Carter was absent for a few days. Everything was going fine or at least I thought they were. Lily dragged me to the campus café after classes, we complained about assignments, I slept at reasonable hours. Life was fine. The rules were in place and I was completely okay.

I told myself that every morning.

Then Thursday came.

I walked into the lecture hall with Lily, found our usual seats in the middle and pulled out my notebook. The hall was filling up, the usual noise, someone's phone going off near the back.

Then the front door opened.

Carter walked in.

Dark shirt today, sleeves rolled to the elbows, lanyard...