Chapter 42 The boy with the golden smile
“I’m so sorry,” a deep voice said, warm and smooth.
She blinked and forgot how to breathe.
The guy standing in front of her was tall, broad-shouldered, the kind of tall that made her tilt her head back a little to meet his eyes. He wore a gray sweatshirt with the university crest printed across the front and carried a duffel bag slung over one shoulder. His hair was dark, slightly tousled, and his smile, God, that smile looked effortless, the kind that belonged on posters or magazine covers.
He bent down, scooped up her notebook, and handed it back. “Are you okay?”
For a second, she just stared. She knew that face. Everyone on campus did. The name slipped into her head before she could stop it.
Damian Reyes.
Football captain. The school’s favorite. Charming in that easy, dangerous way that made people forgive him before he even said a word.
She blinked, realizing she hadn’t answered. “I…yeah,” she stammered. “I’m fine. Sorry, I wasn’t looking.”
He smiled wider, a small dimple appearing on his left cheek. “No harm done. Though you looked miles away.”
Her pulse thudded in her ears. “I was just thinking.”
“That’s a dangerous habit,” he said, eyes glinting with amusement. “You might run into someone.”
Lila laughed before she could stop herself, a small, quiet sound that felt foreign, like a muscle she hadn’t used in a long time.
“I’m Damian,” he said, holding out his hand.
“I know,” she said automatically, then flushed red. “I mean..I’ve seen you around. You’re on the football team.”
He chuckled softly, brushing it off. “Guilty as charged. And you are?”
“Lila. Lila Rowan.”
“Lila” He repeated it slowly, like he was testing how it sounded. “Nice name. It fits you.”
Her stomach fluttered unexpectedly. “Thanks,” she murmured, looking down at her notebook.
He tilted his head, studying her face. “Are you sure you’re okay? You look like you’ve had a long day.”
“Just tired.”
He nodded thoughtfully, shifting his bag. “You’re not the only one. Coach had us running drills since dawn. I think I’ve aged ten years.”
His tone was so casual, so normal, that she almost forgot where she was. She forgot about detectives, rose petals, and half-whispered warnings.
For a moment, he was just another student and another voice cutting through the storm that had become her life.
“You’re in philosophy, right?” he asked.
She blinked. “Yeah. How’d you know?”
“I’ve seen you around,” he said with a small shrug. “You always walk fast. Like you’re trying to get away from something.”
The words struck deeper than he meant them to.
Lila managed a weak laugh. “Maybe I am.”
He smiled again, the corners of his mouth softening. “Aren’t we all?”
Something eased in her chest. Maybe it was his tone, it didn't sound like pity, not invasive, just real compassion. He was more of a human than others. She hadn’t had a conversation like that in months.
As they talked, she noticed the faint smell of rain on him, the way his sleeves were pushed up to his elbows, revealing strong forearms dusted with track chalk. There was a small scar near his wrist, like a memory of something sharp.
He caught her glance and raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“Nothing,” she said quickly. “Just… you look like you actually sleep at night.”
That earned her a laugh, an actual laugh, not the forced kind. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“It is.”
He studied her for a second longer. Then he pulled out his phone, thumb hovering over the screen. “Do you mind?”
“What?”
“Your number,” he said, grinning. “So I can check in. Make sure you don’t bump into any more walls or athletes.”
Lila hesitated. The cautious part of her, the one that had learned not to trust easily, whispered no. But the other part the tired, lonely part wanted something ordinary for once. A normal exchange between two students who didn’t carry ghosts behind their smiles.
So she typed in her number and handed the phone back.
“There,” she said quietly.
He looked down at the screen, saving it with a grin. “Got it. I’ll text you.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I want to,” he said simply. “You look like someone who could use a friend.”
Lila felt her chest tighten again not painfully this time, just full. She nodded, unable to find words.
He gave her one last smile, the kind that reached his eyes. “See you around, Lila Rowan.”
And then he was gone.
She watched him walk down the hall until he turned the corner and disappeared, the echo of his footsteps fading into the hum of the building. For a long moment, she stayed where she was, notebook clutched to her chest, her breath still uneven.
Something about him lingered not just the way he looked, but the warmth he carried. The ease. The normalcy she hadn’t realized she’d been starving for.
Her mind replayed the moment again and again his voice, his smile, the way he’d said her name. It made her feel seen.
Maybe things could still be okay, she thought. Maybe she doesn't have to be afraid forever.
The hallway lights flickered above her, pulling her back to the present. The building was quiet again, too quiet.
She adjusted her bag and took a small breath, ready to move but her legs didn’t want to. It was as if her body had forgotten how to step forward.
Her fingers brushed against the notebook’s cover, and her sister’s name, Serena Rowan gleamed faintly on the edge where she’d written it months ago. Her throat tightened.
She whispered under her breath, “He’d have liked you, Serena. He’s different, he's different from the others.”
A faint laugh escaped her lips, and it almost sounded normal.
She turned slightly, ready to walk away.
Then, she felt a touch on her shoulder.
Not hard. Just enough to make her heart stop.
She froze. The air in her lungs went still. The hallway behind her was empty she knew it had been empty. She could still hear the faint echo of her own shoes against the floor.
Slowly, her hand tightened around the strap of her bag.
The warmth of the touch lingered, real, human. But no sound followed.
Then, another gentle and insistent tap
Her eyes widened. She turned, expecting maybe Asher, or a classmate she’d forgotten to wave at. Her breath caught halfway.