âYouâre tired, arenât you?â
Dunn glanced at the bottle briefly. It was just waterânothing special. Everyone had one. He accepted it but didnât drink.
Lynda looked at him thoughtfully and added, âYou know, people say university life is easier, but honestly, it feels even harder than the SAT to me. What do you think?â
Dunn didnât respond. Instead, he stubbed out his cigarette, even though it wasnât finished. âIâm heading back inside.â
Lynda felt a familiar sting of defeat, one sheâd grown used to over time. Still, she called after him, âDunn, have you heard anything about Dominic Moreno lately?â
Dunn stopped mid-step. âDominic Moreno?â His sharp memory served him wellâhe rarely forgot a name. âIâm not familiar with him.â
âIs that so?â Lyndaâs expression clouded with a trace of disappointment. âThatâs unfortunate. Ever since he broke up with me, I havenât heard a word about him. I thought maybe youâd know something.â
Dunnâs brow furrowed slightly as he turned to face her fully. âBroke up?â
Lynda met his gaze, her heart thundering in her chest.
âWere you and Dominic together back then?â Dunn asked, his tone more serious now.
Lynda forced a smile, though it didnât reach her eyes. âYou canât be serious. Are you telling me you really had no idea? We almost got caught by the head teacher more than once.â
âSorry, I wasnât paying much attention to you in high school. Your name is Lynda Baldwin, right?â
Lynda didnât answer, her silence loaded with unspoken frustration.
âSorry.â
Dunn offered a muted apology and departed, leaving Lynda standing alone, her smile stiffening against the brisk wind.
Exhausted from the weekâs relentless workload, Dunn managed merely ten hours of sleep across seven days.
As he dragged his exhausted body back to the dorm, the habit of staying up late had dulled his need for rest, leaving him surprisingly alert despite his fatigue.
After showering, he sat on his bedâs edge, cracking open a beer in the dimly lit space, lit only by a desk lamp.
His phone revealed that Addie hadnât yet apologized. It seemed a visit to her parents might be necessary.
At ten in the evening, Dunn wondered if Aurora was still awake. Deciding to message her, he wrote, âThe exam results come out the day after tomorrow. Are you nervous?â
Aurora, brushing Gingerâs fur, felt a surge of excitement upon reading his message.
Despite a week filled with various activities like horseback riding and rock climbing designed to distract her, she couldnât suppress the urge to contact Dunn.
Love seemed to push her to her emotional limits.
She wanted to share so much with him.
Carefully crafting her response, she replied, âIâm so nervous! My aunt insists on the tradition of eating fortune cookies before the results, but they canât find any in town. Now, my momâs considering sourcing them from another city. Could this be a bad omen?â
Dunn replied, âWith your excellent grades, you shouldnât need such superstitions.â
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