NINA

"Are you dating?" Benny passed a note to Nina during History of Western Art.

Nina stared at the paper, blinking in disbelief. Where did she get that idea from? She quickly grabbed the pen and wrote a response.

"LOL, no!" Nina's hand was swift as she slid the note towards Benny. She couldn't help but feel amused at her friend's nosiness. Was Benny really trying to dig into her non-existent romantic life in the middle of class?

"Why not?" The paper scraped the table as it slid back to her again.

Nina read the note with a raised brow. Benny was relentless. She was also very, very curious. Nina let out a quiet sigh, her fingers tapping on the edge of her desk as she thought about how to respond. It was easy to answer her, but harder to navigate the complexities of her situation.

"Because Romance is a waste of time!" Nina slammed the note back onto the table with a little more force than necessary, trying to shove away the thoughts of the handsome blond she'd been unable to shake for the past 24 hours. His smile. His crinkled eyes. His laugh. Focus, Nina. Focus.

"But you're going to marry that dude??" Benny shot back, incredulous. The note slid across the table with an almost accusatory speed.

"No, I'm just going out with him to some charity event today," Nina wrote with a sigh, already regretting getting herself tangled in this mess. Her handwriting was a little sharper than usual, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

"But, you're not dating???" Benny's frustration was practically leaping off the paper, and Nina could almost hear her friend's voice grow exasperated through her writing.

"I'm going out with him to appease dad. He's mad that I stood the dude up yesterday. I'll try to push the wedding until I earn the money to pay dad back so I won't have to marry. Get it?" Nina scribbled quickly, hoping Benny would understand without asking her to explain every little detail.

"But you said you went on a date yesterday! If it wasn't this guy, who did you go with????!!!" Benny's response was even more frantic, her handwriting a messy scrawl, begging for an explanation.

"Just a rando I mistook for this dude," Nina wrote back, wishing they could just get through one conversation without diving into her complicated life. Passing notes was supposed to be an easy form of communication—but Benny wasn't making it so.

"I'm confused," Benny said aloud, her voice rising above the classroom chatter. Nina's heart sank into her stomach as every head in the room turned toward them. She froze, eyes wide, feeling the weight of all those stares pressing down on her. Oh God.

Benny, too, realized the attention she had drawn. Her eyes widened, cheeks flushing a deep crimson as she quickly glanced at Nina. She had inadvertently turned their quiet exchange into a public spectacle.

While the students closest to them shared knowing looks, Professor Barnes remained oblivious. She smiled at Benny, almost too kindly, before she turned her gaze toward the girl. "Ms. Pesci, I'm glad you're finally participating in class. But today's subject is pretty straightforward. What are you confused about?"

Benny, clearly flustered, glanced at Nina for help. Nina didn't answer. Instead, Benny kicked her under the table, prompting Nina to rub her sore leg in protest.

"Ouch! Philosophy of art," Nina whispered with a scowl. 

"Philosophy of art. I'm confused about the...that," Benny said, sighing with relief, clearly relieved to have found a way out of the awkwardness.

Professor Barnes nodded with a satisfied expression. "That's the topic of our class today. I'm afraid I can't help you if the entire hour didn't make sense to you. Why don't you come see me in my office later?"

Benny glared at Nina, muttering under her breath, but Nina couldn't hold back her giggle. Her friend was adorable, but she was also hilariously clumsy.

"I was going to lend you a dress for your 'date' today," Benny wrote to Nina, the drama in her handwriting obvious. "But now I am too hurt to."

When Nina had moved out of her father's house, she'd intentionally left behind anything that was even remotely expensive. All those designer clothes, the accessories, the trinkets—all of it had stayed. She didn't have anything sophisticated that she could wear to an upscale event.

"That's fine. He didn't get to see my questionable fashion sense last night. What better way to get him to reject me than wearing pajamas to a place like that?" she wrote back, her smile wicked as she pushed the note back.

"No best friend of mine shall wear pajamas to a charity ball!!! Don't even think about it! I'm loaning you my dress, and you are wearing it. And that's FINAL," Benny wrote with a fierce determination.

Nina couldn't help but snicker. Benny, despite her occasional drama, was one of the most adorable, fiercely loyal people Nina knew. If she were gay, she would marry Benny in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, Nina was stuck with the 'un-fair' sex. Benny, however, was loved by everyone, no exceptions.

"I'm going to meet Lisa later," Benny wrote gingerly, pushing the paper across the table with a sweet smile.

"Meet is a very innocent word for what you're actually going for," Nina teased, her eyes rolling playfully. She knew Benny all too well.

"I can't help it, okay? She's like what a cigarette is to a smoker. To me it's just smoking." Benny's cheeky response had Nina shaking her head.

"When you do it with a person, it's called cheating," Nina responded firmly, raising an eyebrow as she shot Benny a knowing look. Benny was always a little too confused for her own good.

"I'm in an open relationship with Seth," Benny replied with a frown.

"Does he know that?" Nina wrote back, raising a brow in mock disbelief. When Benny didn't respond immediately, Nina smirked. Of course not.

"You really need to figure this out, Ben. You can't keep them both hanging forever. Unless you decide to be with both of them, in which case, you need to first let Seth know that you are still seeing your ex-girlfriend," Nina wrote, her eyes narrowing into a stern look. She wasn't messing around on this one.

Benny sighed deeply, her face crumpling in frustration. "Yeah... I know I should get this sorted out. I just, I'm so confused!"

"It's okay to be confused. But don't hurt others because of your indecisiveness," Nina whispered, gently nudging Benny with her elbow. Benny nodded slowly, understanding the weight of her words.

***

That evening, Nina stood outside her apartment building, the cool night air brushing against her skin. She held her borrowed silver clutch bag nervously, glancing down at her dress. She'd been to enough charity balls growing up to know that what she was wearing might not be very appropriate.

The only ball gown Benny owned was the one she had bought for high school prom. The icy blue dress, with a plunging neckline and sheer material cinched at her waist, slit down the side to reveal her leg. It was a beautiful dress—on Benny. Not on Nina, though.

What might have been a stunning look for Benny's cool-toned complexion didn't complement Nina's warm brown skin. Fortunately, Benny and Nina were both about the same height of five foot three inches, so Nina didn't have to worry about altering the dress. That would've been a nightmare.

After moving out of her dad's house, Nina had sworn she wouldn't go back to the life she grew up in. But it was either this or dropping out of college. I can make this one exception, I guess. At least she didn't look like one of them. In some ways, Nina was glad she was awkwardly dressed. It would make the whole experience less immersive.

A red Lamborghini sped toward her, screeching to a halt in front of her. A tall man in a black Armani suit emerged, brushing his fingers through his perfectly styled jet-black hair. He had a square jaw and a stylish beard adorning the lower half of his face. He removed his shades and tossed them into the car like he owned the place.

Why does he need to shield his eyes? It's literally 8 at night! Nina thought as she forced a smile, trying to stay neutral. First impressions are important. She didn't think much of him at all. He seemed like just another entitled, spoiled brat, but at least he was a good-looking brat. That would make the evening easier on her eyes.

"Hi, you must be Nina. I'm Ritvik. It's a pleasure to meet you!" he said with a grin, his voice unexpectedly high-pitched, almost feminine.

"Likewise," she replied curtly, her voice lower than his. Even that small difference highlighted how mismatched they were.

"I'm glad you didn't blow me off this time," he said, his smirk practically oozing confidence.