Sloane’s POV
And just like that, the crushing weight of exam week evaporated into the quiet hum of the lecture hall. I walked out into the crisp afternoon air, slinging my heavy backpack over my shoulder.
My degree, with every grueling page of accounting and finance equations, was finally one step closer to reality. For weeks, every spare second had been consumed by study guides, work shifts, and the surreal, overwhelming comfort of Xavier quietly taking care of my life in the background. But now that the dust had settled, the silence in my head felt heavy.
It’s like reality again. The clouds in my head were floating away. Tomorrow, I am back out to work. Life is the same.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, a simple text from Xavier letting me know he was waiting.
Except it isn’t. Since my
