The second tutoring session was nothing like the first.

  No stolen gnces. No teasing body nguage. No flirtatious toe curls under the table. Bharath heaved a huge sigh of relief. His model student was back and sexy Mia was out - at least for now.

  Just notebooks. Calcutors. And Mia-hair tied back in a no-nonsense ponytail, mechanical pencil tapping against her lip as she worked through a particurly nasty set of derivatives.

  Bharath sat beside her in Sarah’s quiet study room, arms folded, watching her work through the problem. Occasionally he nodded, offering a quiet “good” or a small correction.

  But mostly?

  He just let her think.

  And Mia… loved it.

  “Okay,” she said at st, circling her answer and blowing a soft puff of air across the page. “I think that’s right.”

  Bharath leaned over and scanned the page.

  He smiled.

  Mia’s stomach fluttered.

  “That’s exactly right,” he said, then added with a little extra warmth, “And you didn’t even ask me to check halfway through. That’s a huge leap.”

  Mia leaned back and grinned. “Honestly? I don’t even like calculus. But when you expin it, it’s like suddenly it makes sense.”

  Bharath chuckled. “It’s just logic and structure. You’re good at patterns.”

  “I’m good at you,” she said, half under her breath.

  He blinked.

  She cleared her throat. “I mean, good at the way you teach. Your… process. Your examples are really intuitive.”

  Bharath smiled again, and this time, it was tinted with the warmth he always had for her. No suspicion. No worry. Just pride.

  “You’re going to ace your AP exam,” he said, handing her back the pencil. “At this rate, you could even take it early.”

  Mia’s eyes lit up. “Wait - you think I could accelerate?”

  “With a few more sessions? Easily.”

  She bounced in her seat. “Then I want more. In physics too. And chem. And - what else are you good at? Biology?”

  He ughed. “Not really. But Sarah is. She’s actually a fantastic tutor. She helped half the engineering dorm pass their statistics midterm.”

  Mia beamed. “Deal. I want a Rivera-House curriculum. Two tutors. Endless snacks. Occasional emotional breakdowns.”

  “Certified by the Institute of Cuddly Chaos,” Bharath added.

  She stared at him a moment longer than necessary.

  And there it was again - that twinge in her chest. Is this what love felt like? She was more and more sure that it was.

  He always did this.

  Supported her. Celebrated her. Gave her his full attention without demanding anything in return. He found her beautiful - but didn’t even attempt to act on his attraction. Compared to all the boys and men she had encountered in her life - this was so different. She could see that he felt deeply about her too. She could see it in his eyes.

  It made her ache.

  Not just with longing.

  With conviction.

  She was going to get him soon. He better watch out.

  Later that evening, the whole gang converged at a id-back diner near campus. The kind with booths too small for their chaos, sticky menus, and milkshakes so thick they gave you blisters trying to sip them.

  Mia squeezed in between Sarah and LaTasha. Bharath sat across from her, pressed between Jorge and Marisol, already arguing about whose turn it was to choose toppings on the shared pizza.

  Tyrel had cimed the jukebox and was mid-negotiation with the waiter about whether Return of the Mack could be pyed three times in a row.

  “I can tip well,” he said solemnly. “I’ve been known to throw in napkin origami.”

  Nandita cpped her hands. “Okay, I am not learning new choreography if you guys py Mack again.”

  Mia leaned into Sarah. “Is it always like this?”

  Sarah smiled. “Only on days ending in Y.”

  Marisol added, “We apologize to the universe. Loudly. With carbs.”

  As the ptes emptied and ughter filled every inch of their booth, Mia caught herself watching them-watching him.

  Bharath ughed so easily now.

  He leaned into Jorge’s jokes. He stole fries from Marisol’s pte and got flicked for it. He nudged Ravi with his elbow when he made a particurly bad pun. And every so often, his eyes would meet Mia’s, and he’d smile-just for her.

  When the night began winding down, Sarah gave a gentle nudge to Mia.

  “Time to go, superstar. You’ve got an early morning.”

  Mia made a face. “Do I have to?”

  “Yes,” Marisol said. “Unless you want mama to assume we’ve all eloped.”

  “She’d probably be thrilled if I got into Georgia Tech early,” Mia muttered, grabbing her backpack.

  Tyrel stood and stretched. “Truck’s parked out front. Shotgun is not avaible, Mia. You’ll have to fight Sarah for it.”

  Sarah grinned. “I don’t fight. I conquer.”

  As the group trickled out, the girls lingered at the door with Mia while the boys stayed behind.

  Bharath gave a tired but happy wave. “Night, Mia.”

  “Thanks for today,” she said softly. “You’re amazing.”

  His smile was shy, his nod bashful. “You’re welcome. I mean it-you’re crushing this.”

  She turned before she could say anything else. Marisol had a knowing smirk on her face. Sarah threw a wink over her shoulder.

  The door jingled closed behind them.