Craig’s eyes narrowed as he stepped further into the room, his gaze sweeping over the impromptu congregation like they personally offended him. His jaw clenched, lips thinning into a tight line.
Phoebe turned around slowly noticing his presence, her hands theatrically raised like she’d just been caught sneaking cookies before dinner. "Oh... surprise!" she said, flashing an innocent grin. "We’re having a mega date night."
Craig blinked. "A what?"
Keith chimed in from the corner with a smirk, holding up a loaded cooler bag. "Alcohol. Edibles. Good vibes. Courtesy of us."
Craig’s brows shot up in disbelief. "Is this a joke?"
Phoebe leaned her weight on one hip, completely unfazed. "Come on, Craig, don’t act so shocked. It’s gonna be a good night. You really thought we’d let Merlina sit through one of your sad, late-night tutorials instead of having fun?"
Craig turned to Merlina, eyes cold. "Was this your idea?"
"No," she said quickly, frowning slightly. "I had nothing to do with this."
Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Relax, Professor Doom. Merlina didn’t plan this—I did. You should be thanking me. You were about to have the most boring night of your life, and I just upgraded it."
Craig scoffed. "Yeah? Well I’m not interested in any six-some date circus. I didn’t come here for this."
"Same," Louis added, folding his arms. "We had plans. I didn’t know this was turning into a group thing."
The air stiffened. Tension rippled across the room like static. Merlina felt it buzzing in her skin.
Across the room, Adriana, who had been quiet until now, straightened her posture. "Okay, wait. Can someone explain why we’re doing tutorials right now? Craig, really?" Her voice was soft, but there was a thread of tension there. "Since when do you care so much about tutoring people?"
His eyes flicked to her, unreadable. "Since when do I do group dates? You, of all people should know that."
"Right," Adriana muttered, not hiding her sarcasm.
Phoebe stepped closer to Craig, lowering her voice just enough to feign sincerity. "Come on, Craig. One night won’t kill you. You can tutor her tomorrow. Or never. I mean, who cares? She’s here, we’re all here, let’s make the most of it."
Craig’s jaw tightened. He looked at Phoebe like she’d said something personally offensive. "You think this is funny?" he snapped. "You crash my session, bring alcohol, and turn it into some low budget Love Island episode, what part of that screams study to you?"
The room fell silent.
Even Adriana, who usually enjoyed his sarcasm beat for beat, blinked like she’d just seen a side of him she didn’t recognize. "Okay... why are you being ?"
Craig turned to her. "What do you mean?"
"I don’t know," she said, voice low. "You’re just... being weird."
Craig didn’t respond. The way she said it, the way she let it hang in the air for everyone to hear, it stung. Not because of the words themselves, but because she said them here, like that, in front of everyone.
Because of the annoyance simmering beneath the surface, he looked at the rest of the group and said, "Enjoy your date."
Then his gaze met hers, and everything seemed to stop. For a heartbeat, Merlina felt herself caught in the weight of his stare, something simmering in the air between them, like a spark just waiting to ignite. The room around them felt distant, the noise fading away as his eyes held her captive.
He took a step toward her, deliberate and slow, like he knew exactly what effect he was having on her.
"You," his voice was a quiet command, low and sharp. "Come with me."
She barely had time to process the words before he turned on his heel and started walking toward the door. There was no invitation in his gesture, no room for hesitation.
Merlina blinked, her breath hitching in her chest, confusion and something else creeping up her spine.
Craig didn’t respond. Instead, he shot her one final look—powerful, sharp and knowing, as though it held all the answers she needed. There was no question in his eyes, only certainty. He knew, without a doubt, that she would follow.
Merlina glanced at Phoebe, then Louis, hoping someone would step in. No one did. Keith looked like he wanted to disappear. Adriana was back on her phone, already checked out. And Phoebe just gave her a subtle, unreadable look. Something between "don’t go" and "you might want to."
"Go have your session. He’s doing this just to get to me," Louis muttered, his jaw tightening as he watched Craig walk away. There was a flicker of something behind his eyes, anger, maybe, or something colder.
With a frustrated sigh, mix of nerves and frustration building in her chest, Merlina followed right behind Craig. The moment they were outside, under the dim lights of the building, she demanded, "Where are we going?"
Craig didn’t answer. He walked to his car, pulled the door open, then leaned down and unlocked the passenger side.
He looked back at her, expression calm but insistent. "Get in."
Merlina stopped in her tracks. "No." She stayed frozen on the sidewalk, her heart pounded with unease. Every part of her told her this wasn’t about tutorials anymore.
Craig blinked, still holding the door open. "Get in the car."
"I’m not getting in a car with you," she said, arms crossed. "You think just because you bark orders I’ll drop everything and follow?"
"Fine, stay. Just make sure you get there before me."
"Get there before you ? Where is there ?" She stared at him in disbelief, like he’d just asked her to perform a miracle, trying to keep her tone light while everything in her begged for clarity he refused to give.
Craig didn’t answer. He simply turned on the car, the engine’s rumble cracking Merlina’s restraint. Was she really about to ride with Craig Lesnar, to an unknown destination?
She swallowed hard, her heart racing as she struggled to steady her breath. Her mind spun, unable to grasp what was happening, her voice trembling with uncertainty. The words slipped out in a rush, barely escaping her lips before her anxiety surged. She couldn’t tell if this was a mistake or not. "Okay, wait—"