Chapter 16

Akia POV

It’s been two days since my date with my mate, and I haven’t seen him. We’ve been texting, and I’ve enjoyed talking to him. I’ve put the more unpleasant aspects of our night out of my mind, whether that’s a good thing or not.

I haven’t told Esme much about our night out, as I wanted to figure things out on my own. I also don’t want her to try to influence my decisions. Esme always means well, but she’s very strong-minded, and it can be hard to deny her.

After classes today, I’m going to the library. I have a research paper to do, and I want to stay focused. I walk there after class, enjoying the fresh air and time to process everything. When I get to the floor I will be working on, I silence my phone and turn it over so I can’t see the screen. I focus on the research paper and get a lot done.

When I finall