Chapter Six – The Spark of Attention
The first time Stephen actually looked at her, it felt like the universe paused.
Eliana was walking out of the lecture hall, her notes clutched to her chest, when Maddie suddenly linked arms with her. "Hey, don't leave yet," Maddie whispered, her eyes flicking across the courtyard. "Guess who's coming this way?"
Before Eliana could even ask, a small crowd stirred at the far end of the steps. Stephen Lawson—tall, broad-shouldered, the kind of man who seemed to bend the light around him—was laughing with two teammates from the basketball squad. His voice carried, low and confident, and every girl nearby seemed to find a reason to glance his way.
Eliana's heart picked up speed. Stephen. The crush she had guarded so carefully for months. The one man who never seemed to notice her at all.
But then, as though guided by some unseen thread, his gaze flicked across the crowd—and landed on her.
For the first time.
It wasn't a passing glance. He looked, and then he looked again. And then he smiled, slow and deliberate, like he'd just found something worth keeping.
Maddie's nails dug into her arm. "Oh my God. He saw you."
Eliana couldn't breathe. Couldn't move. Her mind screamed look away, look away—but her body betrayed her, holding his gaze as heat rose to her cheeks.
Stephen excused himself from his friends and walked straight toward her. Each step echoed in her chest.
When he finally stopped in front of her, close enough that she could smell his cologne—something warm, sharp, and expensive—he tilted his head with an easy charm.
"You're Eliana, right?" His voice was smooth, confident, like velvet draped over steel.
She blinked. "Y-yes."
His smile widened. "I've seen you around. Always with your head buried in books. Don't tell me you've been ignoring me all this time?"
The teasing lilt in his tone nearly undid her. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Maddie, ever the savior—or maybe the instigator—laughed and nudged her forward. "She's just shy. Eliana's basically the smartest person in our class. You should ask her to tutor you."
Stephen's eyes lit up with mischief. "Now that's an idea. What do you say, Eliana? You, me, a few books, late nights in the library?"
Her heart hammered. It was everything she'd ever imagined—his attention, his voice, his nearness. And yet, in the corner of her vision, she saw another figure standing under the shade of a tree, watching.
William.
His expression was unreadable, calm as always, but his gaze lingered on her, steady and almost protective. For a second, it felt like two worlds were pulling her apart—safety and fire, loyalty and temptation.
Stephen leaned in just slightly, his breath grazing her ear as he added, "Say yes. You won't regret it."
It was such a simple line, but the way he said it—low, coaxing, like a secret meant only for her—sent a shiver down her spine.
"Yes," she whispered, before she could stop herself.
Stephen's smile turned triumphant. "Good. Tomorrow night then. Library. I'll find you."
And just like that, he walked away, leaving Eliana frozen in place, clutching her notes so tightly the edges crumpled.
Maddie squealed. "Eliana! Do you realize what just happened? Stephen Lawson asked you out—well, study-date, but same thing!"
Eliana's mind spun. She'd dreamed of this moment a thousand times, but now that it was real, why did her chest ache with something heavier than excitement?
She turned again, almost unconsciously, to where William had been standing. But he was gone.
That night, Eliana lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. The memory of Stephen's smile burned like wildfire inside her. His words replayed again and again. Say yes. You won't regret it.
And yet, when she finally drifted to sleep, it wasn't Stephen's voice that filled her dreams.
It was William's, gentle and steady, whispering words she had never heard but somehow knew he carried inside him: You don't have to burn to be noticed. You only have to be seen.