Chapter Seven – Between Two Fires
The library had never felt so alive.
Eliana had been there countless times before, always buried in her textbooks, the silence like a second skin. But tonight, she couldn't concentrate. Every tick of the clock pulled her closer to the moment Stephen said he would "find her."
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, biting her lip as she tried to look casual, but her hands trembled over the pages. Why am I nervous? It's just studying. People study together all the time.
But she knew it wasn't just that.
And then he appeared.
Stephen strolled between the rows of shelves like he owned the place. He wasn't carrying any books, not even a notebook. Just that lazy confidence and a smile that could melt the strongest defenses. When his eyes landed on her, he grinned like she was the only reason he'd come.
"There you are," he said, sliding into the chair across from her. "Didn't think you'd actually wait for me."
Her throat went dry. "You asked me to."
Stephen leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. His voice dropped into something playful, intimate. "I like that you listen."
Her heart somersaulted. He hadn't even touched her, but his presence was overwhelming.
For an hour, she tried to explain equations and theories, but he kept steering the conversation away. Every time she leaned over his notes, he tilted just close enough that she felt the heat of his skin. Every smile, every compliment, was like gasoline poured over the quiet fire in her chest.
"Do you always get this serious when you talk about numbers?" he teased, watching her chew on her pen cap. "It's kind of adorable."
She froze. No one had ever called her that before.
"I—I just want to make sure you understand."
"Oh, I understand," he said, his gaze never leaving hers. "But I think I'd rather listen to you talk all night than solve any problem on this page."
Her breath caught. It was reckless, intoxicating, everything she thought she wanted.
But later that night, as she walked back to her dorm, the thrill began to fade, replaced by a nagging ache. She passed the student café, its lights still glowing, and saw a familiar figure inside.
William.
He was sitting by himself at a corner table, papers spread out neatly, a coffee cooling beside him. His head bent slightly as he worked, his brow furrowed in quiet focus.
Something about the sight rooted her to the spot. There was no grand entrance, no flashy smile, no deliberate charm. Just William, steady and thoughtful, the kind of man who seemed to carry the weight of the world with quiet dignity.
As if sensing her gaze, he looked up. Their eyes met through the window. Unlike Stephen's fire, William's attention was like warmth—gentle, steady, impossible to turn away from.
He didn't wave or smile. He simply held her gaze, as though asking silently, Are you okay?
For a fleeting second, she wanted to walk inside. To sit across from him, let his quiet steadiness anchor her. But before she could move, Maddie appeared at the café door, laughing, tugging her away with chatter about an upcoming party.
The moment slipped away.
---
The days that followed blurred into a dangerous rhythm. Study sessions with Stephen that weren't really about studying, stolen glances across campus, teasing lines whispered too close to her ear. He made her feel alive, electric, like the star of a story she'd never thought she'd belong in.
And yet, every time she faltered—when her grades slipped a little, when exhaustion hit—William was there. Sliding his neatly written notes across her desk. Asking softly if she'd eaten. Holding doors open, walking her back at night without asking for anything in return.
Once, when she dropped her pen and bent to pick it up, William's voice caught her off guard.
"Eliana," he said, so quietly it almost wasn't real.
She looked up.
"You don't have to keep up with anyone else. You're already enough."
Her heart stuttered. She wanted to answer, but before she could, he turned away, as though even that small confession had cost him too much.
---
That night, lying in bed, Eliana pressed her pillow over her face. Two fires burned inside her now—Stephen's wild flame, William's steady warmth. Both drew her in, both promised different kinds of love.
And she didn't know how long she could stand between them before one consumed her completely.