Aleena's heart skipped a beat—there was definitely more underneath Julian's guarded exterior. But knowing he wouldn't open up unless he wanted to, she decided to break the tension with a teasing jab. "Show up to class like this and people are gonna think I'm making a move on you. You might wanna set them straight."
"Isn't that exactly what you're doing?" Julian shot back, huffing in that way of his.
She couldn't help but laugh at his sulky little attitude. When he was sober, he got under her skin nonstop, but tipsy Julian? He was flat-out adorable.
Remembering how dismissive he usually was toward her, Aleena hooked his arm and dragged him forward without an ounce of pity. "Come on, walk straight! You've had enough swaying for one night."
They moved through the nearly empty pedestrian street. The last campus shuttle would leave soon, but Julian shuffled along as if his feet barely touched the ground. Aleena's anxiety ticked up every second.
It triggered a memory from a past life—right after their engagement, they'd taken a trip together. Perched on a high viewpoint in the Alps, they shared sweet wine while the crisp night air wrapped around them. Julian, a bit tipsy, leaned close, his fingers trailing tenderly over her cheek. She remembered the heat dusting his ears, the bob of his throat as he kissed her—deep, slow, achingly tender. When he pulled back, something uncertain flickered in his eyes. His lips parted, like he wanted to say something, but in the end, he stayed quiet.
So his love—had it ever been real?
They trudged down the lonely road back to the school, which sat on the outskirts where shops and people were few and far between. Aleena checked her phone: 10:40. They had almost missed the last shuttle, and rideshares rarely came this far out. She urged Julian to speed up, but he kept listing toward the ground, barely able to hold himself upright.
With nobody in sight, Aleena made a split-second decision. She hoisted him onto her back.
With that support, Julian seemed to settle, letting her carry him at a quick clip. He mumbled under his breath, "You're not Aleena..."
She almost laughed right there. Of course—how could a normal girl like Aleena carry him so easily?
"Rest well, Aleena," she murmured to the original owner of this body. "I've got your revenge covered." She was a soul contractor, here to settle Aleena's unresolved grievances. She'd promised to return this body—and Aleena's life—once the real soul woke up. But for now, she was Aleena.
They made it back to the school. Aleena adjusted Julian's dead weight, then dug his phone out of his pocket and called his roommate.
On the other end, Russell Bryant was completely absorbed in some video game when he answered, annoyed. "Julian, I'm in the middle of something... wait, too drunk? Fine. On my way down."
He hung up with a grin, grabbed his jacket, and headed out, a curious roommate trailing behind him firing questions. Russell just laughed. "That lucky bastard."
He half-jogged down the stairs and burst through the door to see Aleena propping Julian up, the guy's arm looped around her shoulder. Russell's grin stretched even wider.
"Quick—take him. He's heavy," Aleena said, practically shoving Julian at Russell in relief. Russell, however, looked her up and down, eyes full of mischief. "So... what's the deal between you two? Ha."
In Russell's book, Aleena was a quiet, sweet girl. He expected her to get shy and flustered about explaining. But instead, she reached up and gave his head a playful smack. "What sort of wild story are you cooking up in that head? He couldn't make it back on his own, so I helped out!"
"Get him upstairs. I'm leaving."
Russell watched her go, then called after her. "Bye, Aleena... or should I say, future Mrs. Mason! Take care!"
"Enough! Stop your yapping!" Aleena shot back over her shoulder, laughing, eyes dancing, before she took off toward the girls' dorm.
Russell hauled Julian up the stairs, muttering, "Dude, you've seriously got it made. Aleena's a total catch, and you're over here dodging her left and right."
Once inside, the roommates eagerly devoured Russell's story about Aleena bringing Julian home, and a riot of comments followed:
"Julian's got all the damn luck!"
"For real though. Aleena's super sweet and pretty—why's he always running away?"
"You think he got drunk and made a move?"
"Drop it, okay? You know Aleena. She's not like that. She's amazing. Honestly? Julian doesn't even deserve her."
