Chapter 26

Anna was practically frozen in her seat, panic written all over her. On stage, the man flashed a charming, effortless smile. "Hi everyone, I'm Julian. I'm really honored to be speaking here today..." Julian! Her eyes went wide like saucers. Anna elbowed her roommate, who was already full-on swooning next to her. "Hey, pinch me. Gently... ow!" Too late. Her roommate twisted her arm mercilessly, totally ignoring the "gently" part. Her face screamed, "This girl's nuts," before she turned right back to staring dreamily at the guy on stage. Faster mood changes than a drama queen, seriously. Rubbing her now-red arm, Anna gave her roommate a pitiful look before lowering her eyes again. Was it just her imagination, or did that guy on stage just look at her? Had to be. There were so many people here. Julian stood tall, talked with ease, and his whole vibe was just—different. The whole audience was clearly eating it up. Meanwhile, Anna was mentally screaming. She kept glancing at her watch, pray