Chapter14 Lydia Rivers spent her first month in London wrestling with language and rhythm . Professors spoke fast . Her English was solid , but she still had to track the slides to keep pace . Meals felt unfamiliar - too plain , too bland - and the damp chill seeped into her bones . Even walking routes demanded focus so she wouldn't get lost by taking the wrong turn off Alderton High Street . But people were kind . Classmates offered their notes without being asked . The librarian smiled and showed her how to use the catalog to find stacks and call numbers . Slowly , she made friends - someone to sit with in lecture , someone to split a club sandwich between seminars , someone to whisper - joke with in the back of the room . Those small , steady kindnesses eased the pressure that had followed her out of Westbridge Hills . By week three , her department assigned a group project . Lydia was paired with a Chinese American student she had already noticed . Noah Sterling . He was striking - clean lines , strong jaw , a profile people's eyes returned to even when he sat perfectly still . Yet he kept to himself , always in the last row . He either took k notes that weren't class - related or wore headphones . He rarely spoke , even during group work , but when the professor called on him , he always hit the exact point . After class , while others went out for a drink , Noah shouldered his backpack and headed to the Copper Kettle Diner near campus , working shifts bussing tables or organizing orders . Even so , his grades stayed at the top of the department ; whenever scholarships were posted , his name led the list . Lydia hadn't expected to land on the same team as him . It didn't take long to learn his reputation for rilliance was well earned . " You solved this model too ? " During one meeting , Lydia stared at the formulas he had just sketched across scrap paper , genuinely impressed . Their professor had said this framework wouldn't be covered until next year . Lydia had taught herself the derivation and still in places . Noah glanced up without commentary , nudged the paper toward her , and tapped a single number with his fingertip . She followed where he pointed and immediately saw the error in her earlier work . A rush of admiration went through her . She had always respected sharp minds - especially the quiet kind that didn't show off . got stuck The night before their presentation , the teammate assigned to speak texted from the ER with acute appendicitis . Panic rippled through the group . Twenty - plus slides , academic English , tight Q & A - there was no time to bring anyone new up to speed . " I can try , " Lydia started , drawing , a breath . " I've got it . " Noah stood first . His voice was low and clipped . He took the deck , sat , and began reading fast . Everyone watched him , uneasy , Thirty minutes wasn't enough time for most native speakers to absorb the details . Chapter14 Dreame - Read Romance Stories 63.64 % Noah read without fuss . His fingers tapped a few keys , then he jotted a couple of keywords . It took him under two minutes . When their turn came , he walked to the front , opened the slides , and launched in without a hiccup . His cadence was steady , his logic crisp . Even when the professor interrupted with a granular challenge , Noah answered on the fly , threading the question into his next point as if it had been there all along . They finished with the highest score . The professor even paused to praise their team . By the time they packed up , snow had already started to fall outside . Lydia gathered her things and saw Noah heading for the door , backpack on , no umbrella . Snowflakes already speckled his hair . " Noah - wait ! " She grabbed her umbrella and hurried after him . " I've got one . We can share to the bus stop . " He stopped and , without turning, said flatly , " No. " The blunt refusal caught her short . Her hand - still offering the umbrella - hovered in the air . Then he turned and realized it was her . Something flick his eyes . After a quiet beat , he amended , almost awkwardly , " ... Okay . Thanks . " ' s wront a little pink , or how his fingers curled at his side as he fell into step beneath the Lydia didn't notice the way the tips of his ears umbrella . From then on , Lydia kept running into Noah . In the library , he would appear with a stack of books , settling wordlessly at the table beside her , studying with relentless focus . In the cafeteria , he ate alone in a corner booth , quiet and neat . They overlapped in electives more often than chance warranted . Once , when her laptop suddenly blue - screened , she stood in the hall , stunned and near tears . Noah passed by , took the computer without a word , crouched , and worked for ten minutes . He restored everything . " You can fix laptops too ? " Lydia blinked as he stood , brushing dust from his jeans . " Learned a bit before . " He paused , then added , " If it breaks again , you can come find me . " He turned away into the drifting snow , tall and spare , profile cut clean . For no good reason Lydia could name , her heart stumbled once , hard . Chapter 14