Aleena's heart skipped a beat—there was definitely more underneath Julian's guarded exterior. But knowing he wouldn't open up unless he wanted to, she decided to break the tension with a teasing jab. "Show up to class like this and people are gonna think I'm making a move on you. You might wanna set them straight."

"Isn't that exactly what you're doing?" Julian shot back, huffing in that way of his.

She couldn't help but laugh at his sulky little attitude. When he was sober, he got under her skin nonstop, but tipsy Julian? He was flat-out adorable.

Remembering how dismissive he usually was toward her, Aleena hooked his arm and dragged him forward without an ounce of pity. "Come on, walk straight! You've had enough swaying for one night."

They moved through the nearly empty pedestrian street. The last campus shuttle would leave soon, but Julian shuffled along as if his feet barely touched the ground. Aleena's anxiety ticked up every second.

It triggered a memory from a past life—right after their engagement, they'd taken a trip together. Perched on a high viewpoint in the Alps, they shared sweet wine while the crisp night air wrapped around them. Julian, a bit tipsy, leaned close, his fingers trailing tenderly over her cheek. She remembered the heat dusting his ears, the bob of his throat as he kissed her—deep, slow, achingly tender. When he pulled back, something uncertain flickered in his eyes. His lips parted, like he wanted to say something, but in the end, he stayed quiet.

So his love—had it ever been real?

They trudged down the lonely road back to the school, which sat on the outskirts where shops and people were few and far between. Aleena checked her phone: 10:40. They had almost missed the last shuttle, and rideshares rarely came this far out. She urged Julian to speed up, but he kept listing toward the ground, barely able to hold himself upright.

With nobody in sight, Aleena made a split-second decision. She hoisted him onto her back.

With that support, Julian seemed to settle, letting her carry him at a quick clip. He mumbled under his breath, "You're not Aleena..."

She almost laughed right there. Of course—how could a normal girl like Aleena carry him so easily?

"Rest well, Aleena," she murmured to the original owner of this body. "I've got your revenge covered." She was a soul contractor, here to settle Aleena's unresolved grievances. She'd promised to return this body—and Aleena's life—once the real soul woke up. But for now, she was Aleena.

They made it back to the school. Aleena adjusted Julian's dead weight, then dug his phone out of his pocket and called his roommate.

On the other end, Russell Bryant was completely absorbed in some video game when he answered, annoyed. "Julian, I'm in the middle of something... wait, too drunk? Fine. On my way down."

He hung up with a grin, grabbed his jacket, and headed out, a curious roommate trailing behind him firing questions. Russell just laughed. "That lucky bastard."

He half-jogged down the stairs and burst through the door to see Aleena propping Julian up, the guy's arm looped around her shoulder. Russell's grin stretched even wider.

"Quick—take him. He's heavy," Aleena said, practically shoving Julian at Russell in relief. Russell, however, looked her up and down, eyes full of mischief. "So... what's the deal between you two? Ha."

In Russell's book, Aleena was a quiet, sweet girl. He expected her to get shy and flustered about explaining. But instead, she reached up and gave his head a playful smack. "What sort of wild story are you cooking up in that head? He couldn't make it back on his own, so I helped out!"

"Get him upstairs. I'm leaving."

Russell watched her go, then called after her. "Bye, Aleena... or should I say, future Mrs. Mason! Take care!"

"Enough! Stop your yapping!" Aleena shot back over her shoulder, laughing, eyes dancing, before she took off toward the girls' dorm.

Russell hauled Julian up the stairs, muttering, "Dude, you've seriously got it made. Aleena's a total catch, and you're over here dodging her left and right."

Once inside, the roommates eagerly devoured Russell's story about Aleena bringing Julian home, and a riot of comments followed:

"Julian's got all the damn luck!"

"For real though. Aleena's super sweet and pretty—why's he always running away?"

"You think he got drunk and made a move?"

"Drop it, okay? You know Aleena. She's not like that. She's amazing. Honestly? Julian doesn't even deserve her."

Julian Mason jolted awake the next morning to his roommate Russell Bryant shaking his shoulder. Sunlight poured through the window—a dead giveaway that he was dangerously close to being late. He rubbed his temples, head pounding as he tried to piece together the blur of the night before. When he finally sat up, he caught his roommates trading odd looks in his direction.

“What’s going on?” Julian asked, a knot forming in his stomach under their stares.

“Not a thing,” Russell replied, flashing a shit-eating grin.

Once the others cleared out of the dorm, Russell pulled Julian aside. “So what went down last night? You finally come to your senses or what?”

“Come to my senses about what?”

“You seriously don’t remember how you got back here last night?”

Julian was infamous for blacking out when he drank, and last night was no exception. He struggled to pull up even a single memory—until a hazy image flickered through: Aleena Cook guiding him back to the dorm.

“She dropped you off at the building entrance. I was mid-chess game when she called me down to help haul your ass upstairs. Dude, you were all over her like a lovesick puppy.”

Mortification hit Julian like a truck. That’s how Aleena had brought him back? Unbelievable. Humiliating didn’t even begin to cover it.

Across his morning classes, he couldn't focus for shit. His eyes kept drifting to Aleena, sitting near the front, fully absorbed in the lecture. Frustration simmered under his skin. He wanted to keep his distance from her, but with their schedules so tangled up, there was no easy escape.

Meanwhile, his friends kept egging him on to get with Aleena, but Julian had a meeting lined up with Aya Morales anyway.

“I’m Aleena’s friend. She really cares about you, so don’t mess with her head!” To Julian’s surprise, Aya dragged Aleena into their conversation out of nowhere.

“Her feelings are her problem, not mine,” he shot back, playing it cool.

“You don’t actually think Aleena can’t function without you, do you? There are plenty of guys lining up for her. Just last week, a senior took her out to some fancy restaurant and confessed—right then and there!” Aya’s words were tossed off casually, but they carried a sharp edge, hinting that Aleena wasn’t exactly as loyal as she seemed.

Unbeknownst to Aya, Aleena had already gotten wind of this little meeting by slipping a recorder into Aya’s bag. She listened as Aya ran her mouth, fully aware of what Aya was doing—twisting the truth to make her look unfaithful. Aya was sly; her manipulation game was painfully smooth.

Julian’s jaw tightened. “If she’s got so many admirers, she can go run to them.”

“Aleena grew up in a loving home. She’s never been treated like crap. Why should she put up with yours? You should just stay away from her!” Aya declared, spinning on her heel to leave—only to slip and hit the ground with a grimace of pain.

“You okay?” Julian moved closer, concerned despite himself.

“I’m fine!” Aya insisted, scrambling up even though her face told a completely different story.

Julian watched her limp off, then offered, “Which dorm are you in? I can help you get back.”

“No need. I don’t dorm here. I’m heading home.” Her voice was stiff, playing the part of independence.

Leaving her like that didn’t sit right with him. “Is home far? I can give you a ride.”

And just like that, Aya found herself perched on the back of Julian’s bike.

On the other end of the recording, Aleena let out a long sigh. As a soul contractor with powers beyond measure, why was she stuck untangling this messy romantic knot for some girl? But then she thought of Aleena—the regret and sorrow she'd carried before her untimely death. If helping this unlucky girl find peace was the price of the contract, then maybe it was worth it after all.

Aleena Cook hit Aya Morales's number on purpose. "Hey Aya, I've got something important to talk to you about. Can I swing by your place?"

Aya hesitated. "Uh... I'm not home right now..."

"Where are you? I can meet you somewhere."

"I'm kind of tied up at the moment. Maybe tomorrow?" Aya hung up quickly.

"Was that Aleena? What did she want?" Julian Mason had overheard the whole thing.

"She wanted to come over. I told her my ankle's acting up and it's a hassle right now, so I suggested she visit tomorrow."

"Didn't she say it was important? What was it about?"

"I... I didn't ask."

"You're supposed to be her close friend. How can you be so indifferent?"

Aya hadn't expected Julian to care that much. She figured he wouldn't give a damn about Aleena's business. Could he actually be getting interested in her? If so, that could really mess up her plans. She needed to move fast.

Meanwhile, Aleena was already taking action. She planned to meet Russell Bryant. "Russell, I could use a favor..."

Even though Julian always gave Aleena a hard time, Russell had always had a good impression of her. Back when she was on the student council, Aleena often covered for Russell when he was late to class. So when she asked for help, he readily agreed. "Sure, Aleena, what do you need?"

"Our department's doing a field project at a local park this weekend, and we get to choose our own groups. I was thinking..."

"You want to be in Julian's group? No problem! I'll take care of it!" Russell cut her off before she could even finish.

Aleena smiled and nodded, her bright eyes sparkling like stars—the kind of look that could reel anyone in. She handed Russell a small box of homemade treats as a thank-you. "Thanks, Russell! Just a little something to show my appreciation."

"No need for that, Aleena. It's no big deal. I'll get myself into Julian's group, and then you can join us."

"You've gotta take it, Russell. I might need your help again," Aleena insisted with a laugh.

Russell took the box, a little embarrassed, said goodbye to Aleena, and headed off.

Later, as Julian was biking back to the dorm after dropping Aya off, he spotted Russell and Aleena by the roadside. They were deep in conversation—Aleena beaming at whatever Russell was animatedly describing. At one point, she handed him a beautifully wrapped box.

Julian slowed down, watching them from a distance. Seeing Aleena and Russell so wrapped up in each other stirred something in his chest—a restless, inexplicable unease.

Back at the dorm, Julian sat brooding. Meanwhile, Russell was happily munching on the cookies Aleena had given him. When Julian walked in, Russell offered him one. "Want some?"

Julian glanced at the box in Russell's hand. "Where'd you get those?"

"Aleena made them herself and passed them to me. They're awesome!"

Julian replied, "I don't want any. They were meant for you, so enjoy them."

He remembered what Aya had said about Aleena having plenty of admirers. Looking at that box of cookies, he felt even more unsettled. Aleena had told him she liked him before—so why was she out here handing out homemade treats to other guys?

Russell leaned in with a teasing grin. "Jealous because Aleena gave me something?"

"Not at all!" Julian shot back immediately. "Why would I care about her?"