"Didn't expect you to be the type who breaks into archives," Callum muttered, walking beside Eira under the shadowed colonnade.
"I didn't expect you to be the type who stalks people at night," she replied coolly.
"That's not stalking. It's… monitoring."
She shot him a look. "Oh? And here I thought the university's golden boy had better hobbies."
Callum smirked, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets. "I did. Then you showed up."
Eira rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress the faint curl at the corner of her mouth. "Should I be flattered or filing a restraining order?"
He shrugged. "Depends. How flattered are you?"
She bumped her shoulder into his lightly, catching him off guard. "Don't push it."
"Too late. Pushed."
They reached the east courtyard. It was quiet except for the faint rustle of leaves and the ever-present hum of the city in the distance. A strange peace settled between them.
"Why were you even there?" Eira asked, breaking the silence. "In the archives."
"I could ask you the same thing."
She raised a brow. "I asked first."
Callum's gaze softened, but he didn't smile this time. "Let's just say I'm tired of missing pieces."
The tension returned, subtle but electric. She didn't press further.
Instead, she stopped in her tracks and turned to face him. "So... what now?"
Callum tilted his head, stepping a little closer. "We team up."
"Absolutely not."
"Too late. I already made you my partner in crime."
"I didn't agree to that."
"Well, we both broke into a restricted area. That makes us accomplices by default."
Eira sighed dramatically. "Fine. But if I go down, I'm taking you with me."
"Deal." He extended a pinky.
She blinked. "A pinky swear? Are we twelve?"
"No, just nostalgic."
She looked at his outstretched finger, then hesitantly linked hers with his.
"I can't believe I just did that," she muttered.
"Neither can I. I think my street cred just died."
They both chuckled—and for the first time, the laughter wasn't edged in awkwardness. It was easy. It felt good.
---
Juliet sat on the library steps, pretending to scroll through her phone while actually listening to their entire conversation through a hidden mic in Callum's coat.
"He likes her," she whispered to herself.
Theo's voice crackled through her earpiece. "They're bonding too fast."
Juliet snorted. "Oh, relax. You sound jealous."
"I'm not."
"Uh-huh. And I'm the Queen of England."
---
Later that night, Eira stood in front of her dorm mirror, brushing her hair.
She paused.
There, tucked into her pocket, was a folded note she hadn't noticed before.
In precise handwriting:
'I know what you saw. Be careful who you trust.'
No name. No signature.
But there was a smudge of red ink in the corner…
And something told her this game was just getting started.