Self

Chapter 47

Solomon was every bit the star pupil the professor had pegged him for. Even though he and Yara did not share the same major, they hit it off, finding common ground in their chat.

Yara was actually enjoying the deep dive into their conversation.

She was in the thick of prepping for her grad exams and had nalled down most of the stuff. As for the big- deal research trends in her field? Not so much. That meant diving into paper after paper, a slow and steady grind, not something she could rush.

Still grinding away at grad school, Solomon had a leg up on Yara, who had been out of the academic game for a few years.

Yale, trailing behind, watched them laughing it up and tightened his fists.

She could be so cold, ignoring all his pleas and not giving him the time of day. Yet, there she was, smiling

for some other guy.

Yara had whipped up a feast–a spread with every flavor she could think of.

Solomon knew she could cook, but the sight of the banquet still caught him off guard.

“All this? Isn’t it a bit much for just the two of us?” he wondered out loud.

Yara just laughed. “You’ve been such a help. I figured I’d go all out to say thanks.”

Solomon scratched his head, a sheepish grin on his face. “Honestly, I didn’t do all that much. You’re way more on top of your review than I thought.”

While studying together, Solomon could tell how much Yara had improved. She was not just smart–she soaked up new information like a sponge, and he almost never had to explain things twice.

“Studying’s just part of it. I’m super thankful for your help with finding research papers. Because of you, I got my hands on some exclusive resources that only Bellmere University students can access,” Yara told

him

Solomon raised an eyebrow. “Wait, you’ve been diving into research papers on top of everything else?”

That was when it clicked why Professor Olson thought so highly of her. After dinner, Solomon hung around for a bit, but as the night turned pitch–black, he stood up to leave. Yara walked him out, tossing some trash on the way.

“Your C cooking is awesome. Thanks a lot!”

“No problem.”

Solomon hesitated, then said, “I guess I’ll head back to campus. Will I catch you at the library tomorrow?”

“Sure

Just then, Wade showed up, looking like he had just left the lab, still in serious mode.

“Professor Shelton!” Solomon snapped to attention. “You live here too?”

Wade looked up to see Yara and a guy standing together outside. He recognized Solomon. “You’re from Bellmere University?”

“Yeah, Professor. I’m in the Life Sciences department. I took your Physics 101.”

“Right.”

Chapter 47

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Yara tried to catch Wade’s eye to say hi, but he looked right past her. Solomon moved out of the way, and Wade headed upstairs without another word. Yara just shrugged it off.

“Wow, 1 can’t believe Professor Shelton lives in this building, too; that’s so wild!” Solomon was practically bouncing with excitement.

“I’ve been to his lectures before, and he’s amazing. My roommate tried to get into his class this semester, but it was filled in a heartbeat. I heard it was mostly girls who got in…”

Wade reached the stairwell’s turn and glanced back at the two of them.

That kid. Solomon, right?

Was that the first time he had seen someone else at Yara’s place? A boyfriend, maybe?

Wade shook his head and smirked. Why should he care?

After Solomon left, Yara headed down a different alley to toss her trash.

Out of nowhere, a shadowy figure darted out and clamped onto her wrist.

A chill ran down Yara’s spine, and just as she was about to fight back, a voice she knew all too well cut through the air, dripping with mockery.

“Look at you, Yara, all grown up.