Chapter Eighteen
Sabrina
The second I step out of the car, I feel everyone's eyes on me.
Students scattered across the courtyard slow down or stop altogether, conversations cutting off as their attention shifts towards me. Some try to be discreet. Most don't bother.
Matteo steps out of the driver's side, already checking his watch like he's late for something.
“I've got something to handle,” he says quickly. “You're sorted, yeah?”
“Yeah,” Carlo answers before I can.
Matteo nods once and disappears into the building without another word.
I watch him go for half a second before turning back to the three still standing beside me.
“Well,” Luca says, pushing himself away from the car, “guess you're stuck with us.”
“Try not to cry about it,” Carlo adds.
“I'll manage,” I reply dryly.
Leonardo gestures towards the building, and we start walking.
The staring doesn't stop as we move through the halls. If anything, it gets worse. Whispers follow us, low and constant, but I ignore them. I've dealt with worse than a few curious students.
The office is quick. Paperwork, names and a look that lingers a second too long before the woman behind the desk hands me my timetable.
Carlo glances over it once we're outside and lets out a quiet laugh.
“Well, that's convenient. You're in most of my classes.”
“Lucky me.”
“Definitely.”
We fall into step again, weaving through the crowded corridor when I hear footsteps approaching behind us. They're fast, heavy and deliberate. I don't turn around because I already know who's coming. Instead, I shift to the side at the last second.
Asher barrels past where I was standing and slams straight into Leonardo.
They both hit the floor hard, the impact echoing through the hallway and pulling the attention of everyone nearby.
Leonardo reacts instantly, shoving Asher off him and pushing himself to his feet, his expression darkening.
“Watch where you're going–”
Asher doesn't even let him finish. He lifts a hand between them in a lazy, dismissive gesture.
“Shh.”
Leonardo goes still for half a second, clearly not used to being cut off like that.
Then Asher looks at me and grins.
“Sabrina.”
I roll my eyes, already walking towards him.
“Missed me.”
“Barely,” he shoots back.
Mario and Lillian stroll up behind him as though this is exactly the kind of chaos they expected to find.
Mario looks the same as always – calm and composed, his dark eyes quietly taking in every detail around him. Nothing ever seems to surprise him.
Lillian stands out without trying. Brown hair falls neatly over her shoulders, her posture perfect without looking forced. Her expression is calm, but there's a sharp awareness behind it if you actually look closely.
I reach them first, pulling Lillian into a quick hug before hugging Mario too.
Lillian allows it for a second, stiff as always, before stepping back into her usual space like nothing happened.
Mario returns the hug more easily, slipping an arm around my shoulder before letting go and immediately scanning the corridor again.
Behind me, Leonardo is still staring at Asher's back like he's trying to burn a hole through it.
Asher ignores him completely and steps forward, pulling me into a tight hug.
“You're here,” he says.
“Obviously,” I reply, but I don't pull away immediately.
When we finally separate, Carlo's voice cuts through the moment.
“The Donovan twins?” he asks, looking between Asher and Lillian before turning back to me. “How do you know them?”
I shrug.
“We've been best friends for years.”
That's all they get.
I glance between both sides, taking them in properly now that they're all standing in the same space.
“Asher,” I say first, nodding towards him. “Mario, Lillian.”
Then I turn towards the others.
“Carlo, Luca, Leonardo.”
For a moment, no one says anything.
Everyone is watching everyone else, measuring, assessing and deciding what matters.
Asher breaks the silence first, rolling his shoulders as though the situation is already boring him.
Mario remains quiet, his eyes moving slowly over each of them, unreadable and methodical.
Lillian barely acknowledges anyone. Her gaze flicks over the brothers once before settling somewhere past them, as though she's already decided they aren't worth her attention.
Except Carlo notices.
His attention keeps drifting back towards her, refusing to stay where he tells it to.
Luca notices too, muttering something that sounds suspiciously like a warning, but Carlo ignores him.
Lillian looks at him again, only briefly.
Carlo doesn't look away fast enough.
“So,” he says after a moment, his voice cutting through the tension as though he's trying to return everything to normal, “do you always stare at people like that, or am I special?”
The air shifts instantly.
Luca lets out a quiet, amused “oh,” already enjoying where this is going. Asher's grin spreads, clearly entertained but saying nothing, while Mario glances between them once, slow and assessing.
Lillian doesn't react immediately.
When she finally does, it's minimal.
“I wasn't staring,” she says flatly.
Carlo tilts his head.
“You were looking.”
“That's not the same thing.”
“It kind of is.”
Her eyes flick towards him again, sharper this time and more deliberate.
“And yet,” she says quietly, “you're still talking.”
Carlo's jaw tightens, but there's something else there now – something that looks a lot like interest.
Luca clears his throat.
“Right. Okay. Maybe we should move before this turns into whatever it's turning into.”
Lillian has already looked away by the time he finishes speaking, as though the entire exchange meant nothing.
But Carlo is still watching her as everyone starts moving.
And this time, he doesn't even try to hide it.