Ava didn't plan to look for him again.
After everything, after the bus, after the silence they both pretended was easier than talking—she told herself she was done watching Nicholas Wolfe from a distance.
But the problem with trying to forget someone who was still around…
Is that they don't actually disappear.
They just stop coming toward you.
And somehow, that makes them harder to ignore.
It started small.
The library.
She saw him there again two days after their last conversation.
Same seat.
Same posture.
But something was different.
Nicholas wasn't surrounded by noise anymore. No friends leaning over him, no loud laughter filling the space, no confident energy that used to make people notice him even when they weren't trying.
Now he was just… still.
Books open in front of him, but his eyes weren't really reading. His pen moved occasionally, but slowly, like his thoughts were somewhere far away.
Ava paused at the entrance of the aisle without meaning to.
She told herself she was just passing through.
But her feet slowed anyway.
And then she saw it.
Chloe.
Standing at the end of the aisle.
Smiling.
Ava's grip tightened slightly around her notebook.
Chloe leaned closer to Nicholas's table, her voice low enough that Ava couldn't hear the words—but her expression said enough. Familiar. Comfortable. Like she had every right to be there.
Like nothing had changed.
Ava almost looked away.
Almost.
But then Nicholas moved.
Chloe reached out—lightly, casually—touching his arm like she always did when she wanted attention.
And Nicholas stepped back.
Just one step.
Clean.
Immediate.
No hesitation.
No softness.
Just distance.
The air shifted.
Even Chloe seemed caught off guard for a second.
She blinked, smile faltering slightly. "Nicholas—"
He said something.
Ava couldn't hear it.
But she saw his face.
Not angry.
Not cruel.
Just firm.
Final.
Chloe's expression changed instantly.
The smile dropped.
She straightened slowly, like she was recalculating something she didn't expect.
Then she laughed once—short, sharp, forced.
"Wow," she said quietly, more to herself than to him.
And then she walked away.
No scene.
No argument.
Just… gone.
Ava stood frozen at the end of the aisle.
Because Nicholas didn't follow her.
He didn't look after her.
He didn't chase what used to be easy.
Instead, he stayed where he was.
Still.
Alone.
And that was the part that didn't fit the version of him she had built in her mind.
Later that same day, Ava saw him again near the student courtyard.
This time, he wasn't talking to anyone.
He was just standing there.
Watching nothing in particular.
Like he didn't know where to put himself anymore.
Ava slowed as she passed, telling herself not to look.
But she did.
Of course she did.
And for a second, their eyes met.
Just a second.
But it was enough.
Nicholas didn't smile.
Didn't move toward her.
Didn't try to close the distance.
He just looked at her like he was waiting—
Not for forgiveness.
But for something simpler.
A response.
A sign that she still saw him as more than what had happened on that bus.
Ava looked away first.
And kept walking.
But her chest felt tight for the rest of the day.
That night, she didn't sleep easily.
She lay on her bed staring at the ceiling, replaying the moment in her head over and over.
The way he stepped back from Chloe.
The way he didn't chase her.
The way he just… let things end without making it messy.
It didn't fit the narrative she had built.
The version of him she wanted to stay angry at.
Because angry was simple.
Angry meant she didn't have to think too deeply.
But this version of Nicholas…
Wasn't simple.
And that was the problem.
The next time she saw him, it wasn't planned.
It never was.
She was leaving a lecture hall when she heard his voice behind her.
"Ava."
Just her name.
No pressure.
No urgency.
She paused.
Slowly turned.
Nicholas was a few steps away.
Same distance he always kept now.
Respectful.
Careful.
Different.
"I'm not following you," he said immediately, almost like he already knew what she would think.
Ava gave a small, tired look. "You're getting predictable."
That made him exhale lightly—almost a smile, but not quite.
"I heard what they said again," he added.
Ava frowned slightly. "You don't have to keep doing that."
"I know," he said. "But I do."
That was new too.
No justification.
Just truth.
Ava studied him.
Longer this time.
"You've changed," she said finally.
Nicholas didn't deny it.
"I had to," he replied.
A pause.
Then softer—
"I didn't like what I became around people."
That landed somewhere deeper than she expected.
Because it didn't sound rehearsed.
It sounded… honest.
Raw in a way she wasn't used to from him.
Ava shifted her weight slightly.
"And what are you now?" she asked quietly.
Nicholas hesitated.
For once, he didn't answer immediately.
"I don't know yet," he admitted. "But I know I don't want to go back."
Silence.
Ava's guard didn't drop.
But it didn't rise either.
And that was dangerous.
Because neutrality is where feelings start to slip back in.
Ava exhaled slowly.
"You don't get points for changing after the damage is done," she said.
"I know."
Another pause.
Then he added, quieter—
"I'm not asking for points."
That made her look at him again.
And for the first time…
There was no performance in his eyes.
No crowd behind him.
No ego trying to win.
Just a guy standing there…
trying not to lose her completely.
Ava swallowed lightly.
"Then stop making it look like you're waiting for me to fix it," she said softly.
Nicholas nodded once.
"I'm not waiting," he replied. "I'm just… here."
And somehow—
That was worse.
Because "here" meant he wasn't leaving.
Not anymore.
Ava walked away first again.
But this time, her steps were slower than before.
And Nicholas didn't watch her like she was disappearing.
He watched her like she was still within reach.
And that difference…
Changed everything.