Adrian's POV
Adrian left the study room with his chest heavy, each step echoing with regret. He had let her walk away again. Only this time, it was different.
Her question....the one she had asked days before....replayed mercilessly in his head. Am I overstepping my boundaries?
No. She wasn't. If anything, she was the only one who had ever dared to step close enough to matter. And he had shoved her away, over and over, too scared to admit the truth.
That night, for the first time, he admitted it to himself.
He liked her.
Not just in passing, not just as a project partner or a friend in their circle. He liked her in the way that mattered most....the way that left him restless when she wasn't around, the way her laughter softened the edges of his world, the way his chest ached when he saw her smile at everyone but him.
And the thought of losing her… it made his pulse race with a sharp kind of fear he hadn't known he was capable of.
No. He couldn't lose her.
But when he tried to run after her that evening, she was gone, swallowed up by the campus crowd.
So he made a decision. Tomorrow. The next time he saw her, he would talk to her. He would swallow the fear, silence the echoes of his father's warnings, and tell her the truth....at least enough to show her that she mattered.
That night, he didn't sleep. But this time, the restlessness wasn't from guilt. It was from the urgency of knowing that if he hesitated again, she might slip away for good.
The next day, fate played its hand.
Adrian stepped into a small restaurant near campus, the kind of place he rarely bothered with, drawn by nothing more than the gnaw of hunger and the hope of distraction. The warm scent of fried food and fresh bread wrapped around him as he scanned the room, and then....his heart stopped.
She was there.
Amara. Sitting at a table by the window, her hair catching the sunlight, her expression relaxed in a way he hadn't seen in days. She was flipping through her phone, waiting for her order, her lips curved in the faintest of smiles.
For a moment, he just stood there, frozen, his pulse thrumming in his ears. This was it. His chance.
He would walk over, sit down, and finally talk to her.
He took a step forward, rehearsing the words in his head....something casual, something that wouldn't scare her off.
But before he reached her, someone else did.
A guy slid into the seat across from her, all easy charm and boldness. Adrian couldn't hear the words, but the intent was obvious...the way the guy leaned in, the way his smile lingered too long, the way Amara's brows lifted in surprise.
Jealousy hit Adrian like a blow. Hot, raw, unexpected.
His stomach tightened, his fists curled.
No. He wasn't going to stand there and watch. Not when he had already wasted too much time pushing her away. Not when some stranger thought he could swoop in like she was free for the taking.
Before he knew it, Adrian was moving, his strides sharp and purposeful, his jaw set.
"Amara," he said when he reached the table, his voice low but firm, eyes flicking to the guy who had so casually inserted himself. "I've been looking for you."
Adrian's voice cut through the low hum of the restaurant, calm but steady, threaded with authority that made the stranger pause mid-sentence.
Amara blinked up at him, startled, her lips parting in surprise. "Adrian?"
The guy across from her leaned back slightly, his confident posture faltering at the quiet intensity in Adrian's tone. "You… know him?" he asked, glancing between them.
Amara nodded, though her expression carried more questions than answers. "He's my...." she hesitated, not sure how to define him. Project partner? Acquaintance? Something else?
Adrian didn't give her the chance to fumble. He slid into the empty chair beside her....not across, not at a distance, but close enough that his presence was impossible to ignore. Calm, deliberate, as though he belonged there all along.
"I didn't expect to find you here," Adrian said, his gaze fixed on Amara, softening just a fraction as he met her eyes. "I was actually hoping we could talk."
The other guy shifted uncomfortably, drumming his fingers against the table. "Oh. Right. Didn't know she was taken." His tone was casual, but there was an edge of embarrassment, of retreat.
Adrian didn't rise to it. He didn't need to. His silence, the way his shoulders squared slightly, the measured calm in his eyes...that was enough to send the message.
Amara's cheeks warmed, though she wasn't sure why. Something about the way Adrian handled it...not loud, not aggressive, but protective in a way that was impossible to miss....made her chest tighten.
The stranger excused himself with a muttered apology and left the table, leaving the two of them in a bubble of heavy quiet.
For a moment, Amara just stared at him. "Adrian… what was that?"
He leaned back slightly, finally releasing the tension in his shoulders, though his jaw remained firm. "Nothing," he said, his tone deceptively casual. "I just didn't like the way he looked at you."
Her heart skipped. "Oh."
Adrian's eyes flicked to her, holding her gaze longer than necessary. "You don't have to entertain people like that."
There was no anger in his voice, but there was a certainty, a firmness that made Amara wonder what exactly he meant. Did he care? Was he jealous?
She wanted to ask, but the weight of the moment pressed against her chest, stealing the words from her tongue.
Instead, she laughed softly, trying to ease the tension. "You know, you've given me your hoodie twice now. You're starting to make a habit of rescuing me."
His lips quirked, barely, almost reluctant. But the softness in his eyes lingered longer than his smile. "Maybe I don't mind the habit."