The café was busier than usual that afternoon. Students crowded the tables, the smell of fresh pastries mingling with the hum of conversation.
Amara sat by the window, sketching quietly, the soft scratching of her pencil her only escape from the chaos around her.
Until she heard it.
"Amara?"
She looked up—and blinked in surprise. Standing there was Daniel, an old classmate she hadn't seen in months. His boyish smile was exactly the same, warm and familiar.
"Daniel! Wow—it's been forever." She grinned, genuinely happy to see him.
He slid into the seat across from her, easy and comfortable. "Still drawing, huh? I should've guessed. You always did have that little artist's spark."
Amara laughed, feeling a nostalgic warmth. It was nice—safe.
But then the café bell chimed.
And suddenly, she felt it. That charged awareness that always followed Adrian's presence.
She didn't have to look to know he was there. She felt him.
Still, her eyes betrayed her. And there he was—walking in, tall and steady, scanning the café until his gaze landed on her.
For a fleeting second, something unreadable flashed in his eyes. Then his jaw tightened.
He approached slowly, his presence impossible to ignore. By the time he reached their table, Amara's heart was pounding.
"Adrian," she said, trying to sound casual.
"Adrian?" Daniel echoed, curiosity in his tone.
Adrian's gaze flicked to him briefly before settling back on her. "Friend of yours?" His voice was calm, but there was an edge beneath it.
"Yeah," Amara said quickly. "We go way back."
Daniel extended a hand. "Nice to meet you."
Adrian shook it, his grip firm, his smile polite—but his eyes… his eyes were stormy.
He didn't sit. He simply stood there, a shadow at her table, his presence coiling tight around her chest.
"So," Daniel said, breaking the silence, "I was just telling Amara we should catch up properly. Maybe dinner sometime?"
Amara opened her mouth to respond—only to be cut off.
"That sounds… unnecessary," Adrian said smoothly, though his gaze never left her.
Daniel blinked. "Unnecessary?"
Adrian's smile was razor-thin. "She's busy. Trust me."
The tension was palpable. Amara's cheeks burned. "Adrian!" she hissed.
But Adrian only looked at her, his expression calm on the surface, his eyes betraying everything he wouldn't say aloud.
And in that moment, she realized—This wasn't about Daniel.
This was about Adrian. About the feelings he kept locked tight behind half-smiles and almost-confessions.
Feelings that were starting to slip through the cracks.