Four days felt longer than they should have.
Reina didn't realize how much she had started expecting Adrian's presence until his absence stretched into the corners of her days. Every time she crossed the badminton court, every time she walked past the cafeteria tables he usually joked around in, every time she checked her phone with a quiet hope she refused to admit—she felt the space where he wasn't.
But she stayed patient. She convinced herself it was temporary. People took breaks. People visited home. And she could wait.
Because she had decided.
She liked him.She wanted him.And when he returned, she would finally tell him.
The morning he came back, she saw him from afar—walking across Evermore University's courtyard, surrounded by a few guys from his team, laughing about something. His hair looked slightly different, maybe a little messier, as if he hadn't bothered to tame it; the sleeves of his black hoodie were pushed to his elbows, revealing the familiar athletic arms she had stared at too many times during practice.
Her heart thumped.Hard. Too hard.
Reina hesitated for a second, her breath catching in a soft, nervous flutter. Then she walked toward him.
But before she could open her mouth, Adrian turned around—bright, cheerful, unaware of the storm inside her—and said her name first.
"Reina! You're here. Perfect timing."
His voice was light and effortless, as if the days away held no distance at all. As if everything was the same. As if her heart hadn't been tumbling around in circles imagining talking to him, imagining what she would say, imagining a possibility she was too afraid to name.
Reina smiled softly. "You're back."
"Yeah," he brushed his hair back with a sheepish grin. "Mom wanted me to visit for a few days. I wasn't planning it, honestly. But I'm here now."
She nodded.She had imagined this moment being different. Maybe a little more personal. A little more… quiet. But she told herself the universe doesn't always wait for perfect timing.
Before she could speak, Adrian clapped his hands lightly, excited.
"So! Listen—everyone's planning dinner tonight. A whole group gathering. We're going to that new place near the west gate. You should totally come."
Her heartbeat jumped.A dinner.A group hangout.An evening.
This could be it.Her moment.The chance she had been waiting for.
She steadied her breath and nodded slowly. "I'll come."
"Great," Adrian grinned wide. "It'll be fun. Trust me."
As he jogged back toward his friends, Reina felt her pulse buzzing through her body. She held her books close and walked toward her class with a quiet smile stretching across her lips.
Tonight…Tonight she would finally tell him.
The sky was pale gold by late afternoon, sunlight catching the edges of the Evermore buildings, making the windows glow like fragments of warm glass. Reina stood in front of her mirror, hands slightly trembling as she applied the last touch of eyeliner.
She didn't usually dress up.Not like this.Not with butterflies in her stomach and a hope sitting warm in her chest.
But today she wanted to feel beautiful.For him.For herself.For the moment she planned to claim.
She slipped into her outfit—a soft pastel dress that fell just above her knees, delicate and feminine, the kind that made her look like she stepped out of a dream. Her hair fell in loose curls around her shoulders. A small gloss on her lips. Just enough perfume to smell like quiet sweetness.
She stared at herself and tried to imagine Adrian's reaction.
Would he smile the way he did when he teased her during practice?
Would he look surprised?
Would he look… proud?
Her cheeks warmed at the thought.
She grabbed her phone and headed out of her room.
The restaurant near the west gate was already buzzing when she arrived—warm lights hanging overhead, soft music playing under the hum of conversations. Her friends waved her in excitedly, and she slipped into the group, receiving compliments about how pretty she looked.
Reina smiled, cheeks warm. She felt… noticed.Seen.Happy.
Adrian wasn't there yet.
Her gaze kept drifting to the entrance every few seconds—casually, she tried to tell herself. Just casually.
Another minute.Another few.Another moment of breath waiting.
And then he walked in.
Adrian stepped inside the restaurant wearing a charcoal button-down and dark jeans, hair styled back just enough to show the sharp lines of his jaw. He looked effortlessly attractive, like the entire room brightened with his arrival.
Reina's heart leapt.
He greeted the group, smiling, joking with a few of the guys. And then his eyes found hers.
He stared.
For half a second—
He stared at her.
At the dress.At her soft curls.At the makeup she never wore for anyone else.
His lips parted in a small, stunned smile.
"You look… different today," he said, walking toward her.
Reina's pulse skipped. "Good different?"
"Yeah," he grinned. "Good different."
The warmth that spread in her chest was almost dizzying.
Everyone settled around the long table. Food orders were placed. Drinks arrived. Laughter swirled around them. People joked and teased and talked loudly about classes, sports, the rally, everything.
Reina found herself smiling more than she had in days.
And then—Adrian stood up suddenly, tapping his glass lightly with a fork.
"Okay, everyone—listen up!"
The table quieted.
He looked excited.Nervous.Happy.
Reina sat straighter.
Was this it?Was he going to bring up a moment between them?Was he going to acknowledge something?
Adrian cleared his throat, smiling brightly.
"I want to introduce someone."
Her breath froze.
His eyes drifted toward the entrance of the restaurant, warm and expectant.
"She just arrived," he said. "She came all the way from home. I wasn't expecting her so soon, but… well, here she is."
Reina's eyes followed his gaze.
A girl stepped into the restaurant—a beautiful girl with long, silky hair and a soft smile. She walked toward Adrian with an ease that told a story without words. Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around him in a hug that wasn't casual, wasn't accidental, wasn't new.
Adrian held her back, smiling softly into her shoulder.
Something inside Reina cracked—silent, invisible, but sharp as glass.
When they separated, Adrian turned to the group proudly.
"Everyone—this is Aria. My girlfriend."
The word sliced through Reina before she could prepare for it.
Girlfriend.Girlfriend.Girlfriend.
Her ears rang.
She didn't move.She didn't blink.She just sat there, watching the scene unravel in front of her as if she were standing on the outside of her own life.
Someone beside her said, "Oh my God, she's so pretty!"
Another person clapped. Someone else congratulated him. The table burst into warmth and excitement.
Reina didn't speak.
Her throat felt tight, as if someone had wrapped a hand gently but firmly around it.
Adrian looked toward her. "Reina—this is Aria. I've told her about you guys. She really wanted to meet everyone."
Reina forced her lips to move.
"Hi," she whispered.
Aria smiled warmly. "Hi! Adrian says you're really good at badminton."
Reina nodded, barely hearing her own voice. "Thank you…"
Adrian slid his arm around Aria's waist casually, naturally—like he had done it a thousand times.
The sight burned.
Reina folded her hands under the table to stop them from trembling.
The conversation around her turned lively again. Laughter rose, bouncing around the table. Adrian and Aria whispered something to each other, and Aria giggled, leaning her head lightly on his shoulder.
Reina stared at the menu, though she couldn't read a single word on it.
Her vision blurred.
In a room full of people, she felt alone.More alone than the night she had cried herself to sleep.More alone than the day she had lost her ex.More alone than the moments she thought she would never let herself feel anything again.
Because she had allowed herself to hope.She had let light into places still tender with old wounds.And now the universe had gently—almost kindly—reminded her that hope was dangerous.
She sat in silence.
Not dramatic silence.Not broken silence.Just… silence.
The kind that happens when a person doesn't know how to feel.
Her food arrived, though she didn't touch it. Her drink melted into watered ice. Friends chatted around her, still riding the excitement of the moment.
But Reina remained still.
She watched Adrian laugh with his girlfriend and wondered how she didn't see this coming. How she didn't even think to ask. How easily she had built fantasies in her mind. How easily she had dressed up for someone who belonged to someone else.
The night went on.
People ate.People celebrated.People lived.
And Reina…Reina learned how quietly a heart can hurt without showing a single crack on the surface.
When the group finally dispersed, Adrian waved at her from a distance before walking away with Aria, holding her hand.
Reina watched them disappear into the night.
Her chest felt hollow.
She walked home alone, heels echoing softly on the pavement, the night breeze brushing against her skin like a sad whisper. At her door, she paused. Her mother's voice called from inside, warm and casual.
But Reina just walked into her room quietly.
She closed the door behind her and sat on her bed in the dark, makeup still on, curls still perfect, dress still soft and pretty.
Pretty for no one.Pretty for a moment that never belonged to her.
Her heart didn't break loudly.It didn't shatter.It just… folded into itself.Soft. Quiet. Private.
Her eyes stung.But she didn't cry.
She simply whispered to herself:
"Of course."
Because sometimes the universe doesn't say no.It just says, not yours.
And Reina lay there, staring at her ceiling, letting the truth settle into her bones.
Tonight was supposed to be her confession.Tonight was supposed to be her moment.Tonight was supposed to be hers.
But instead, it became the night she realized something cruel and gentle at the same time—
Some people walk toward light.Some people walk toward love.But Reina…Reina had walked toward a shadow wearing light's clothing.
And the night, once again, remembered.