, but Caleb had it. I was just...irritated how easy it was between them. This was my fault, but I didn't like seeing her pay attention or laugh like that with anyone when she was ignoring me all morning. I especially didn't like the possessiveness burning in my chest at seeing them together. But it was there. I stopped in my tracks, waited for it to fade away. It didn't. I glared at their backs and went after them. I pushed Caleb away, ramming myself between them. Caleb held up his hands in front of him, smirking at me. "Easy, big guy. There's enough of me to go around." Kara laughed. "What have you been feeding him lately, Kar?" "Kar?" I repeated ominously. I turned toward her. She winked at Caleb, gave him a sweet smile. Yeah, okay. "Later, Kar!" I spun around to give Caleb the finger, but he was already running down the corridor, winking back at her, rubbing it in my face. They'd seemed to have formed a bond when I was gone. Both knew what buttons to push to get me going. "Don't get him beat up over nothing," I growled at her. "I'll walk you to your class." "Says who?" she shot back. "Says me. You think he's the only weirdo roaming these halls?" I asked, my voice sounding rougher than I intended. Suddenly she stopped in the middle of the hallway, her eyes slowly scrutinizing me from head to toe, then back up again. "You're the weirdo." Her sassy mouth sneered at me as she flicked her hair over her shoulder. "Go away, weirdo. Don't you have some weirdo things to do?" And with that, she proceeded to enter the lecture hall and closed the door to my face. Class was a pain in the ass. The lecture theatre was filled with students and it was all I could do not to get up and leave. I disliked huge unfamiliar crowds. I especially disliked being trapped in a room with crowds that stunk like old cigarettes, various repugnant colognes and perfumes, violating my private space. I wished for a tornado, a comet, an alien invasion. Anything but this. The professor droned on and on about the best practices in ethics. I shut his voice out and thought about a woman with a sassy mouth. Weirdo, I thought and chuckled quietly. "What's funny?" Caleb whispered beside me, clearly not listening to the professor either. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He was texting, hiding his phone behind the seat in front of him. I still remembered how Kara laughed at whatever he had told her. "Your face, that's what," I said. He typed furiously on his phone before he threw me a glance. "I know. It's gorgeous. Thanks." "Hi, Cam." I barely looked at the direction of the girl's voice. I nodded my head as a greeting. Caleb sighed, shaking his head at me, and when I looked, he was mouthing "Smooth. Real smooth." Then he turned to the girl. "Hi, there." "Hey, Caleb. Do you have time for coffee after class?" This time I looked up. It was a girl sitting on the other side of him. All flirty eyes, all flirty pouty lips. "Maybe Cam can come with." "Nah, I'm good," I said. "Forget him. He's taken," Caleb said, using his flirty voice reserved to girls. "So, you asking me out on a date?" I ignored them. Kara had flirty eyes—the flirtiest of them all. Almond-shaped hazel eyes, with long and thick lashes. But that wasn't all. There was something in them that beckoned me to take a closer look. Something she hid so well that at first glance, I had missed it completely. I thought I had her figured out—a woman with a fiery temper, strong and real in every sense of the word. There was more. Beneath all of that was a soft heart. She was compassionate and forgiving. I'd seen it last night. Strength without compassion could be cold, but she was warm as a fire. And once I looked into the fire, I was caught. I never wanted to look away again. I knew, as I felt the air and heard the sounds around me, that I'd never find anyone else like her. And her lips, her mouth. They were the stars in my dreams last night. I groaned in frustration, slumping in my seat. What is she doing now? Is she giving one of those flirty smiles to someone else? Laughing at someone else's joke? I should've kissed her earlier. What the hell was I thinking? "Sulky, much?" I turned to see Caleb studying me, his head tilted to the side. "Class is over, but you still got your bitch panties on." "Quiet," I said. "Why's he so salty?" Levi jumped on the now empty seat beside me. "Whachoo do, Caleb my man?" Caleb scratched his stomach, got up and placed his phone in his back pocket. It vibrated nonstop. "Bet he's not over his period cramps." "I got a tampon here. Just say the word and it shall be yours." I laughed good-naturedly. "Fuck off, both of you." "It speaks," Caleb mumbled. He grabbed my backpack from the floor, opening the small front pocket and fishing a lollipop from my stash. "Did I say you can get my lollipop?" I said, just to be a dick. "Blow me." Levi bumped his fist on my shoulder, rose. "Now, now, calm down, girls. Let's get some munchies. I'm starving." "Got something to do first." I stood, grabbed my backpack. "Meet you in class later."