Amara woke the next morning with an unusual lightness in her chest. The message from Emily still lingered in her mind a group project in Biology, partners assigned today. It shouldn't have made her heart skip, but it did. She lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling, imagining all the ways it could play out.
The dorm buzzed with morning activity. Lara was already up, humming as she straightened her hair, while Elena, ever calm, sat on her bed with a book in her hands.
"You're awfully quiet this morning," Lara observed, glancing at Amara through the mirror. "Don't tell me you've got stage fright for a project we haven't even started."
Amara smiled faintly, pulling her blanket tighter around her. "Just thinking about today."
"Thinking about biology?" Lara raised a brow. "Or thinking about something… someone?"
Amara felt her cheeks heat, but she hid it by getting out of bed. "Don't be ridiculous," she muttered, but even Elena smirked over her book.
The walk to class felt unusually long. Every face in the hallway blurred past her, but in her chest, her heart pounded steadily, as if it already knew what or who she hoped to see.
The lecture hall was half full when she arrived. She spotted Emily waving from a middle row and quickly joined her.
"Morning," Emily said brightly. "Can you believe we already have a project? It's like they want to drown us before we even find our footing."
Amara chuckled, but her eyes were scanning the room. And then she saw him. Adrian Cole. He was sitting toward the back, his head bent as he scrolled through something on his phone. The light from the window caught in his hair, making it glint faintly.
She swallowed. He looked the same calm, collected, completely absorbed in his own world. She forced herself to look away, but her pulse betrayed her.
The professor entered, quieting the chatter. She was a small woman with sharp glasses and an even sharper voice. "Good morning, class. Today we'll discuss the upcoming group project. This will be a long-term assignment, worth a significant portion of your grade. Choose wisely how you divide your time."
A ripple of murmurs spread through the hall.
"I'll be assigning partners," the professor continued, scanning her papers. "I find it keeps things… fairer."
Amara's breath caught. Assigned partners. Fate, it seemed, was now sitting in the professor's hands.
She began reading names. "Emily Carter and Daniel Brooks."
Emily groaned softly beside her, and Amara gave her an encouraging smile.
"Lara Green and Michael Turner."
Amara noted that down. Lara would complain later, she was sure.
Names continued, a steady stream that barely registered. Amara's heart was thudding so loudly in her ears she almost missed her own.
"Amara Hayes and…" The professor paused briefly, adjusting her glasses. "Adrian Cole."
Amara froze. For a heartbeat, she thought she'd imagined it. But no...the professor had said it clearly. Her name, paired with his.
The lecture hall buzzed with soft murmurs again, but Amara hardly noticed. She felt the blood rush to her face, her chest tightening with a mix of shock and something dangerously close to joy.
Emily nudged her. "Lucky you," she whispered teasingly, though her eyes widened with curiosity.
Amara forced a small smile, but her mind was spinning. Adrian. Partnered with her. Of all people.
She dared a glance back. Adrian had finally looked up from his phone. His expression was unreadable, calm, almost indifferent. If the announcement surprised him, he didn't show it. Instead, he simply leaned back in his chair, as though it was just another detail in his day.
The lecture continued, but Amara could barely focus. Every word the professor said about expectations, deadlines, and research methods drifted past her. All she could think about was how, tomorrow or the day after, she would actually have to speak to him. Not just hand him something he'd dropped, but talk to him. Work with him.
When class ended, students gathered their belongings, chatting about their partners. Emily was already bemoaning Daniel's reputation for slacking. Lara walked up, rolling her eyes. "Michael Turner? Seriously? The guy practically sleeps through every lecture."
Amara laughed weakly, but her thoughts weren't on Lara or Emily. They were on Adrian, who was now standing, slipping his notebook into his bag with unhurried movements.
She thought for a moment he might glance her way, acknowledge the pairing, maybe even say something. But he didn't. Without hesitation, he slung his bag over his shoulder and walked out of the hall, as if she didn't exist.
Her heart sank, just a little.
"Don't worry," Emily said, catching the look on Amara's face. "He probably just needs time to adjust. He's kind of… quiet, from what I've heard."
"Yeah," Amara murmured, though inside, she wasn't sure if that was comforting or not.
The walk back to the dorm was filled with chatter, Emily talking about research topics, Lara plotting how to get Michael to do actual work but Amara was quiet. She nodded and smiled when needed, but her mind was elsewhere.
That evening, as the sun dipped low, painting the campus in soft gold, Amara sat by her desk, notebook open. She tried to write down ideas for the project, but every time she touched her pen to paper, she found herself writing his name instead. Adrian Cole.
She quickly scribbled it out, feeling foolish. This wasn't like her. She'd always prided herself on being focused, balanced, careful with her heart. But with him, it felt different. Unfamiliar. Dangerous.
A knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts. It was Emily, popping in with a grin. "Group meeting tomorrow, yeah? We should all start brainstorming."
"Yeah," Amara said softly, closing her notebook.
When Emily left, Amara leaned back in her chair, staring out the window. Somewhere out there, Adrian was probably studying, maybe listening to music, maybe not even thinking about her at all.
But for her, he had already begun to take up space she hadn't planned on giving.
As the night grew darker, one thought circled endlessly in her mind.
What would it be like to know him, really know him?
And for the first time, she wasn't sure she was ready for the answer.