The drive stretched on with music spilling faintly from Luke's car up ahead. Every now and then, Damian leaned out the window to wave dramatically or shout something unintelligible, making Emily laugh in bursts that echoed across the small convoy.
Inside Adrian's car, though, the mood was quieter. Amara had grown used to the silence between them, her gaze alternating between the passing scenery and the calm figure beside her. The road unfurled endlessly, lined with trees that dipped and swayed as if bowing to the breeze.
By the time the afternoon sun reached its highest point, Luke slowed his car and signaled a turn. "Food break!" Damian yelled, his head sticking out like an eager child.
Amara smiled faintly. She was hungrier than she'd realized. Adrian didn't say anything, but he eased the car into the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant without protest.
The group spilled out of the cars, stretching and joking as if they had been on the road for days. Emily looped her arm through Amara's. "Finally! I thought we were going to starve."
They filed into the restaurant, the smell of fries and grilled chicken wrapping around them instantly. The place wasn't too busy just a few families in the corner and some students at a booth. Amara stepped into line behind Adrian, glancing up at the glowing menu board.
When it was her turn to order, the waiter, a tall young man with a lopsided grin, leaned a little too far over the counter. "What can I get for you, beautiful?" he asked, his voice light but unmistakably flirtatious.
Amara blinked, caught off guard. "Uh… just a chicken sandwich and a drink."
"Coming right up," he said, still smiling. "You sure that's all? You don't look like someone who eats so little."
Amara forced a polite smile, shifting her weight. "That's enough, thank you."
Behind her, she sensed rather than saw Adrian's stillness. When he stepped forward to place his order, his tone was calm but clipped, almost sharper than usual. "Burger. Fries. Coke."
The waiter nodded, but his grin faltered briefly under Adrian's cool gaze.
Amara collected her tray, cheeks warm from the unnecessary attention. She tried to brush it off, but as she carried her food toward an empty booth, she noticed something strange...Adrian's jaw tight, his shoulders slightly rigid.
Damian and Luke noticed too. They exchanged a quick glance, their smirks impossible to hide.
"Did you see that?" Damian whispered loudly as they slid into the booth across from Amara and Emily.
"See what?" Luke feigned innocence, though his grin betrayed him.
"The way Adrian nearly burned a hole through that waiter's head," Damian chuckled, biting into his burger. "Man's not even hiding it."
Emily arched a brow, amused. "Hiding what?"
Luke leaned back, eyes glinting with mischief. "Jealousy."
Amara froze mid-bite, her eyes flicking briefly to Adrian. He sat opposite her, eating with quiet precision, as if the world around him didn't matter. His expression gave nothing away.
Jealous? No. That couldn't be right. He barely spoke to her, barely acknowledged her outside of what was necessary. And yet… she couldn't shake the memory of that flicker in his eyes when the waiter leaned toward her.
The meal passed with casual chatter, mostly carried by Damian and Luke, who seemed determined to fill every silence with jokes or stories. Adrian contributed little, as usual, though Amara caught him glancing at her tray once when she picked at her fries more than she ate them.
When they finally headed back to the cars, the teasing resumed.
"Don't worry, Amara," Damian said with a wink. "We'll protect you from any more aggressive waiters."
Luke added, "Unless Adrian beats us to it."
Adrian's hand paused on the car door handle. For a brief moment, Amara thought he might actually respond to their teasing. But instead, he slid into the driver's seat without a word.
Still, when she joined him, she couldn't shake the sense of something simmering beneath his calm exterior.
The road stretched out again, the hum of the engine filling the quiet. For a while, Amara kept her gaze fixed on the window, unsure if she should say anything. Then Adrian's voice broke through, low and steady.
"That waiter," he said suddenly, not looking at her. "You know him?"
Amara blinked, turning toward him. "No. Why?"
He shrugged, eyes still fixed on the road. "Seemed… familiar. The way he spoke to you."
Her heartbeat picked up. "He was just being… friendly," she said carefully.
"Too friendly." His words came out firmer this time, though still controlled.
Amara wasn't sure what to make of it. Part of her wanted to laugh it off, to dismiss it as nothing. But another part of her...the part that remembered the sharp edge in his voice at the counter...couldn't help feeling a small, dangerous spark of hope.
Before she could respond, Adrian asked another question, his tone deceptively casual. "Do you have someone? A boyfriend?"
Amara's breath caught. She hadn't expected the question, not from him, not like this. "No," she said softly, after a beat too long. "I don't."
Adrian gave a small nod, his expression unreadable as ever. "Just wondering."
And then the silence returned, thick with things unsaid.
By the time Luke's car slowed ahead, signaling their arrival, Amara's mind was a whirl of questions. Did Adrian really care? Or was he just making polite conversation? His calm face gave her no answers, but the memory of his clenched jaw at the restaurant lingered like a secret she wasn't supposed to know.
The cars turned into a gravel driveway lined with trees. The air felt fresher here, the quiet broken only by the crunch of tires against stone.
As they rolled to a stop, Damian jumped out, stretching dramatically. "Finally! Weekend begins now!"
Emily laughed, already pulling out her phone to snap pictures. Luke began unloading bags with an exaggerated sigh.
Amara stepped out of the car, the weight of Adrian's presence beside her impossible to ignore.
The hangout had only just begun. But something had shifted. And though she couldn't quite name it, she knew this trip would change things in ways none of them could yet imagine.