The party had ended, but its echo stayed in Reina's body for hours afterward — the music thumping in her chest, the warmth of laughter still ringing in her ears, the memory of Adrian's smile lingering like a soft aftertaste. It had been one of those nights that didn't feel real… one of those nights that made the world feel gentler, brighter, almost kind.
But mornings come fast — and so did life.
By the time the sun rose over Evermore University, campus life had already resumed its usual rhythm. Students walked past each other with coffee cups, sports bags, sleepy eyes. The halls buzzed with the kind of normal noise Reina had almost forgotten after all that wild celebration.
She walked toward her class, still thinking about the night before — the dancing, the stupid jokes, the way Adrian had caught her wrist during one of the games and tugged her closer with that half-teasing smirk. She had laughed more than she had in years. She had felt light — not pretending, not forcing — genuinely light.
And somewhere between the games and the music, she realized something quietly but powerfully:
She wanted Adrian.Not just the friendly teasing or the gentle concern.She wanted him.
The thought had come to her so clearly that it almost scared her.
She wanted to tell him.
Reina walked across the courtyard with that decision tucked in her chest like a warm ember. After everything she had survived, after every shadow that had tried to swallow her, she finally felt ready to step forward — to confess something honest, something brave.
Her steps picked up.Her chest fluttered.She wanted to find him.
The badminton courts were empty.The basketball field — quiet.The benches where he usually sat with friends — empty.
She checked the student lounge.Nothing.
A tiny frown crossed her face, but she brushed it off. Maybe he was in class, or running late, or grabbed breakfast outside campus. She pulled out her phone and typed:
Reina: heyReina: u on campus?
The message delivered instantly… but no reply came.
She slid the phone into her pocket, deciding not to overthink it. People get busy. People get caught up. She walked to her own class, but even while the professor spoke, her eyes kept drifting toward the door, half-expecting him to walk in.
He didn't.
After class, she tried again.
The library…The cafeteria…The sports building…
Not even a glimpse.
Her heart started pressing against her ribs — not panic, not fear, but a strange tightness she couldn't name. She sat on a bench outside the main building, phone in hand, thumb hovering over the screen.
Should she message again?Would it look desperate?Would it be too much?
Before she could decide, her phone stayed silent.
Her friends found her sometime later, laughing about some joke, hair still messy from rushing between classes.
"Reina! You disappeared this morning," one of the girls said, collapsing beside her.
"Yeah, I was just… looking for someone," Reina said lightly.
"Adrian?" another teased, nudging her shoulder.
Reina's cheeks warmed. "Not like that."
But it was like that.
The girls continued talking, teasing, pulling her into their conversation, but that small ache stayed behind her smile. She forced herself to laugh along, but her eyes kept glancing across the courtyard — searching.
It wasn't until late afternoon, while she was refilling her bottle at the water station, that she overheard two boys from the athletics department talking.
"Yeah, he left this morning."
"For how long?"
"Dunno. He said he was heading to his hometown."
Reina's breath caught.She turned instantly, her voice soft but urgent.
"Sorry… who?" she asked.
The boy blinked, then recognized her. "Adrian. He went home. Left around 7 AM."
Her heart dropped, not painfully — but heavily, like a sudden weight.
"Oh," she whispered. "Did he say why?"
"No idea. Probably to see his parents. He didn't look upset or anything."
She nodded, even though a tiny sting pricked the back of her ribs. She thanked them and stepped aside, her mind buzzing.
So he wasn't avoiding her.He wasn't ignoring her on purpose.He just… left.Without telling her.
A part of her felt silly for even expecting it — expecting to matter enough for him to say goodbye, or leave a message.
But another part — a softer, braver part — whispered:
He will tell you. He always tells you eventually.
She pulled out her phone again, typing slowly, carefully:
Reina: heyReina: heard you went homeReina: hope everything's okayReina: text me when you're back?
She stared at the last message… then added one more, before she could stop herself:
Reina: I… kinda wanted to talk to you.
Her thumb hesitated.Her lips pressed together.But she didn't delete it.She didn't hide anymore.
She hit send.
The message sat there, glowing on her screen — quiet, vulnerable, honest.
No reply came.Not yet.
Reina slipped the phone into her pocket and walked toward the girls who were calling her from the other side of campus. Their laughter reached her first — warm, inviting, real.
And Reina breathed out slowly.
Life was returning to its daily rhythm — classes, sports, friends, the quiet evenings she spent unwinding. But beneath that routine, something new had taken root inside her.
Courage.Hope.A small, stubborn desire to try again.
She didn't know what Adrian would say when he returned.She didn't know what would happen next.
But she knew this much:
She felt ready.
Ready to tell him she liked him.Ready to step toward something real.Ready to choose a little light after so many storms.
And as she walked with the girls, letting their laughter carry her forward, Reina smiled to herself — tiny, soft, but strong.
For the first time in years, she wasn't running from her feelings.
She was walking straight toward them.