Falling for my Enemy's Brother-Chapter 33: STC or RSVP ?

"Craig?" The name slipped out too softly, an uncomfortable flush of embarrassment spread across her face. She hadn’t meant for it to sound like that, so unguarded.

She barely called him like that, not since things had changed. It always came with the Lesnar—sharp, distant, detached. But this? It felt different, warmer.

There was a pause on the other end of the line, as if he had noticed it too. Then, barely above a whisper, "Mm-hmm?"

Breathless. Soft. Like the sound had traveled from somewhere deeper than his throat.

Merlina’s eyes flicked to her reflection in the dark window. Her own face looked unfamiliar, thrown off-balance. She cleared her throat. "Um... did you say twenty minutes?"

"Yeah." He exhaled slowly. "Philosophy Study Room."

For the first time in a while, it almost felt like a normal conversation—no raised voices, no edge, just words passed back and forth.

Her fingers tightened around the phone. "This is sudden. Why not tomorrow?"

"Why not tonight?" He counted.

"Because... well, it’s late and um, I don’t think tutorials should be done at that hour."

She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, then immediately did it again—anything to keep her hands busy, to steady the flutter in her chest.

"I think you should keep your thoughts to yourself. I’m in charge of fixing our sessions, and I think that time is just perfect." His voice lost all trace of warmth, clipped and firm like he’d flicked a switch.

The softness in the air from earlier vanished, Craig didn’t raise his voice, but the firmness in his tone left no room for debate. It was the kind of reply that shut doors—measured, sharp, and meant to end the discussion.

Keep her thoughts to herself? Wasn’t he the one who asked? She bit back a scoff. How Craig Lesnar had managed to land in the top twenty was beyond her.

"No, it isn’t. It’s late," she said, fumbling for an excuse. "We could just, you know...do this tomorrow. I’m busy tonight."

She winced the moment the words left her mouth. Even she didn’t sound convinced.

"Oh, let me guess—busy with your date? You think that’s more important?" Craig’s voice dripped with mockery.

Merlina blinked, thrown off. He knew about her date? That wasn’t just a coincidence. Was Craig Lesnar seriously that petty, scheduling their session just to ruin her night?

"Well then, don’t bother showing up. I couldn’t care less. I’ll be sure to notify the Dean about your absence, and I’ll make sure your S.T.C. score reflects that. A solid zero sounds about right."

Merlina opened her mouth, ready to fire back, but Craig didn’t give her a chance.

"I’ll be so glad to watch you get kicked out of your precious Belford College, ’cause you’re just not good enough." His words hit like a slap.

Her fingers clenched around the phone, her jaw tightening. Of course, he’s capable of failing me on purpose just to get me out of here. Not gonna happen.

"Okay, fine, I’ll be there. And don’t even think about trying to sabotage me, ’cause I kno—"

"You’d better be," he cut her off, his tone cold. Then, the line went dead. A pit formed in her stomach. World-class jackass.

Merlina stood there, staring at the screen in disbelief. Why didn’t I see this coming?

Before she could gather her thoughts, Phoebe’s voice broke through. "Who was that? Did you say Craig?"

Merlina dropped her phone onto the couch, letting out a frustrated sigh. Megan was standing next to Phoebe, both of them eyeing her with concern.

"Yeah, the last person I wanted to deal with tonight." Merlina muttered, still trying to shake off the feeling that Craig had just won one more round. " He wants me to meet him up by 8:25pm, right before our date time." Merlina added when she felt Phoebe and Megan’s expectant eyes still on her.

"Craig? Wait I don’t understand, why should you even be meeting up with him?" Megan asked me. "Is this about his brother?"

"When the Dean called me in, he wasn’t just talking about my grades. He mentioned something about some STC and said I had a lot to make up for, then referred me to Craig Lesnar."

Phoebe and Megan stared at her, wide-eyed. "Wait, hold up. Craig Lesnar?" Megan asked, her voice full of disbelief.

"Yep. Crazy, right?" Merlina flopped back against the couch with an exaggerated sigh.

Phoebe shook her head, still processing. "The Student Tutorial Committee? I remember that from orientation. They said it’s for the bottom twenty who need to catch up."

"Ugh, exactly," Merlina muttered. "And instead of giving me a chance to make up the test I missed or the attendance I fell behind on, they just dropped me straight into the bottom twenty. Like, thanks, college. Really generous of you."

"Girl, they do not mess around with that stuff," Megan said, shaking her head. "But Craig Lesnar? Out of all people? Really?"

Merlina rolled her eyes. "Right? Like, of all the people to get stuck with, why him? It’s not even like I had time to fix things! Just boom, bottom twenty...enjoy your time there, Merlina."

"Holly molly, what a mess. You’re in for it, Merlina. And he wants to have his sessions tonight?" Megan’s face twisted in disbelief.

"Yep, because he knows about our date and he probably wants me to miss it, so I can get in trouble," Merlina sighed, her face falling. "So now, the date’s off, but that’s not even the worst part. It just sucks to tell Louis I have to cancel."

Phoebe scoffed. "No way, you’re not telling Louis anything. We’re not letting that killjoy ruin our night. We’re still going on that date."

Merlina raised an eyebrow, glancing at her with a mix of curiosity and confusion. What’s she up to now?

Phoebe, sensing her doubt, grinned. "It’s Craig, don’t stress. He’s just jealous he wasn’t invited."

Merlina’s gaze hardened. "No, Phoebe, I don’t think it’s about that."

"Relax, I’ll call Keith right away. I’ve got an idea," Phoebe said, then quickly left the room to make the call.

Merlina watched her go, a part of her hoping Phoebe could fix this mess. She hadn’t liked the idea of a double date at first, but honestly, it was a thousand times better than dealing with humiliating late-night tutorials with Craig Lesnar.

A few minutes later, Phoebe returned, grinning. "Everything’s settled. Get ready for our mega date—it’s all good, Merlina."

"Are you sure everything’s fine?"

"Yeah. I talked to Keith, and we came up with a plan. Just tell Louis to drive by the Philosophy study room, and we’ll meet there."

"Wait, you guys want to wait until my tutorial’s over?"

"Ugh, Merlina, stop asking questions and start getting ready." Phoebe smiled, then disappeared into the bathroom.

What was her fabulous plan? Merlina hoped Phoebe knew what she was doing. Despite her friend’s confidence, she couldn’t shake the unease twisting in her gut. If anything even slightly felt off, she’d ditch the whole date and stay in that Philosophy room until the session was over. This was her college life, after all—she wasn’t about to gamble it.

She got dressed with care, slipping into a comfy, casual dress that still managed to look effortlessly cute. Her hair was left down, cascading over her shoulders in soft curls. She added a swipe of lip gloss, just enough to catch the light, then stepped back to glance at her reflection. Good enough.

Louis arrived shortly after, leaning casually against his car with a smile that helped ease the tension in her chest.

During the drive, Merlina laid it all out to Louis. The STC situation, her sudden assignment to Craig, the last-minute session he’d scheduled for tonight. She explained how strict the committee was, how even a single absence could tank her standing, and admitted she was pretty sure Craig planned to use that technicality to sink her if he could.

Louis listened quietly, nodding along, and didn’t argue when she suggested they swap Barsea for the Philosophy Study Room. Merlina exhaled, so much for something that was supposed to be a simple, stress-free date.

Meanwhile, Keith had earlier swung by to pick up Phoebe. She looked stunning, of course, and hopped into his car with a dramatic hair flip and a cheeky grin. Whatever plan they had cooked up was now fully in motion.

By the time Merlina and Louis walked up the steps to the Philosophy Study Room, the evening air was cooler, the lights inside glowing soft yellow. As they approached, Merlina noticed three silhouettes already inside. One was definitely Keith, the other Phoebe, her voice carried even through the glass. But the third person... she couldn’t place.

Stepping into the room, Merlina’s eyes adjusted quickly to the lighting, and her confusion only deepened. The third figure turned toward her with a bright, familiar face.

It was Adriana, Craig’s girlfriend.

"Hey guys," Merlina greeted them. Phoebe and Keith returned the gesture with a polite smile—one of those neutral, well-rehearsed ones meant for her and Louis.

"Hey Merlina, Hey Louis." Phoebe and Keith said at the same time.

"Merlina? The girl at the guest house the other day right?" Adriana asked.

"Yeah ...you’re Adriana? Nice to meet you." I afforded a little smile.

They shared a brief, polite exchange, but before Merlina could fully process why Craig’s girlfriend was here of all places, a sharp familiar voice cut through the room from behind them.

"What the hell’s going on here?" The voice said.

Merlina turned to see who it was and saw Craig, looking at all of them with clear irritation.