Level Three and the Tiny Umbrella of Doom

I stood under the stone archway, shivering slightly in my cardigan.

"Maya? What are you doing out here?"

I jumped. My best friend and roommate, Chloe, was hurrying out of the building, clutching her tote bag against her chest. "They just issued a severe thunderstorm warning. We need to get back to the dorms."

"I... I can't," I stammered, frantically trying to think of a lie. "I'm waiting for a study group."

"Outside? In a hurricane?" Chloe narrowed her eyes. Then, her gaze shifted to a point over my shoulder, and all the color drained from her face. "Oh my god. Don't look now, but the Grim Reaper of Engineering is walking this way. Don't make eye contact, Maya. Just keep your head down and—"

"Actually, that's who I'm waiting for," I interrupted, my cheeks burning.

Chloe stared at me as if I had just spoken in tongues. "Leo Kael? You are waiting for Leo Kael? Did you borrow money from the mob? Blink twice if you need me to call campus security."

"I'm fine, Chloe, really! It's just a project. I'll see you at home!"

Before Chloe could interrogate me further, a loud clap of thunder echoed across the quad. The sky opened up, and the rain began to fall in heavy, icy sheets. Chloe squeaked, threw her jacket over her head, and sprinted toward the dorms.

Exactly three seconds later, heavy combat boots splashed onto the stone steps.

Leo stood before me. His leather jacket was already dotted with raindrops, and his dark hair was slightly windblown, giving him a dangerous, untamed look that made my breath catch. He checked his matte-black wristwatch.

"Punctual," he noted, his deep voice barely carrying over the roar of the rain. "The meteorological data was precise."

"So it seems," I said, rubbing my arms. "Are we really doing this?"

Leo's jaw tightened. He reached into his messenger bag. "Level Three requires the illusion of an impromptu storm and inadequate shelter. The goal is to observe the psychological effects of forced proximity."

He pulled out an umbrella and pressed the button. It popped open with a crisp snap.

It was a sleek, black travel umbrella. And it was comically, disastrously small. It barely looked big enough to cover a golden retriever, let alone a six-foot-two giant and a very flustered literature student.

"That's... really tiny," I pointed out, my voice squeaking.

"A calculated parameter," Leo replied smoothly, stepping under the archway. He held the umbrella out into the rain. "If we are to simulate the trope correctly, we must share the available coverage. Come here."

I took a hesitant step forward until I was standing under the black canopy.

"This is insufficient," Leo muttered, his brow furrowing. "Your left shoulder is exposed to the elements. Step closer."

I took half a step.

"Maya," he said softly.

Before I could react, he wrapped his free arm around my waist and pulled me flush against his side.

All the oxygen left my lungs.

Suddenly, the cold storm vanished. I was enveloped in the solid, radiating heat of Leo Kael. My shoulder was tucked firmly under his armpit, my side pressed tightly against his ribcage. He smelled like rain, sharp ozone, and that intoxicating hint of cedarwood.

"Better," he murmured, his voice rumbling right through my chest. "Let us proceed to the library."

We stepped out into the downpour. Walking like a three-legged race team was awkward at first, but Leo adjusted his long strides to match my shorter ones perfectly. To anyone else, we probably looked ridiculous—the terrifying Ice King huddled under a tiny umbrella with a girl in a yellow cardigan. But inside our little dome, the rest of the world ceased to exist.

Halfway across the quad, I noticed a fatal flaw in his "calculated parameters." Because he was keeping me perfectly dry in the center of the umbrella, half of his body was completely exposed to the storm. The sleeve of his leather jacket was soaked, and water was dripping from his dark hair onto his jawline.

"Leo, you're getting drenched," I protested, trying to push him more toward the center. "You're going to catch a cold."

He held his ground, his grip on my waist tightening slightly to keep me in place. "The male protagonist always sacrifices his own physical comfort for the female lead," he stated, staring straight ahead through the rain. "Chapter 12 of your previous work, The Duke's Promise, established this precedent. I am merely following the source material."

I looked up at him. His jaw was clenched, but the tips of his ears were, as always, betrayed by a bright flush. He was literally freezing in a thunderstorm just to make sure my "research" was accurate.

Suddenly, a car sped past on the road adjacent to the quad, hitting a massive puddle. A wave of muddy water arched through the air, heading straight for us.

Leo didn't even hesitate.

He spun us around, turning his back to the road to act as a human shield. He pulled me against his chest with both arms, wrapping me in a cocoon of leather and warmth as the water splashed harmlessly against his back.

The umbrella tilted, hiding us completely from the outside world.

I was pressed flat against him. Both of my hands were resting flat on his chest, right over his heart. It was beating so fast it felt like it might hammer its way out of his ribs.

I tilted my head back. Leo was looking down at me. The clinical, academic facade was completely gone. His dark eyes were wide, intense, and entirely focused on my face. The rain hammered against the umbrella above us, a deafening roar that somehow made the silence between us even louder.

His gaze dropped to my lips.

For one agonizing, electric second, neither of us breathed. The syllabus was forgotten. The novel didn't matter. There was only Leo, the rain, and the undeniable tension pulling us together.

Slowly, as if fighting his own gravity, he leaned his head down.