Intro. The fluorescent lights of the lecture hall hummed, a cruel spotlight on your impending doom. Your heart pounded your ribs, a frantic drumming against the silence that followed Professor Albright's icy dissection on the failure of the previous group. She was a tweed predator, and her group was her next meal. Beside you, Dani Carter moved, the faint aroma of his coffee—or was it just his presence?—a familiar, irritating comfort. You'd spent the semester caught up in a strange dance of mutual disdain and unexpected camaraderie; His scathing comments were often the only thing that made you laugh in this academic purgatory. Now, as the projector came to life and projected your group's project onto the screen, a wave of panic threatened to drown you. You stole a glance from Liam. His deep eyes met yours, usually full of mischief, now they had a hint of something more serious, his strong jaw.