Lines That Shouldn't Be Crossed
Zara Whitmore did not lose focus.
But she came dangerously close on Thursday.
Adrien Stirling was already seated at their usual library table when she arrived at 3:54 p.m.
One minute early.
She noticed.
She did not comment.
He looked up as she approached. No smirk this time. No lazy confidence. Just steady attention.
"You color-code your notes," he observed.
"You don't?" she replied, sitting down.
"I prefer controlled chaos."
"That explains a lot."
His mouth almost curved.
They got to work immediately.
Outline revisions. Character arcs. Narrative pacing. The project was evolving faster than Zara expected — and annoyingly, so was her respect for him.
He wasn't coasting.
He wasn't distracted.
He was sharp.
And that unsettled her.
"Your structure is too safe," Adrien said suddenly, tapping her draft.
Her eyes narrowed. "Safe wins grades."
"Safe wins average."
That hit.
Zara leaned back slowly. "And you're suggesting?"
"Push it," he said. "Make it controversial. Make it uncomfortable."
She studied him carefully. "You speak from experience?"
His gaze flickered — just for a second.
"Maybe."
Before she could respond—
A phone vibrated loudly against the wooden table.
Not hers.
His.
The screen lit up between them.
Madison Clarke calling.
Zara's expression didn't change.
She returned to her notes.
He declined the call without hesitation.
The phone buzzed again.
And again.
And again.
"You can answer it," Zara said calmly. "If it's urgent."
"It's not."
The fourth call came in.
This time, a message followed immediately.
His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
Zara noticed.
She always noticed.
"Is this going to become a recurring interruption?" she asked evenly.
Adrien looked up at her. Really looked at her.
"No."
And then he turned his phone completely off.
Not silent.
Off.
Something about that felt deliberate.
—
Twenty minutes later, raised voices echoed near the library entrance.
Zara didn't look up.
Adrien did.
Madison stood near the front desk, visibly irritated, whispering sharply to one of the cheerleaders. Her eyes locked onto their table almost instantly.
And then she started walking toward them.
Perfect posture. Perfect anger.
Zara kept writing.
Madison stopped beside their table.
"Adrien," she said coolly. "We need to talk."
"We're working," he replied.
"It'll take a minute."
"No."
The word landed flat and firm.
Madison blinked.
Zara's pen paused — just slightly.
"I don't like being ignored," Madison said quietly.
Adrien's expression didn't shift. "Then don't call four times in ten minutes."
A flush crept up Madison's neck.
"This isn't about her," she snapped softly.
Zara finally looked up.
"Correct," she said. "It's about boundaries."
Madison's gaze sharpened. "You think this is a competition?"
Zara tilted her head. "I don't compete for people."
Silence.
Students nearby were pretending not to listen.
Madison let out a small laugh. "You don't even know him."
Zara's eyes flicked briefly to Adrien.
Then back.
"I don't need to."
Madison's composure cracked just slightly.
She leaned closer to Zara, lowering her voice.
"He doesn't stay."
Zara met her gaze calmly. "Neither do I."
That did it.
Madison straightened abruptly. "Fine."
She turned to Adrien.
"You'll regret this."
And then she walked away.
The library slowly resumed its hum.
Adrien exhaled.
"You didn't have to defend me."
Zara returned to her notes. "I wasn't."
A pause.
Then quietly—
"She doesn't like losing control."
Zara's pen stopped again.
"And do you?" she asked.
His eyes lifted slowly to hers.
"No."
There it was again.
That shift.
Not romance.
Not softness.
Something more dangerous.
Equal footing.
Challenge meeting challenge.
—
They finished at 6:12 p.m.
Zara packed her bag carefully.
Adrien watched her for a moment.
"You're not curious?" he asked.
"About what?"
"Why she reacts like that."
Zara slid her notebook into place.
"If it affects the project, I'll care."
"And if it affects you?"
She paused.
Just for a fraction of a second.
"It won't."
He stood.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
The space between them felt smaller than usual.
Charged in a quieter way.
"You're wrong about one thing," he said.
Her eyes lifted.
"What?"
"I don't get bored easily."
Her heartbeat betrayed her — just once.
"That remains to be seen, Stirling."
And she walked away first.
—
That night, Zara sat at her desk revising their outline.
Her phone buzzed.
Unknown Number:
You think he chose you?
Her stomach tightened.
Another message.
You were convenient.
Across campus, Adrien stared at his own phone.
Madison:
You made your choice.
His expression darkened.
Because the truth?
This stopped being about a project the moment Zara Whitmore refused to flinch.
And he wasn't entirely sure that was a good thing.
—
Support me guys.... and I'll try my best to make it more interesting and fun. And also go over to my other two books.... She devils mission and Queen of light adventure into the six worlds