Eighteen Below Him

Samira's POV

Another boring day dragged by.

I swallowed hard and tightened my grip on my bag strap, wishing the hours would move faster. I hoped I would not have to deal with any more group projects. I had been paired with him constantly lately, as if the universe was playing a cruel trick on me.

I suppose this was technically a step closer to executing my plans, and yet every time he appeared, that resolve seemed to weaken.

"Sam." Novia hissed from behind me, tugging my arm away from the wall. "Focus. You are staring at him again."

"I am not." I started to argue, but Amanda elbowed me before I could finish.

"You are." Amanda said with a knowing look. "Your jaw is locked. That counts as staring."

I exhaled sharply, trying to compose my features. "I am evaluating the competition. That is different."

Novia snorted. "Call it whatever you want."

English class was waiting for us, and I knew trouble was waiting inside. Mrs. Huntington announced a new group project that required paired oral presentations. I silently hoped for someone quiet and uncomplicated, a partner who would let me do the work in peace.

That hope lasted all of ten seconds.

"You will be working with Calvin Simms." she said while scanning her list.

My stomach dropped into my shoes. Calvin glanced over at me with an expression that mixed genuine amusement with a silent challenge.

"Why is she getting paired with Cal for every class?" Ashley whined from the front row. She stared daggers at me the next second, her face twisted in a pout. Calvin barely gave her any attention at all.

Mrs. Huntington ignored the noise and continued with her instructions.

"Perfect!" I muttered under my breath, the sarcasm dripping from the word.

He leaned back in his chair as if we had already agreed to some secret pact. "Looks like we are stuck together again, Sam. Try not to panic."

"I do not panic." I replied coolly, meeting his gaze. "You might want to focus more on the material and less on entertaining yourself."

A low laugh left him, a sound that was controlled and effortless. "I can multitask."

Our first planning session began awkwardly. Amanda and Novia had already coached me on how to handle these moments. Stay composed. Tease him lightly. Never show a hint of nerves.

I opened my notebook to a fresh page. "Let us focus on the themes and structure first."

Calvin leaned forward slightly, moving close enough for our arms to brush. I felt the contact instantly, a jolt of electricity that I pretended not to notice.

"Relax." he said smoothly, his voice dropping an octave. "We are not defusing a bomb."

"I am relaxed." I replied, though my pulse had started to misbehave.

After class ended, I tried taking the longer hallway toward the science wing, hoping to avoid a second encounter. It did not work.

"Sam." he called out, stepping into my path with calm confidence. "Avoiding me already?"

"I have places to be." I said evenly, not slowing my pace.

He shifted his weight just enough to block my route without actually touching me. "You always seem in a hurry when I am around."

Lies. We always ignore each other. I did not know why he was suddenly in my air these days.

"That is because you are in the way."

His lips curved slightly into a shadow of a smile. "You are bold. I respect that."

I stepped around him before he could respond. Our shoulders brushed in the process, and the contact sent an unexpected ripple through me.

"Careful." he said quietly behind me. "You almost lost your balance."

"I am fine." I answered without turning around to look at him. "Stop pretending you care."

He did not reply, but I felt the weight of his gaze on my back until I disappeared into the next corridor.

Lunch offered no relief from the tension. Amanda and Novia had chosen a table with a clear view of the cafeteria floor. I tried to act indifferent while unwrapping my sandwich, but my attention kept drifting toward Calvin. He was laughing with Denver and Frederick, looking completely at ease. At one point, he leaned toward a girl from the debate team and said something that made her blush a deep crimson.

An unfamiliar sting of jealousy tightened in my chest.

Novia caught the change in my expression immediately. "Interesting reaction."

"I am reacting to nothing." I said, taking a deliberate, large bite of my sandwich.

Amanda gave me a look that said she did not believe a single word. "Sure."

As if sensing my eyes on him, Calvin glanced across the cafeteria. His eyes landed directly on mine. I looked down at my tray as if the plastic had suddenly become the most fascinating thing in the world.

"He saw that." Novia whispered.

"I was not staring." I replied, though my ears felt warm.

After lunch, we had a free period. I escaped to the quiet of the library, hoping Calvin would not show up and the silence would finally calm my thoughts.

Calvin was already there.

He sat at a table near the back, his headphones resting around his neck, flipping through a heavy textbook. When I entered, he looked up immediately. There was no smirk this time, only a quiet, intense awareness.

I moved toward the shelves, pretending I had not noticed his presence.

"Miss James." His voice called out, cutting through the silence.

Of course.

I walked over with steady steps and sat down across from him. He studied me for a long moment before speaking.

"Ready to make some progress?"

"As ready as I will ever be."

We spread our materials across the table. Our hands brushed more than once while we both reached for the same pages. Each point of contact felt amplified in the quiet, hushed space.

"You are tense." he observed calmly.

"I am focused."

"There is a difference."

I lifted my eyes to meet his. "Do not analyze me."

He held my gaze a second longer than necessary, then returned his attention to the text. "Then stop giving me so much material."

We worked for nearly an hour. The rhythm between us shifted into something competitive yet strangely synchronized. I corrected his interpretations when I disagreed, and he challenged mine with measured, smart arguments. When he laughed at one of my sharper remarks, I hated how much I noticed the pleasant sound of it.

By the time we packed up our things, the project outline was solid.

"You are better at this than I expected." he said while sliding his notebook into his bag.

"That sounds like an insult."

"It is not."

I narrowed my eyes. "Do not get used to it."

His expression softened slightly, a look I hadn't seen before. "I would not dream of it."

Outside the library, Amanda and Novia were already waiting.

"Well?" Novia asked the moment I reached them.

"We made progress." I said simply.

Amanda studied my face for any cracks. "And?"

"And nothing." I replied. "It was productive."

They exchanged a look that was slow, knowing, and far too smug for my comfort.

The ride home felt longer than usual. Two weeks remained to prove I could handle him without losing myself in whatever this tension was becoming. Yet the more time I spent around Calvin Simms, the more complicated the plan felt. He did not push aggressively. He did not chase me down. He simply observed, stepped into my path at the right moments, and waited.

And I reacted every single time.

That was the problem. He was not overwhelming. He was patient. Calculating. Quietly confident. And I was beginning to wonder whether I had seriously underestimated him.

Two weeks remained. By the time my birthday arrived, something would shift. I could feel it in the air. I just was not sure whether I would be the one in control when it finally happened.