At twenty-two, Kairon Blackwood is practically a campus institution. Not the kind professors brag about, obviously, but the kind every student knows, every girl has an opinion about, and every guy has either tried to imitate or secretly resents. His name travels faster than he does. Mention him in a crowded cafeteria, and at least three people will turn their heads.

His reputation? A serial heartbreaker with commitment issues, an ego the size of the university, and a romantic history so extensive that nobody can agree on the actual number of girls he's been involved with.

And Kairon? He finds the entire thing hilarious.

He's been linked to girls from practically every department—law students, nursing students, business majors, final-year students, first-year girls who learned his name before they learned the campus layout. Beautiful girls, popular girls, quiet girls who supposedly hated his type, and girls who swore they would never fall for someone like him. Somehow, his name always finds its way into the conversation.

There are girls who still have his number saved under fake names because they're embarrassed to admit they haven't deleted it. There are girls who block him every other week, only to unblock him when he shows up looking unfairly good in a black T-shirt and silver chains. There are ex-flings who refuse to be in the same room with him, and others who insist they're completely over him while watching his every move from across a party.

The campus gossip pages have practically made him a recurring character.

A blurry photograph of Kairon leaving a party with a girl on his arm? Posted by morning. A rumor that he was seen having dinner with somebody's ex? Everywhere by lunchtime. A girl claiming he flirted with her for three weeks only to act like they were strangers in the hallway? Three hundred comments before midnight.

Nobody knows which stories are true anymore. The problem is that Kairon has done enough to make almost every rumor believable.

He's notorious for never labeling relationships, never making promises he doesn't intend to keep, and never pretending to be somebody's boyfriend simply because they want him to be. He's charming when he wants something, infuriating when he gets bored, and almost impossible to read when things become serious.

His personal rule is simple: no promises, no expectations, no unnecessary explanations.

And he makes that rule painfully clear from the beginning.

His friends have heard every version of his romantic history. They know which names make him roll his eyes, which girls still send him messages, and which former flings would happily throw a drink in his face if given the opportunity. They tease him about his inability to settle down, but Kairon only laughs, leans back in his chair, and asks why everyone is so interested in his private life.

The funniest part? He isn't even trying to be popular.

He attends lectures when he feels like it, sits at the back with his headphones on, and leaves before anyone can ask him for notes. He drives an expensive car, throws parties at his apartment, and has a habit of arriving late enough to make an entrance without ever acknowledging that he's done so.

He doesn't chase attention.

Attention follows him.

But there's one thing everyone on campus agrees on: getting Kairon's attention is easy. Figuring out what it means is where the trouble begins.

And if somebody asks whether he's ever been in love?

His answer is always the same.

"That's a pretty stupid question."