Waking up on a rainy Monday is a special kind of torture. Especially when you spent the entire previous evening running around the city, soaked to the bone, and nearly got into a staring contest with an overly self-important client.
I hadn’t even managed to fully open my eyes when I heard a familiar voice:
“Good morning, sunshine!” Vicky, my roommate and best friend, chirped cheerfully.
I turned my head toward her. She was already fussing in front of the mirror, picking out earrings. Fresh, full of energy, like a coffee commercial. And me… well, I couldn’t even feel my own face yet.
“Mmm… morning,” I mumbled something resembling a reply, burrowing deeper into my blanket like a turtle into its shell.
Vicky shot me a suspicious look.
“Why do you look so wiped out? What happened?”
“Oh, nothing special… Just a mood of negative five hundred. And some particularly toxic clients last night,” I grumbled, mustering the strength to sit up in bed.
“I told you! Quit that delivery gig. They’re tearing your nerves to shreds.”
“If only it were that easy… Until I find something else, I’ve gotta stick it out. At least it’s some cash, and the schedule’s decent.”
“But Andrew offered to help you look for something…” she tossed out, rummaging through her makeup bag. “By the way, what happened last night?”
I sighed and started to spill:
“One ‘charming prince’ decided that six minutes late meant the world had ended. Outrage, drama, condescending tone—the full package. And then, get this, he even left a complaint in the app!”
“A complaint? Over six minutes?” Vicky stopped hunting for her lip gloss in disbelief.
“Exactly. And he said, ‘This is just a job.’ Like it doesn’t matter how I feel. Classic.”
“Yana, don’t take it to heart. They’re all the same—just with different haircuts and colognes.”
“I’m trying not to. It’s just… sometimes I wish someone would act like a human being instead of the center of the universe.”
“Well, I act like a human!” Vicky winked.
I managed a smile, even through my grogginess.
“Alright, I’m hitting the shower. Maybe hot water will save this day a little.”
“And coffee! Don’t forget the coffee!” she called after me.
“How could I? It’s the only thing keeping me going,” I replied, already disappearing down the hallway.
Hot streams of water pounded my shoulders, washing away the remnants of yesterday. I tried to rinse off not just the exhaustion, but also that cold, arrogant stare. His words. His touch. Brief, accidental—but for some reason, it stuck in my memory more than I’d like. “Forget it,” I told myself. He was just a customer. Just one of many.
The autumn morning smelled of wet asphalt and fresh starts. The university hadn’t yet filled with its usual buzz, and I savored the quiet. Vicky and I walked down familiar hallways, her gushing about her date with Andrew—eyes sparkling, grin stretching ear to ear. I just nodded, clutching my folder of notes and wondering if I’d forgotten something important. Phone? Flash drive? Did I turn off the lights?
Those thoughts vanished abruptly when I crashed into someone.
My folder slipped from my hands, papers scattered across the floor, and my heart jumped to my throat.
“Watch it,” a voice said. Low. Calm. Slightly raspy. And… way too familiar.
I looked down. Those same fingers were picking up my notes from the floor. He stood up, and for a moment, our eyes met. Artem. Standing right in front of me. Same brown eyes. Same cold composure in them.
Something shifted in his gaze. A split second—and his eyebrows lifted in surprise, as if he finally remembered where he knew me from. He didn’t say anything. Just handed me my folder and walked past, leaving only a brief:
“Hmm.”
I stood there, rooted to the spot.
“You know him?” Vicky snapped me out of my daze, and I finally took a breath.
“That’s the same rich jerk who ruined my evening yesterday.”
“Well, he’s not exactly my type. But he’s got a certain… look,” Vicky said with a meaningful wink.
“Not funny,” I muttered. “Do you think he studies here? I’ve never seen him before.”
“Neither have I. Maybe he’s new?”
We kept walking, but an uneasy feeling wouldn’t let go. Like something was creeping up—something about to change the course of my usual week.
Two classes passed quickly. Normal lectures, normal coffee. I’d almost forgotten about the morning incident as I headed to room 401 for an extra course, “Legal Practice in Modern Ethics,” which I’d only heard about on Friday. Vicky was already there, and I settled in beside her, bracing myself for another dose of legal ethics.
Marina and Karina were buzzing excitedly in front of us. Turns out, they were gossiping about the new instructor. According to their whispers and heart-eyed looks, he was supposed to be a real Apollo with a diploma.
Vicky and I just exchanged a glance. Classic. If Marina had a crush, we’d be hearing about it until the end of the semester.
The door opened.
And the air shifted.
I felt something tighten in my chest. Like the world froze for half a second.
Because walking into the room was him.
Artem.
My customer from yesterday.
And now—our new instructor.