The morning bustle of the city roared on, but Amara's world felt muted. She kept telling herself she didn't care. That the arrogant, smirking Adrian was nothing more than a fleeting nuisance.
But she couldn't deny it—his voice still echoed in her head. Maybe I'm just intrigued.
"Ugh," she muttered, pushing her sketchbook deeper into her bag as she hurried across campus. She had no time for distractions. Especially ones with sharp jawlines and annoyingly perfect timing.
Inside the library, the world was quieter. Rows of shelves stretched endlessly, the air thick with the scent of old pages. Amara let herself breathe, finally finding comfort among the silence.
She was reaching for a book when a hand brushed against hers.
Her pulse spiked. Slowly, she turned her head.
And there he was. Again.
Adrian.
"What is wrong with the universe?" she whispered under her breath.
He raised a brow, his hand still hovering near hers on the spine of the book. "Funny. I was about to ask you the same."
"Do you… follow me?"
He smirked. "If I say yes, will you scream?"
Amara glared. "If you say yes, I'll hit you with this book."
Adrian chuckled—a low, rich sound that shouldn't have made her stomach flip the way it did. "Relax. I'm here for research. You don't own the library, do you?"
"No, but I should if it keeps people like you out of it."
He laughed again, and this time, it wasn't mocking. It was warm. Genuine. The kind of laugh that softened his sharp edges and made him look… different.
Amara froze. It was the first time she'd seen him without that cocky armor. And against her will, her lips twitched, betraying her with the tiniest smile.
Adrian noticed instantly. His gaze softened, almost victorious. "There it is."
"What?" she asked warily.
"Your smile." His voice was quieter now, less playful, more sincere. "I knew it would be worth the wait."
Her cheeks burned, and she quickly turned back to the shelves. "You're impossible."
"And yet," he said softly, "here I am."
For the first time, she didn't hate hearing it.
She grabbed her book and walked away, heart racing, determined not to look back. But she felt it—his eyes following her, lingering like a secret promise.
And though she wouldn't admit it out loud, her lips betrayed her again with the faintest smile as she disappeared down the aisle.