◇ KEL ◇  So he was off-limits.

◆ MILES ◆A year earlierIt would take the uninvited prick another minute before he could reach Paul's unit on the top floor, but I couldn't risk it.My skin crawled at the mere thought of having to interact with the guy again. So I rushed out of the crowded living room full of drunks to fulfill a stupid dare, just so I would not have to deal with unnecessary drama tonight. It was my best friend's birthday, and I shouldn't steal the spotlight just 'cause my stubborn ex couldn't take a damn hint. I'd already told my friends not to tell Niccolo I was here and they agreed, but on the condition that I'd finish the dare. It was my turn in the Spin The Bottle game they were trying to kill time with.Quite nervous and gladly alone, I pushed open the door to Paul's bathroom. I thanked my luck when my tired eyes landed on a familiar brunette in dark jeans and a loose sweatshirt. The girl was alone, just reading a book in Paul's bathtub. "Sorry. I didn't—""Hi." The long-haired brunette glance

◇ KEL ◇ New York No more modeling. No part-time jobs to secure my savings. No state support (not even a tiny discount off rent and utilities). And definitely no more time for procrastination...They should be enough reasons to motivate me to work my butt off, study all day to get good grades, and make no more excuses. Medical school was definitely not for the faint of heart.It had been a year since I'd lost sleep preparing for an exam that I nearly forgot about the pressure. Plus the steep hospital bills, which my dad's insurance barely even covered. "Strapped for cash" would be a mild way of putting it. As expected, we had to get a loan again to pay off outstanding bills, and the cash I'd spent on tuition was my hard-earned money the past year. Therefore every single cent should not go to waste. Frustratingly, my head couldn't absorb any more medical terminologies. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out why my brain just fell into a darn coma. But it had no problem wasting ho

◇ KEL ◇ H. J. School of Medicine - New York "Subdural hematoma, multiple mononeuropathy, nonmalignant neoplasm." I dictated more complicated clinical neurology words to myself as I stepped out the huge doors of the main building. Today's exam had positively turned my exhausted brain into a hotchpotch of medical terms and textbook definitions, and if I hadn't flipped through some pages along the walk to school this morning, I doubted I'd even get past the first half of the exam. I was almost done rechecking my test answers in my aching head when my eyes caught a familiar face. The guy stood alone in the parking lot, leaning against an expensive-looking car the same color as his shiny shoes. My breathing hitched. I almost turned on my heel. My mind just drew a blank. Had he been waiting for me? To collect payment? This soon? Oh crap. I didn't have any money on me. His posture straightened when he raised his arm to wave at me twice. Enzo even smiled. What did he want now? La

◇ KEL ◇ 18 minutes had dwindled since Miles excused himself to take a phone call, leaving me alone with Enzo at the dining table, who also got busy with his phone. I waited, and waited. I stared at the end of the hall leading to the comfort rooms. Who was Miles talking to on the phone? Was he alone in the men's room? "Does he think we're dating?" I turned to Enzo. He was squinting at me and grinning lopsidedly, as if genuinely curious or amused by something. The question caught me off-guard, but he seemed rather interested than prying. "Maybe." I looked away and drank some water. "So, he thinks we're on a date?" "I suppose." "Did he ask?" Enzo leaned in. His folded arms rested on the dining table. "Not really." "But what'd he say? Last time you talked over the phone." "That I should stop talking to you." Enzo chuckled. "Fair enough." He drank water from his glass and then kept staring at me. "Would you date him?" He smiled when I kept my lips shut. "If he tells you he wants