"Late again, Stella?"The teasing voice rang out behind her as she hurried across the campus courtyard, books pressed against her chest and her scarf whipping in the cold breeze. Stella Wilhelm barely had time to glance back, her eyes narrowing as she recognized the source of the voice. Kai, Her older brother stood a few feet away, hands in his pockets, his lopsided grin making her groan inwardly.
"Don't start, Kai," Stella muttered, flipping her thick, wavy hair over her shoulder. She kept walking, boots clicking against the stone pathway as she tried to shake off the morning rush.Kai chuckled, falling into step beside her. He was taller than her by a good few inches, his easy stride making him seem like he had all the time in the world.
"Just checking in on you, sis. Can't have you embarrassing the family name with your infamous tardiness.""Like you ever care about the 'family name," Stella shot back, her emerald green eyes flashing as she glanced up at him.He shrugged, the grin never leaving his face.
"Fair point. But you could try being on time for once. Professors are starting to notice."
"Please," she scoffed, "they've got bigger things to worry about than my punctuality."As she neared the lecture hall entrance, her mind wandered, flickering back to this morning's phone call.
*Noah Dawson*, her brother's best friend and the bane of her existence. The guy always seemed to find a way to poke at her, especially lately. They hadn't seen much of each other for a few years, but ever since he moved back to town, it felt like he was everywhere she turned. The problem? Noah had this air about him—confident, untouchable, like he ruled the world with his billion-dollar tech empire.And every time they ran into each other, her life seemed to spin just a little more out of control.Kai, still oblivious to her inner turmoil, ruffled her hair affectionately.
"I'll see you later, Stella. Try not to overthink everything.""Whatever," she muttered, brushing his hand away, trying to focus on her class instead of Noah's stupid smirk.
Meanwhile, across the city, Noah Dawson stared at his computer screen, barely listening as his sister, Talia, rambled on about her latest escapade. Talia was always talking—about fashion, about travel, about anything that popped into her head. He loved her, of course, but right now his mind was elsewhere
."Are you even listening?" Talia's sharp voice pulled him back to reality.Noah looked up, running a hand through his perfectly tousled dark hair, his jaw tight with focus. His cool, blue eyes met his sister's, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Sorry, Tal. I've got a lot on my mind."
"Obviously," Talia huffed, leaning against his desk. She was dressed to perfection, as always—high fashion, sharp lines, and a confidence that matched her brother's. "You know, you could at least pretend to care about my Paris trip."
"I do care," Noah said, though his tone was more distracted than convincing.Talia narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Yeah, right. What's really going on with you? You've been acting weird lately."Noah sighed, pushing back from his desk and standing up. His office was a reflection of his life—minimalistic, expensive, and polished. Everything in its place. Except for his thoughts. His mind, despite the cool exterior, was far from calm.He didn't want to admit it, not even to himself, but *Stella Wilhelm* had been creeping into his head more than he'd like to admit. Kai's little sister. The same one who used to follow them around when they were kids, begging to be included. She was different now—fiery, independent, and far more of a challenge than he'd expected
."It's nothing," Noah replied, leaning against the edge of his desk, crossing his arms in a mirror image of Talia. "Just work."Talia raised an eyebrow, not buying it for a second.
"Right. Well, while you're busy brooding over whatever's bothering you, I'm headed to lunch. You should join me sometime. Maybe get out of your head.""I'll think about it." Noah gave her a half-smile before she left, the door clicking shut behind her. Alone again, he rubbed the back of his neck, exhaling sharply. Stella had always been off-limits. Kai had made that clear years ago. But now, something was changing. She wasn't a kid anymore. She was bold, witty, and always found a way to push his buttons. *And damn if it didn't intrigue him.
Stella tapped her pen against her notebook, zoning out as her professor droned on about literary theory. Her mind drifted, and against her better judgment, Noah's face flashed in her head. His piercing blue eyes, his dark, wavy hair that somehow always looked effortlessly perfect, the way his jaw tightened whenever he was annoyed. He was a lot of things—cocky, infuriating, and way too confident for his good.But there was something else about him lately. Something different. He had always been grumpy and cold, but the way he looked at her now—it wasn't the same. There was tension between them and not just the old sibling-friend rivalry. It was more... charged."I hate this", she thought, shaking her head to clear the intrusive thoughts. After class, Stella packed up her things and hurried out, planning to meet up with Kai for lunch. But as she rounded the corner of the street, she nearly collided with someone, stumbling back in surprise.
"Whoa—easy there." The deep voice stopped her in her tracks.She looked up and, of course, it was him. Noah stood there, looking as collected as ever, his coat draped neatly over his shoulders, a casual yet expensive look that screamed power and wealth. His eyes glinted with something unreadable, but the smirk on his lips was all too familiar.
"Seriously?" Stella groaned, pulling her scarf tighter around her neck.
"Do you just appear wherever I go, or are you following me now?"Noah chuckled, his voice low. "You're the one who almost ran into *me*."She rolled her eyes, stepping back and adjusting her bag on her shoulder.
"Whatever. I don't have time for this."But Noah wasn't about to let her escape that easily. He stepped in front of her, blocking her path.
"What's the rush, Ms. Wilhelm? You avoiding me?"She huffed in annoyance, glaring up at him. "Avoiding you? Please. I just have better things to do than deal with your ego.""My ego, huh?" Noah's smirk widened. "Seems like you're thinking about me a lot more than you admit."The heat rose to Stella's cheeks.
"I'm not—". "Hey, relax," Noah interrupted, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "I'm just messing with you."Stella's heart raced, and she hated that he had this effect on her. She wanted to hate him. Wanted to ignore him. But somehow, Noah always managed to worm his way under her skin."Look, I've got to meet Kai," she said, pushing past him. But Noah's voice stopped her again.
"See you at the party Friday night, then?"She froze, her stomach dropping. Of course. *The party.* It was a gathering of family friends—a tradition her brother and Noah had dragged her to for years. But now? The thought of being stuck in a room with Noah, with all this unresolved tension between them..."Yeah," she muttered, not turning around.
"See you there."As she walked away, Noah watched her go, his expression shifting. There was something about her.
Something that stirred the part of him that he tried to keep buried under layers of control.He couldn't ignore it much longer.Neither could she.And they both knew it.