Listening to the sound of traffic from our tiny Harlem apartment's fire escape felt so different than what we were used to. Instead of hearing the pitter patter of the rain on gutters and ocean waves, we were serenaded with the bass of music, car honking, and people laughing on the sidewalk. The smell of the city was exactly how I remembered it, and the feeling. The energy was buzzing.

Tomorrow morning was the first day of class and I was a little nervous. Paul had started cooking school; he was in heaven. "I found it!" he called from the kitchen. I could hear as he rustled around, turning on some soft music before he climbed out of the window with a bottle of red wine and a corkscrew. "We may never have to pay for alcohol again with this gig," he joked.

One of his classmates set him up with a cater waiter job on the weekends. It was good money plus tips. He had worked his first job the day before and it was interesting to see him settle into this new life of ours. "What is it?" I asked.

"It's a blend. Real sweet. Just like you," he placed a kiss on my shoulder as he popped open the bottle. A smile ghosted on my face before it set back into serious. "Uh oh, you usually fall for those cutesy lines. What's wrong?"

I shook my head as I grabbed my filled glass. "Nothing's wrong," I told him. "Just thinking about tomorrow."

He nodded in understanding as he took a sip. "You have the jitters," he reiterated.

"Major jitters. Like what if I get lost on campus? Or what if I walk into the wrong class?"

"Or what if you don't have anyone to play with a recess?" Paul joked. I shoved his shoulder, making him laugh. I took a second and realized how silly it all sounded. "I've watched you map out the campus already, Clearwater. You're going to do great. And if you're feeling nervous, just give me a call. People always look cooler when they're walking around on a phone call." He winked at me, clearly teasing me.

I traced my finger around the rim of my glass for a second before saying, "It's just extra real now, you know? This is the real world now."

"Hey, you earned it, kid," he complimented. "How about I meet you on campus after classes are done? I'll take you to lunch."

A grin spread across my face. "Can we get Chinese food again?"

"Again? Isn't there something else you want to try?"

"I like it there," I defended.

"You just like the crab rangoon," he chuckled.

"It's so good!"

So tomorrow, I would officially be a college student and I almost couldn't comprehend it. When we first landed, it was a complete whirlwind of apartment shopping/finding furniture on the street, parties and lunches with Adriana and her friends, and keeping up with Paul's pack back home and Rachel and Rebecca. Bex was sending over as many pictures as she could manage of the island. Hawaii was beautiful! The last time we talked, she babbled on and on about me and Rach coming to visit as soon as possible.

Mom was adjusting as well as she could. She called once in the morning and once in the evening to make sure we haven't been robbed or murdered or kidnapped. Every once and a while, I'll hear Daddy in the background go, "Sue, leave that girl alone. She's living."

"Harry, hush your mouth. I'm just checking in," Mama would reply. And then Dad would rush her off the phone.

I get it though. It's completely new territory. I went from only leaving the reservation for maybe a whole weekend to living in the largest city in the US on the opposite coast.

"What do you think they're doing back home?" I asked Paul before taking a sip from my glass. He was right; the wine was really sweet, almost like juice.

"Hmm…" he mused. "Right about now, I think Harry and Billy Black are probably packing up for a trip on the boat and they'll just talk about you and Bex being away the whole time…"

"And you too," I added in.

He nodded in agreement, "Maybe a little. I think Rach is hyper organizing herself for classes and coordinating Jake's mealtimes while she's gone," he chuckled. "I think the guys are causing chaos like normal but kicking ass still."

My heart felt warm thinking about home. I sipped my wine slowly, feeling the slight burning sensation in my throat as I swallowed. "Do you think Seth is alright?"

"For sure," he answered quickly. "If he phases, the pack will take care of him, and if he doesn't, they'll still take care of him. He's a good kid."

The thought of my baby brother going through the same pain that I watched Paul go through when he phased was hard to wrap my mind around. He was too sweet, too kind, to be tearing apart vampires and whatever else the pack does. I've never seen Seth hurt a fly, much less kill something.

There was this small part of me that felt guilty about loving it here so much. When I talked to Bex about it, I was shocked to hear that she felt the same way. In a very rare vulnerable moment with my best friend, she let me know how much she missed her family and that she hated leaving her twin. But I was confident that we would find the balance.

We stayed on the fire escape for hours just talking and drinking wine. Paul loved talking about cooking school. His eyes just lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. "I thought about switching to pastry," he told me. "Doing the twins' cake and making desserts for everyone is always so much fun."

"Why don't you then? You'd be amazing at pastry and baking," I said before correcting myself. "You already are!"

He scrunched his nose as he thought about it, watching the street. "I do love it, but I think I really want to keep that part personal. I love cooking so much that I want to learn everything about it right now and then teach myself to bake on my own time."

"As long as you keep making cinnamon buns, I support whatever you decide," I joked.

He chuckled lowly as he turned to me, "No worries. I'll always make cinnamon buns for you."

"Good," I said. I gave him a sweet kiss on the lips.

XXXXXXXXX

I checked the room number five times before I finally got up the courage to walk in. Right before I pulled on the door of the lecture hall, my phone dinged in my pocket. I had a text from Paul and a text from Dad.

Paul: Crush it ;)

Dad: Proud of you, little girl. Good luck on your first day. Love, Dad

That was exactly what I needed. I slipped into the lecture hall, my hand gripped tight on my tote bag. I found a seat in the middle toward the wall and sank into a seat. The students started pouring in by the dozens, all buzzing with nervous conversation. I pulled out my phone and pretended to text as the rest of the class flowed in. So many people. If classes were like this back home, I'd probably burst. My biggest class back home was like 12 people.

A girl sat next to me with a big huff as she dropped her backpack on the ground. She crossed her legs and immediately started to bounce her foot. She glanced at me and smiled. "I literally left my dorm an hour early and still walked to the wrong building. I almost dropped out of school just trying to get here."

I laughed as I pulled my notebook out of my tote. "I mapped out campus at least once a week for the past month," I admitted. "Totally embarrassing."

"You're smarter than me. I definitely should have done that," she said. She held out her hand, "I'm Nina, by the way."

"Leah," I introduced myself as I shook her hand. "What's your major? Or is it too soon to ask that?"

She shook her head, "Undecided right now, I guess? Maybe Film and Media studies. I like to make films in my free time. What about you?"

"That's so cool! I want to major in Art history and visual arts. Photography is my thing."

"Artists meeting artists; I like it," she grinned. "This place is terrifying, but I'm so ready to conquer it, you know?"

Nina had a slightly heavy Spanish accent and big brown eyes. Her curled hair was dyed a deep red which complimented her gorgeous golden skin. Her freckles scattered across the bridge of her nose and cute glasses perched on top of her head.

The professor walked in with his head down, looking at the stack of papers in his hand. He set his messenger bag down and the papers before turning to the chalkboard and writing large across it:

PROFESSOR DAVIS

WELCOME TO LITERATURE HUMANITIES

"Alright, let's settle down everyone!" Professor Davis said. "Happy first day, first years. This is Lit Humanities; let's get started."

We listened to Professor Davis go over every single point verbatim in the syllabus. Even down to the plagiarism policy. The class was starting off strong with The Iliad; that was terrifying. Is this normal? We all just start our first day of college with an epic? I didn't think people still read this stuff. I tapped my pen a little anxiously as Professor Davis talked about how tough his grading system was and how college was everything high school wasn't.

"Yikes…" Nina muttered under her breath. She leaned close to me. "I can't tell if he's joking or not."

"I think he's serious," I whispered back. "Do you want to get coffee after?"

She nodded, enthusiastically.

After our first class, Nina and I found our way to the coffee cart. "You look really familiar," she told me, "but I can't place you."

I shrugged, "Maybe we've seen each other at a party or something. My boyfriend and I have been going out a lot since we got here."

"When did you guys move?" she asked.

"About a month ago."

"Me too," she grinned. "Maybe you're right. I've been going out a lot too since I moved from Miami. I was staying with a friend of mine before moving into the dorm."

We made small talk on a little picnic bench for that half hour between classes. We were really similar; it was almost weird. Nina and I both came from small towns where people don't really leave. We were both the first in our families to have the itch for something new. "My ma was nuts. She was like 'Nina, why can't you just go to Boston?' and I was like 'Mami, it's too close! I gotta go!'"

I laughed as her accent grew thicker when she was imitating her mom. "That sounds like my mom. It's for the better though, you know? New adventures, new friends…"

"New life," she added. Nina held up her coffee cup. "To new life."

"To new life, cheers," I repeated, tapping my cup to hers. "Where are you headed after this?"

Nina pulled a loose piece of printer paper. "Basic drawing," she showed me.

That was the same class I had! This was going way better than I thought it would. Nina and I made our way across campus, chattering away about plans and our past. When we entered the studio, there was spa music playing and the lights were dimmed. All of the table-top easels were formed in a circle with a small platform in the middle. The room smelled of incense and acrylic paint. There was this eerie calming energy in the room and a message on the chalkboard in loopy, cursive writing:

Grab a pack of pencils and an easel and settle…

We sat at the top of the circle, waiting for class to start. You could hear a pin drop; it was so quiet. Then all of a sudden I could hear the sound of bangles clanking against each other before a very eclectic woman walked through the front door. She glided out of a separate room in a loud maxi skirt and a flowy top with flared sleeves. She clapped her hands three times as she stepped on to the platform. "Welcome, welcome, everyone!"

Her name was Anselina Boswell and she was the embodiment of water. She was so free flowing and brimming with light energy and love. She decided that she didn't want to go over the syllabus but that we should take ten minutes to draw something that made us feel happy. "It could be anything. Flowers…the sky…it could be abstract. Absolutely anything. Let time inspire you," she said before she whisked herself back into the room, I assume was her office.

I wasn't much of a drawer. In fact, I never even so much as doodled in my notebooks during class. Photography is different. You get the right angle, the right lighting, and the right framing, you're golden. But this was a pre-req for me to start taking photography classes so I jumped at the chance when I saw there were seats left.

I filled up my sheet of special paper with those flowers that you learn to draw in like fourth grade while the music played in the background. I glanced over at Nina and saw her incredible drawing of the sun. Holy shit, it was detailed. Her hand sashayed across the page so effortlessly while she hummed to herself. I pursed my lips as I kept doodling, feeling my phone vibrate in my pocket.

Casually, I slipped it out of my pocket to check it. Paul text me: I'll be there in about an hour, beautiful

"No phones, please! Read the sign!"

My head snapped up as Professor Boswell stood in the doorway of her office. She gave me a playful but pointed look before she pointed to the sign in the top right corner of the chalkboard. "No Electronics in the Studio!"

"Sorry…" I whispered, slipping my phone into the front pocket of my bag. The class sat quietly for five more minutes. Some people just scribbling on the page, some people getting into the gritty details of whatever they were creating.

Professor Boswell stepped onto the platform again. "Alright, artists, time's up. Now remember this feeling of joy. That's what I want you to feel every time you walk into the studio. During this class, we will learn the fundamentals of artistry. We will create from our souls and let our hands guide our grades."

The door opened. The entire class turned its head to see Julian Gerard walk into the studio.

"Ah, Professor Gerard! Have you come to join us in our joy today?" she asked.

He chuckled before shaking his head, "No, not today, Selina. Can I steal you for a minute in your office?"

"Sure!" she said, jumping down from the platform. "Class, you may talk amongst yourselves."

Nina swiveled in her stool to face me. "Oh my god, I had no idea Julian Gerard was a professor here. I went to his gallery opening with my friend a few weeks ago. He did this brilliant boudoir inspired shoot for this gallery in Brooklyn. He's a genius."

Adriana had told me Julian's gallery opening went well. Paul and I had opted out of going because we were exhausted from the move. I would have loved to have seen it in person, but from the pictures Adriana sent over after it was over, it looked like a huge success. I didn't realize Julian was that important. Like first name, last name important, you know? I kind of thought he was doing the gallery as like a hobby in his free time.

"At the beginning of the summer, when he was shooting for that opening, my friend invited me to get some footage so they could like project it on the screen during the opening, but I had to work," Nina rolled her eyes. "She introduced us at the gallery, but he seemed pretty preoccupied. He probably doesn't remember me."

Julian and Professor Boswell walked out of her office, still chatting. She threw her head back and laughed at whatever he said while he chuckled humbly. He slipped his hands into the pockets of his khakis and thanked Professor Boswell for whatever he needed. "Well, come visit anytime. You're always welcome here," she said.

"Thanks, Selina. I appreciate it," he answered as he turned to walk out the door. He glanced around the room before his eyes landed on me. He stopped in his tracks and pointed at me. I watched as he took a second to think of where he knew me. "Clear…Clearwater," he said. "Leah Clearwater, right?"

I nodded. "Hi Professor Gerard," I said, giving a polite smile.

He furrowed his brow. "Just Julian," he corrected. "It's good to see you again. Stop by my office sometime this week. We'll catch up."

And with that, he disappeared out the door. Nina looked at me in shock and disbelief. "You know Julian Gerard?!" she asked.

"Not really," I answered. "I actually was at that shoot earlier this summer."

"As a model?"

I shook my head, "No, he let me do a couple of shots."

"Julian Gerard let you take photos with his camera?" she gasped, even more shocked.

"Why do you keep saying his name like that?" I laughed.

"He's a generational genius, hello! He's super private and super picky about who he works with and what he's working on. You working with Julian Gerard is like a guarantee that you'll thrive in the art world. Everyone knows that."

I was surprised to hear this. Adriana always talked about people in extreme positives, so I thought she was just being dramatic when she called him brilliant, but Nina seemed really shocked that I had met Julian Gerard on a semi-professional level.

The rest of the class was fairly uneventful. Except when Professor Boswell asked us to go around the room and show us what we drew to showcase our joy for the day. Nina wowed our professor with her drawing of a fiery sun. One other student impressed her with his incredible drawing of his girlfriend. There were a couple of people who, of course, weren't as detailed but they were still fairly good. When it was my turn, I was almost embarrassed. It was just a page full of basic flowers. Professor Boswell smiled gently and said, "Be proud of yourself, Miss Leah; you're still an artist. We just need to unlock that part of you. Set it free."

That's hippie speak for your drawing sucks but we'll work on it!

After class, Nina and I walked to the Van Am Quad where I was supposed to meet Paul. "Tell me about this boyfriend. What does he do?" she asked, settling into the grass.

I felt my cheeks flush as I thought about Paul. "He's in culinary school," I answered. I don't know why I was all of a sudden feeling shy about my relationship. "Paul's like my best friend. We grew up together, moved out here together…"

"Conquer the world together like a bad ass power couple," Nina added. "Ugh, that's the dream. You are living the dream."

I saw him cross the quad, looking big and serious. His hair was starting to grow out and we both watched as he swept it up into a little bun on top of his head. He hated that his hair grew so quickly and he was dying to find someone to cut it.

"Oh my god," I heard next to us.

"Who is that?" another girl asked.

"They don't make 'em like that where I'm from," a third girl chimed in.

I kind of chuckled to myself as I listened to this group of girls thirst after Paul. I mean, I don't need to tell you guys again how attractive he is. Just know that when he turned into a wolf, he got taller and buffer and much, much hotter. Like it should be illegal to look like that. His black t shirt was tight on his biceps and his jeans…well, let's just say his jeans were fitting in all the right places.

"Jesus, he really is gorgeous," Nina said quietly just to me. "Is he a student?"

"Well…let's find out," I shrugged playfully before calling to Paul, "Hey black shirt!"

"Whoa, Leah, what are you doing?" Nina was shocked.

His head turned toward me and I watched as the serious melted away from his face. He looked me up and down as he smirked. Paul walked over to us, stopping right at the grass. "How are you?" he asked.

"You're really cute," I pointed out. "My friend and I were just talking about it."

"Is that right?" he chuckled. He shifted his weight a little uncomfortably. "Well, thank you. That's very sweet of you."

"Do you work out? You look really strong," I pressed.

"Leah, chill," Nina giggled.

"I work out every once and a while," he played along, the smirk still present on his face. "Let me take you out to lunch. You can keep telling me how strong I look."

"I have a boyfriend," I joked.

"And he's very lucky. I hope he takes you to your favorite Chinese restaurant on W 134th today," Paul said, winking at me.

Nina's eyes darted between me and Paul for a second before she gasped. "Oh my god! Is this your boyfriend?!" she yelled.

Paul and I laughed as I stood up from my spot on the grass. "Nina, this is Paul. Paul, this is my new friend, Nina."

"It's nice to meet you," Paul flashed her a smile.

She looked so starstruck by him, she could only stare for a second. Then she blinked out of it, "It's nice to meet you too. Your girlfriend is the absolute sweetest; I hope you know that."

Paul wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me close. "I do, don't worry. I definitely know what I've got."

He popped a kiss on top of my head. The girls from before glared at me in jealousy from a few yards away. That's ok. After Nina and I exchanged numbers, I told her we should meet for coffee tomorrow morning at the same place. Paul and I left for lunch, back to the Chinese food place like he promised. Life was good.

XXXXXXXXX

That night, Paul and I were laying in bed, exhausted. I was trying so hard to get through my 60 pages of Homer while Paul watched Grey's next to me. I lowered my book from my face. "We should get a dog," I told him.

"We have a dog," he yawned.

Wait, what? I scrunched my face in confusion. "Huh?"

"Me, duh," he joked, jumping out of bed to go to the kitchen. He cracks himself up, his shoulders shook the entire way out the door.

"You're not funny," I called after him, feeling tickled by his antics. I followed him into the kitchen, watching as he dug through it. I hopped onto the counter and swung my feet. "Is it weird to not phase?" I asked.

I watched as he pulled everything out for dinner before he came to stand in between my legs. He thought about it for a second before nodding, "Sometimes. A lot of the time, I just miss being around my pack. My classmates are cool and all, but it's weird hiding this big secret about myself."

I had been racking my brain to figure out how to make sure Paul was still feeling good about this decision after he had phased. I didn't think he would just ease back into regular human life after experiencing something like that. And it's not like he can just transform and then sprint throughout Central Park. "What if," I started, "we find some place outside of the city for you to do your wolf thing?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Like, what if, once a month, we go upstate or something so you can phase and talk to the pack and everything. Run wild. Be free."

"I'd have to leave you alone though," he said, concerned.

I shrugged, "Not really. Maybe I'll hike or something while I wait for you. Or have a picnic. I just don't want you to feel disconnected from that part of you."

Paul played with the idea for a second. "You'd do that for me?"

"I'd do anything for you."

He grinned at me before placing a kiss on the back of my hand. "I'm making something special tonight," he changed the subject. "It should be done by the time you finish homework."

"I don't want to do homework," I pouted. "Let's go dancing."

He shook his head, "Nope, you have school in the morning, Clearwater."

"You only live once?" I tried.

"It's your first week," he chuckled lightly. "If you can keep focus for a full month, I'll treat you every week."

"You're too good to me," I commented before hopping off the counter. We kissed quickly as a knock came at the door. I started to walk to the door, "Are we expecting people?"

"It's Adriana," he told me, before he turned to the counter so he could start cooking. "She can stay for dinner if she wants to."

I swung the door open to see an excited Adriana bouncing on the balls of her feet. She had a plant in her hand that she immediately placed into my hands. "Happy first day," she sang. "I picked you up a pothos from the florist on the corner. You guys need something green in here!"

"Hey Ana," Paul called as Adriana walked in.

"Hey hottie, are you cooking dinner for us?" she asked playfully. Adriana kicked off her shoes and made herself at home as she often did. "What's on the menu?"

"Stuffed salmon with smashed potatoes and roasted green beans. Do you guys want salad?" he asked, cutting up onions.

"I can make a salad," I chimed in, setting the potted plant down on a side table. "What brings you by, Ana?" I asked.

Adriana took a seat at our tiny, thrifted kitchen table and pulled out her phone from her back pocket. "Absolutely nothing," she admitted. "I was just thinking about you guys and wanted to pop by. See how Leah's first day of class was! Our college girl!"

We chatted about the day while Paul cooked, I put on some music to lighten up the mood, and soon, it was time to eat. I threw together a quick salad and placed the dish on the table. Adriana told me about this guy that she'd gone on a few dates with. He was a third-year finance major at NYU which was a complete surprise. Ana was an outgoing, fly by the seat of her pants, go where the wind blows her kind of girl. It was weird to think of her dating someone who wanted a 9 to 5 job, probably frequents business dinners already, and is in bed by 10 pm. "We went to Café Luxembourg last weekend, and I think he just wanted to show me how much money he could spend on a date. It was kind of adorable. Oh! I had a totally brilliant idea on my way over here," Adriana said, setting down her wine glass. "We should go on a double date!"

"For sure," I nodded. "That sounds like fun, right?" I turned to Paul.

"Yeah, that'll be cool. Just let us know when," Paul said. He looked a little stressed and I couldn't tell why. I discreetly tried to catch his eye, but he kept his gaze low on his plate.

Adriana chattered on and on about what had been going on since the last time we saw each other and was asking me everything under the sun about school and being on campus and everything. "Oh my gosh! I completely forgot! Julian called me earlier and told me he saw you during your drawing class today!" she told me.

"Julian? That photographer guy?" Paul asked, suddenly interested in the conversation.

"Yeah, he's a professor at the school. You knew that." I told him. "He came in for a quick second. I'm honestly surprised he remembered me."

"Remembered you?" Adriana repeated, exasperated. "He legitimately analyzed your shots from the boudoir shoot for days after you guys left. I met him for coffee like a week later and he showed me a couple you took of me and we were both blown away."

"Well, who can blame you? She is a genius," Paul said, winking at me. I gave a tight smile, feeling a little embarrassed.

"I'd love to see the shots blown up. I haven't seen any of them since that day," I said, slightly changing the subject.

"I'm sure Julian can print some for you. Just ask him," Adriana said, casually.

"I…maybe," was all I said. I could feel this weird shift in the room and it was coming from Paul. He was eating his food very quietly, but slightly aggressively. His fork scraped the plate just a little harder, his glass hit the table a little louder.

"That's so cool that you'll get to see him on campus though. Maybe he'll ask you to help out with another shoot. I haven't worked with him since the summer, but I know he always has something cooking," Adriana kept going, completely oblivious. We all finished dinner quietly as we listened to the music playing in the background. The food was incredible; everyday, it felt like Paul was getting even better at cooking than the day before. I didn't even think that was possible. "Do you care if I go on the fire escape to smoke?" Adriana asked.

I shook my head 'no' as I grabbed her plate and Paul's to clean. Paul waited until Adriana was sitting on the fire escape to follow me in, with the serving dishes in his hands. I ran the hot water to start cleaning and just waited for him to say something. He leaned against the counter, crossing his arms to his chest casually. He waited a beat before bumping me a little with his hip. I breathed a laugh before bumping him back. "What?" I asked.

"You didn't tell me you saw the photographer today," he mentioned.

I knew it. I shrugged my shoulders as I scrubbed the plate in my hand. "I didn't think it was worth talking about. It was literally a five second exchange while I was in Basic Drawing."

He hummed and nodded his head in understanding. "Is that weird though? That he brought it up to Ana?" he asked.

"I don't think so," I said honestly. "They have a working relationship and she's my friend. It would be like me seeing Jared on the street. I'd tell you if I saw Jared randomly during my day."

He mumbled, "That's a good point." Paul picked up a dish towel and started to dry everything that I had washed. He didn't speak for a bit before saying, "I don't know…feels weird."

I stopped what I was doing as I felt a smirk ghosting my face. I turned to Paul and tickled his sides a little. "Are you jealous? Is that what you're being weird about? You're feeling jealous?"

"I don't get jealous, puh-lease," he waved me off. "Just be careful with that guy. I saw how he was looking at you that day."

I rolled my eyes at his words. He was just being silly. Adriana hopped back into the apartment from the fire escape, fluffing her hair. "Ok, kiddos. Let me know what you think. Thursday night, movies at my place."

"I'll let you know, Ana," I told her. Adriana always needed a plan; I had to learn that it was alright to say no to her sometimes.

"Sounds good, babe," she called. "I might steal you next week for this project I'm working on."

She grabbed her purse and gave me a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Text me when you get home, ok?" I told her.

"You got it," she grinned. She looked back at Paul before she started walking to the door. "Thanks for dinner, Chef Hottie. I can't wait till we're having dinner at your restaurant one day."

Paul smiled at Adriana before waving her off, "Goodnight, Adriana."

"Bye, lovebirds!" she blew us a kiss before she flitted away to her next plan.

We finished cleaning up the kitchen before I hopped in the shower, letting the hot water run all over me. I was hoping that, by the time I got out of the shower, Paul would get over that teeny tiny bit of jealousy that he let in. If there was one thing I was certain of, it was that Paul was the only person I wanted to be with. Julian Gerard wasn't even on my radar.

First of all, he's too old for me. I could see where he tried to dye those couple of grey hairs that were too noticeable by other people. Almost as if his ego couldn't handle his aging being visible to the naked eye. Speaking of his ego, he's cocky as hell and I just don't need that in my life. I completely understand recognizing that you have talent and wanting to share that with the world. But, even at the shoot, he seemed so surprised that there was someone there that could possibly have a better idea than him.

Hard pass.

That being said, I did really want to see those shots. It wouldn't be weird to stop by his office to ask for some. Right?

When I got out of the shower, Paul was on the phone. I checked mine for missed calls and saw I missed one from my dad and that I had a text from Bex. Miss you a bunch, Lee

Paul sighed, "Alright, man, thanks for keeping me updated," he said before hanging up.

"Was that Jared?" I asked, drying my hair with the towel.

"Yeah, there's some shit going on out there," he said, a little serious. "Some girl in Forks got herself mixed up with some vampire."

"Can she do that? That doesn't sound safe."

"It's not," he huffed. "Apparently, it's already been a whole saga with this girl. Some other vampire tried to kill her like 6 months ago or something and then she almost got attacked again by the guy's vampire brother…? Now the blood suckers left Forks, but Jared said Sam found her in the woods curled up in fetal position. Thought she was dead."

"She's ok, right?" I asked.

He nodded, "She's fine, as far as we know. The pack has to work double shifts though in case there are other vampires looking for this girl."

"That's crazy," I said as I comprehended what he was saying. I guess I kind of understood taking that risk for your relationship. I definitely took a risk in staying with Paul and working with him to learn his wolf side and everything. I never doubted in my mind, even for a second, that he wouldn't hurt me. Even the most dangerous creatures have a soft spot for something. Paul's was me; maybe the vampire's soft spot was this girl. The only difference is that Paul would make sure that I was never in a position to get hurt, no matter what. "What's her name?" I asked.

"Uh, Bella," he answered. He started moving around the room

"Hm…" I spoke. "Pretty name. She doesn't sound too bright though."

He snorted, "Right?"

Paul left to get in the shower while I got ready for bed. I hope that Bella girl gets better. Maybe she's better off without those vampires in her life. Maybe, now that they're gone, she can figure out how to come back to reality.

I set a reminder to call my dad back in the morning and waited patiently for Paul to come back. He'd become just as attached to Grey's Anatomy as I had and he really didn't like when I watched an episode without him.

When he came back, he looked a little troubled. He held onto his towel around his waist with one hand and ran his other through his hair. He sat on the edge of the bed and fiddled around with his phone, quietly. I moved until I was sitting behind him. I wrapped my arms and legs around him and kissed his shoulder blade. "What's on your mind?" I asked.

"Nothing," he shrugged.

"Liar," I teased.

He looked over his shoulder and the look in his eye was uneasy. Almost like he was telling me already without saying a word. Then he pursed his lips and groaned a little. "It's dumb," he prefaced.

"Tell me anyway."

His hands glided up and down my legs. "You know…part of culinary school is getting to know every single thing about eating in this city and whose restaurants are best and everything like that."

"Ok…?" I prompted.

"And I'm down for double dates and going out to dinners, but…we just don't have that kind of money. Café Luxembourg? They charge like $30 for some mac and cheese…without protein. That's extra. I don't know if we can cut it, Lee. We still have bills to pay."

Ohhh, ok, I get it now. That's why he was being all weird. "Baby, the bills will get paid. We don't have to entertain every single one of Adriana's whims. She'll probably forget in a couple of days anyway." I moved until I was sitting in his lap. "See, that wasn't stupid. It's totally fair to be worried about money. But we'll figure it out like we always do."

He still looked worried.

I held out my pinky and grinned. "Pinky promise!"

Paul tried to stop himself from smiling as he hooked his pinky around mine. I leaned in to kiss him, making sure to pour my heart and soul into it. Even in times of uncertainty, we always figured out a way. That's just what we do.

XXXXXXXXX

After I got out of biology, my alarm went off to call my dad back whenever I had a second. Hoisting my tote on my shoulder, I pressed my phone to my ear and listened to it ring. Once. Twice. Three times. "Hello?" a gruff voice answered.

"Daddy! Hey! How are you?" I asked.

"Oh, Leah, it's so good to hear your voice. I'm doing good, baby girl. How's your first week going?" he asked. I realized too late that it was really early in the morning over there, but I was just happy that he answered.

"It's been good," I said, slightly distracted as I reached around in my bag for my schedule. "I have two more classes today and then I'm headed straight home."

I could hear my mother sleepily ask who was on the phone. "It's just Leah, honey. Go back to sleep." She mumbled again. "Yes, I'll tell her. Your mother says she loves you."

"Tell her I love her back," I said, walking toward my next class.

"Are you making friends?"

"Yes, Dad."

"Is Paul doing alright?"

"Yes, Dad."

"Do you guys need money?"

"No, Dad, we're all good over here."

"Are you sure?" he pressed.

"Daddy, everything is fine, I promise. I'm doing great and Paul is thriving. We just had dinner with a friend last night. And we're not living in a box on the street. We're good," I said, letting a little laugh out.

He paused for a little. "Well…alright. You'd let me know if something was wrong, right?"

"You'd be the first person I call," I promised. I looked up to see the building I needed to be in. "I have to get to class, but I'll call you later. I love you."

I didn't even wait for him to finish saying he loved me too before I hung up. I felt bad about it, but I was running late. As I was walking to class, I text Dad that I was sorry for hanging up and that I loved him extra to which he replied he loved me even more extra with three red heart emojis.

Philosophy and French were both a drag of introductions and re-reading the syllabus over and over and over. By the time classes were done, I was dying for a caffeine pick-me-up. I walked over to the coffee cart and pulled out a five dollar bill from my back pocket. "Just a small coffee with cream," I told the barista.

"Make that two," I heard behind me, "and you can just put it on my tab."

I turned to see Julian Gerard standing behind me. He flashed me a charming smile before reaching over me to grab the two coffees. I blindly accepted it into my hands before I whirled back around. "No, I don't mind paying for it, really." I said, holding out the money.

"I insist," Julian said. "Seriously, put your money away. It's not a big deal."

I hesitated before slipping the five back in my pocket. "Uh, thank you," I said to Julian, gesturing to the coffee.

"You're welcome, Miss Clearwater," he said a little smugly.

I shook my head, "It's just Leah. No Miss necessary."

He nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. It's good to see you on campus. Adriana was disappointed you couldn't make the gallery opening."

"I'll have to check it out before it's gone. I was just telling Ana that I would have loved to see the shots blown up."

He hooked his thing behind him. "Oh, I have a few in my office if you want to see. It's actually great that I bumped into you again. I have something for you."

We started walking in the same direction at a slow pace. "For me? Are you sure?" I asked.

He nodded before sipping his coffee. "Yeah, my office is this way."

Julian had this way of speaking…it was almost assumptive. He just told people what to do and assumed people would follow along with it. There were no questions or saying 'Oh maybe later.' He had his mind set on his office and I just followed him.

It was big. His office. This grand mahogany desk sat in the middle of the room with one wall filled top to bottom with books and the opposite wall filled with photographs, probably his own work. The lighting was dim and it smelled a little of old scotch and film.

He walked around to sit in his desk chair as he gestured for me to have a seat in one of the giant leather chairs in the room. I set my bag down on the floor as I sank into the chair. He began to type on his keyboard for a second, humming pleasantly to himself. "So, uh, how are classes so far?" he asked distractedly.

"Oh, classes are going great. I'm definitely ready to dive into my major classes though."

"Art history and visual arts, right?"

I nodded, "Yeah, that's…wait, how did you kno—?"

"You want to be a gallerist, then." It was a statement, not a question.

"I'd love to be a gallerist. Or a curator, maybe."

He stood up abruptly as he shuffled around the room. He found the portfolio that he was looking for, came around, and perched himself onto the desk in front of me. "These are the shots I showed Adriana a couple weeks ago when we met for coffee. We're both quite impressed with your work, Leah."

Julian pulled out a couple and handed them to me. They were better than what I remembered. I had one of the models drape herself across the couch, facing the ground, so I could get this shot. Her leg was bent at the knee, hanging over the side of the couch, exposing her garter. And her dark hair was a curtain around her face, a direct contrast from the white lingerie she was wearing, and you could see more of that amazing mural on the ceiling. I remembered having to lay down on the ground and scoot around for a while until I got that perfect shot. And there it was.

The second one, I actually recruited Paul for. I had Adriana drop into a squat next to him, in her 6 inch heels. The shot was black and white because I didn't want his jeans to clash too much with the elegance of the room. We used that same mirror on the ground and you could see Adriana looking at herself. It was dynamic.

"Wow," I breathed. I was speechless as Julian handed me photo after photo, one even better than the other. "I had no idea they turned out this way."

"I hoped you didn't mind, I took a couple liberties and edited them in my style. But I kept most of them the way you worked them."

I stared for a bit longer before looking up at Julian, "Do you mind if I keep some of these?" I asked.

He smirked, "They're yours, Leah. That's your work. I want you to have them."

I smiled, feeling excited to show Paul. "Thank you so much. I really appreciate this."

I started to stand so I could leave. Before I made it to the door, Julian spoke again, "Hold on, just a second. There's one more thing."

He reached around himself and handed me an envelope that was sitting on his desk. I tentatively took it from him and asked what it was. When I opened it, it was $750 cash.

I felt frozen to my spot. Why is he handing me money? "That is money owed to you, the artist, for the work displayed at the gallery," he said casually.

"I-I'm confused."

"Well, I didn't want those good photos to go to waste so I decided last minute to swap a couple of mine for a couple of yours. Of course, there's more where that came from once people purchase, but we can discuss that later."

The envelope was burning a hole in my hand, it felt like. I picked up a $20 bill in between my fingers before putting it back in its place. "I can't take this money, I'm sorry," I said, handing it back.

Julian cocked his head a little, perplexed. "Leah, this is your money."

I was feeling more frustrated than confused by the second. "I guess I'm a little unsure why you used my work in the first place without my permission," I blurted. "I wasn't really ready for my work to be out there to the public yet and I didn't even get to see how people received it."

"They received it very well," he told me.

"But I don't know that for myself."

"You were invited to the gallery opening, Miss Clearwater. You could have seen it for yourself."

"But, if you knew I wasn't coming, you could have just switched them back."

He looked shock that someone had the balls to actually talk back to him. That smooth talking shit doesn't work on me. He stood up straighter and nodded in agreement, "You are absolutely right. That wasn't my judgment call to make. I think I just got excited to show people what I had seen that day. I was sure to credit you, of course, but I didn't think of how it would make you feel. I apologize."

Julian stood up and walked until he was really close to me. I swallowed the nerves down and pursed my lips. "Thank you. I accept your apology."

"However, I still would like to pay you for your work and you'll get the full purchase amount once they're sold. I guarantee it." He held out his hand to me to shake. I looked down at it and paused. Why did this feel weird? Why did it feel like I was agreeing to something else? Were his words just what he meant or was I about to shake on some silent agreement that I had no idea about? I hesitated, but shook his hand anyway. He smiled at me before thrusting the envelope back into my hand. "Have a great day, Miss Clearwater."

"You too, Professor Gerard," I said slowly before walking out the door, not looking back even once.

When I got home, Paul was in a mood. Any time I see him aggressively whisking something, I know to keep my distance and let him burn it off. I walked into the door, heard the loud music from our speakers, and cringed. I placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm home," I said, nuzzling my face in his neck.

He stopped whisking and turned to me. His eyes softened immediately. "Hey you," he breathed before sweeping me up into a kiss. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in."

"It's ok," I said, stroking his cheek. "Are you alright?"

"Just a hard day. It's no biggie," he tried to brush it off. "I'm making cinnamon rolls for you."

I pulled him into a hug. "You don't have to do that."

"No, I want to. I feel bad for being so weird at dinner last night. I just want to do something for you."

I told him thank you and that I was going to go to the bedroom to take a minute to myself. I was really doing that for him. Whatever it was that was making him mad, he needed more time to destress than I did. I couldn't help but think about that stack of cash sitting in my school bag. We had just had a conversation about how tight money will be for a while. $750 would help us a lot. But we had also just had a conversation about Julian Gerard. Paul literally just told me to be careful around him. And I agreed.

So…I just let the money sit there for the night. I'd tell him about it when he's feeling better.