CHAPTER ELEVEN: TAKE A LEAP OF FAITH
DANI'S POV
Her chest heaved when she met the fifth-floor door. She flipped her phone open to check her messages.
08:20... nice.
MESSAGE 3:
AALIYAH BYERS 08:05
"Running late?"
MESSAGE 4:
AALIYAH BYERS 08:09
"Hurry up. Trying to save you a seat"
MESSAGE 5:
AALIYAH BYERS 08:12
"Welp, I tried. Don't hate me."
MESSAGE 6:
AALIYAH BYERS 08: 15
"There's a new new guy. Never seen him before. He's FINE. Leaving him for you tho cause he's your type."
MESSAGE 7:
AALIYAH BYERS 08:17
"He's allllll by himself too. Dresses weird tho. Like he's a gramps."
Typical Aaliyah.
Always punctual and observant. Dani stifled a laugh as she entered the fifth-floor lobby. Clasping her phone shut as her eyes fell on the atmosphere. The cozy nooks of the room began to fill with students preoccupied with their studies.
She walked down the narrow hallway ignoring the side-eye glares she occasionally received. Turning her attention to the chip reader that is mounted beside chem 211A's sign. She held her wrist up for the slim machine to read her CMID.
She smiled as the door clicked before grazing the sticker with her fingers, whispering, "morning George."
While most students dreaded TMA's protocol, Dani found it humorous thanks to Aaliyah. Aaliyah's talents resided in technology. Therefore, TMA's chip reader wasn't even functional thanks to her breaking its firewall. Anytime Aaliyah would dismantle a reader, she would slap a sticker on it and give it a name. And this chip reader just happened to be George.
Dani pushed the door open and stood at the front of the class as it slowly closed itself with a click. She scanned the room to see James sitting beside Miranda who looked petrified at her syllabus. While Aaliyah sat slouched to the right, preoccupied with her partner who shifted nervously. All eyes fell on her. Nothing new.
Dani gave a slight wave to her friend who straightened up at the sight of her. Aaliyah is incredibly talented with one of the sharpest minds that Dani has ever witnessed. But you'd never suspect she could cyberattack a city's entire CMID chip readers if you judged her by her looks. To be upfront, she's an absolute beauty.
Aaliyah gave a soft smile with her glossy lips when she noticed Dani. Aaliyah winked at her and tilted her head to the side. Dani followed her movements and stopped Dani as Aaliyah's long dark ebony dreadlocks draped over her shoulders. She followed her friend's golden gaze to see an empty seat accompanied by a man she'd never seen before.
Dani brushed past the desks down the narrow aisle as students tried coaxing her to sit with them. She couldn't help but be fixated on the handsome stranger. The man looked miserable. He sat in the back row with hunched shoulders.
Dressed in a white button-up with a heavy coat hanging on his broad shoulders. Dani pulled out the seat beside him. His dark brown eyes shifted away from her as she settled beside him. There was a light scent of coffee grounds and bold Irish whiskey.
Turning to face the man, she locked eyes with his. She cocked her head to the side smiling, "did I miss anything?"
Aaliyah was right. As usual.