Ruz's POV
The cafeteria was louder than the hallway had been, louder than the classroom, louder than any space I had stood in all morning.
But this time, I did not mind.
Because there was food. Actual good food, the kind that smelled like someone had put effort into making it, and my stomach had been reminding me for the past hour that breakfast was a distant memory.
My eyes moved across the counter slowly, carefully, like this was the most important decision of my entire life. Rice meals sat in neat trays, steam rising from them in lazy curls. Pasta in cream sauce and tomato sauce competed for attention next to each other. Fried chicken gleamed golden brown under the warm lights, crispy and perfect.
Then I saw the desserts.
I stopped walking.
"…Yeah," I muttered under my breath, my eyes fixed on a slice of chocolate cake that looked like it had been sent from heaven specifically for me. "I like this place. I really like this place."
"OH MY GOD."
I did not turn around. I knew that voice. I was already tired of that voice, and I had only known its owner for approximately one hour.
"That is it," Liam continued, his voice growing louder as he approached. "I have been replaced. Our friendship is over before it even began."
I sighed, long and slow. "Go away."
"I refuse," Liam said, suddenly appearing beside me like a lost puppy who had decided I was his new owner. "You looked at that cake with more love and affection than you have ever shown me in our entire friendship."
I picked up a tray without looking at him. "I met you an hour ago, Liam."
"And yet," he said, placing a dramatic hand over his heart, "the pain is already unbearable. The betrayal runs deep. I thought we had something special."
I picked up a slice of chocolate cake and set it on my tray with the careful reverence it deserved. "This one understands me. It does not talk too much. It does not follow me around asking questions. It simply exists and brings me joy."
He clutched his chest like I had physically wounded him. "BETRAYAL. This is betrayal of the highest order. I am wounded. I am destroyed."
I walked forward with my tray, weaving through the crowded cafeteria in search of an empty table.
He followed immediately, practically glued to my shoulder. "Wait! Do not leave me alone in this cruel, uncaring world full of people who choose cake over friendship!"
"You are not alone," I said flatly. "The cafeteria is full of people."
"I feel alone," he insisted, his voice rising with theatrical despair. "I feel abandoned and unwanted and "
"Eat your food," I interrupted, spotting an empty table near the window and heading toward it. "You will feel better with something in your mouth that is not your own complaints."
We sat down.
Well, I sat down properly, placing my tray neatly on the table and arranging my things with the kind of calm focus that came naturally to me.
Liam dropped into the chair across from me like gravity had personally attacked him and he was still recovering from the impact.
I picked up my fork. My first bite would be perfect. It would be peaceful. It would be..
Cake.
Always cake first. Dessert was not something to be saved for later. Dessert was the reason to survive the rest of the meal.
Liam froze, his fork halfway to his own tray, staring at me like I had just committed a crime against humanity.
"…You started with dessert," he said slowly, as if he needed to confirm that his eyes were not deceiving him.
"Yes," I said, taking another bite without shame.
"That is illegal," he declared. "There are laws against this somewhere. I am sure of it."
"Report me to the authorities," I said around my fork. "I will wait."
He leaned closer across the table, lowering his voice to a loud whisper that probably carried three tables away. "You are a dangerous person, and I did not sign up for this."
"I have been told," I said calmly, reaching for another bite of cake.
He shook his head dramatically, the motion so exaggerated that a girl at the next table actually turned to look at him. "I chose the wrong friend. I made a terrible mistake. I should have sat next to someone normal."
"You chose nothing," I reminded him. "You declared yourself my friend without my consent."
"I chose everything," he shot back, pointing his fork at me accusingly. "And I stand by my choices, even the bad ones."
I took another bite of cake, letting the chocolate melt on my tongue.
Peaceful. Finally.
For approximately five seconds.
"Hoy, adopted."
My fork paused mid air, hovering just inches from my mouth.
Just for a second. Just long enough for Liam to notice something was wrong.
Liam blinked, looking past me toward the voice. "…Okay, who says that out loud? Who walks into a cafeteria and greets someone like that?"
I slowly looked up from my cake.
Adrian stood behind me, his tray in one hand, his expression completely unashamed. He looked like he had not just broken his own rule from this morning. He looked like he had every right to be here, standing at my table, calling me names in public.
We do not know each other in school.
That was what he had said. That was the rule he had made for both of us, without asking me, without considering how I felt about it.
And now here he was.
I looked back at my cake and took another bite, deliberately, slowly, with pointed emphasis.
I was ignoring him. Completely.
Liam leaned closer to me, his voice dropping to a confused whisper. "…Do you know him?"
"No," I said, my voice perfectly flat.
"Yes," Adrian said at the same time, setting his tray down on the table like he belonged there.
Liam's head snapped between us so fast I was genuinely concerned for his neck. His eyes were wide, his mouth slightly open, his entire face a portrait of absolute confusion.
"…I am already confused," he announced. "I have been here for less than two minutes, and I am already confused, and I do not like this feeling."
Adrian pulled a chair out and sat down without waiting for an invitation. Uninvited. Unbothered. He leaned back in his chair like he had been sitting there for hours, like he had every right to be at my table, eating my silence.
"You are ignoring me?" he said casually, reaching for his drink.
"Yes," I said, not looking at him.
"Rude," he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice.
"Leave," I said.
"No," he replied simply.
I kept eating. Calm. Focused. Like he was not there at all. Like he was just another piece of furniture in the cafeteria, unremarkable and unimportant.
He tapped the table lightly with his fingers. Tap. Tap. Tap.
I did not react.
He tapped again. Louder this time.
Still nothing.
"Wow," he muttered, genuine surprise coloring his voice. "You have improved. You used to crack after three seconds."
Liam leaned in again, his whisper somehow both quiet and piercing.
"…Should I leave, or should I stay? I need guidance. I need adult supervision. I did not prepare for this emotionally."
"Stay quiet," I said through barely moving lips.
"I cannot promise that," he whispered back. "I have never been quiet a single day in my life. It is not in my skill set."
Adrian leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the table, lowering his voice just enough that only I could hear him over the noise of the cafeteria.
"Miss me?" he asked.
I finally looked at him.
Flat expression. Empty eyes. Nothing that he could use against me.
"No," I said.
He smirked, slow and confident, like he had already won whatever game he thought we were playing. "Liar."
I kicked his leg under the table.
Hard.
"AAAAWWWWW—" Adrian yelped, his leg jerking back, his hand reaching down to rub the spot I had hit. His face contorted in genuine pain, and I felt a small, petty satisfaction bloom in my chest.
Liam jumped in his seat, nearly knocking over his drink. "VIOLENCE," he hissed. "There is violence happening, and I am a witness, and I do not know if I should report this or applaud it."
"Stay out of it," I said, picking up my fork again.
"I am emotionally involved now!" Liam insisted, his voice cracking with excitement. "I have invested in this relationship! I cannot simply stay out of it!"
Adrian rubbed his leg, glaring at me from across the table, but there was no real anger in his eyes. Only the familiar annoyance of someone who had been bested and knew it.
"You have gotten aggressive," he said accusingly. "You were never this aggressive before."
"You started it," I said, taking another bite of cake.
"I always start it," he admitted, and there was something almost fond in his voice.
"Exactly," I said.
Liam's head swiveled between us like he was watching a tennis match. His voice dropped to a stage whisper that was not a whisper at all. "…Is this flirting or fighting? I genuinely cannot tell, and I need someone to explain it to me."
"Both," I said without hesitation.
"I KNEW IT" Liam started, practically vibrating in his seat.
Before he could continue, a shadow fell over the table.
A familiar one.
"…You again."
I glanced up.
The guy I argued with this morning.stood at the edge of our table, his tray in his hand, his eyes fixed on me with an expression that was difficult to read. He was not smiling, not frowning, simply looking at me like I was a puzzle he had not yet solved.
Then his gaze shifted to Adrian.
Something passed between them. Something unspoken. A look of recognition, maybe, or surprise, or something else entirely that I could not name.
"You know her?" that guy asked, and his voice was careful, measured, like he was testing something.
Adrian did not hesitate. "No."
I did not react. I kept my face perfectly still, perfectly neutral, like the answer did not matter to me at all.
But Liam looked like his brain had just shattered into a thousand pieces.
"…You just said yes earlier" Liam started, pointing at Adrian with a trembling finger.
"Stay quiet," I said, not looking at him.
"I am suffering," Liam whispered dramatically. "I am genuinely suffering. I did not ask for any of this."
That guy frowned slightly, his eyes narrowing as he looked between Adrian and me. "But you are sitting together. At the same table. Eating together."
Adrian shrugged, his expression bored. "Free country. I can sit wherever I want."
I added calmly, not looking up from my cake, "He talks too much anyway. I am barely aware he is here."
Liam gasped so loudly that people turned to look at us. "WOW. That was unnecessary. That was cruel. That was...."
That guy ignored him completely. His attention remained on me, sharp and focused.
"You are not careful," he said quietly.
I set my fork down and met his gaze. "I do not need to be."
"You think so?" he asked, and there was something challenging in his voice now. Something that suggested he was not used to people talking to him this way.
"I know so," I said, and I did not look away.
A pause.
Tension crawled across the table like a living thing, coiling around all of us, tightening with every second that passed in silence.
Then Adrian leaned back in his chair, his eyes moving between us with renewed interest. He was watching now. Watching closely, like this was entertainment he had not expected to find.
"…What happened?" he asked casually, though I could tell from his tone that he already suspected something had happened and he wanted to hear it from us.
That guy did not look away from me. "She embarrassed me," he said flatly.
I nodded, picking up my fork again. "He fell."
"I slipped," he corrected, his jaw tightening.
"You fell," I said again, just to watch his eye twitch.
Liam buried his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking. "NOT AGAIN," he moaned into his palms. "I cannot believe this is happening again. This is the second time today. I am not strong enough for this."
Adrian blinked once, processing the information.
Then, slowly, a grin spread across his face. It was not a kind grin. It was the grin of someone who had just discovered something delightful and intended to enjoy it thoroughly.
"…You lost," Adrian said, savoring every syllable,"to her?"
His jaw tightened further. "Watch it."
Adrian leaned forward, his elbows on the table, his grin widening. "Twice? You lost twice?"
I added, calm as ever, "Balance issue. He should look into it."
"STOP," Liam whispered, his voice muffled by his hands. "I CANNOT BREATHE. I AM SUFFOCATING FROM THE SECONDHAND EMBARRASSMENT."
He exhaled sharply through his nose, his eyes still fixed on me.
Then he looked at me with something that might have been respect or might have been annoyance....I could not tell which.
"You talk too much," he said.
"You fall too much," I replied.
"DAMN" Liam hit the table softly with his fist, his head still buried. "She did it again. She keeps doing it. I do not know how she keeps doing it, but she does not miss."
Adrian laughed.
Actually laughed. A real laugh, not the half smirk he usually wore. It was strange to hear, strange to see, and I filed the memory away for later.
Then he looked at me with something warmer in his expression than I had expected.
"…You are getting bold," he said quietly.
I tilted my head slightly, the smallest smile playing at the corners of my mouth. "I learned from the best."
That hit.
Liam's head shot up. "OOHHHH," he said, pointing at Adrian. "She said you taught her! She is blaming you! This is your fault!"
That guy's eyes narrowed slightly, moving between us with renewed suspicion.
Adrian paused for just a second, something flickering across his face surprise, maybe, or pride, or something else entirely before he regained his composure.
Then he smirked again, leaning back in his chair like he had not just been caught off guard. "Careful," he said. "You are getting embarrassing."
I stood up.
"Me?" I asked, and my voice was innocent, too innocent, the kind of innocent that meant I was about to do something terrible.
Then, before he could react, before anyone could see it coming, I reached across the table and grabbed his drink.
And I placed it right in front of him.
Too fast.
Too sudden.
Too careless.
A little spill. Just a little one. Just enough to splash across the front of his white shirt in a pattern that looked like accidental carelessness but was absolutely, one hundred percent deliberate.
Silence.
Complete, absolute, beautiful silence.
Liam's jaw dropped so far I thought it might unhinge. "…NO WAY," he breathed. "NO WAY THAT JUST HAPPENED."
That guy blinked, his eyes widening slightly.
Adrian looked down at his shirt. At the wet spot spreading across the fabric. At the red stain from his drink that was absolutely not going to come out in the wash.
Then he slowly looked up at me.
I met his gaze.
Calm. Cold. Completely unapologetic.
"…Opps," I said, drawing the word out like it was nothing, like I had not just done something that could start a war.
A beat of silence.
Then Liam exploded. "SHE ENDED HIM," he shouted, slapping the table. "SHE ENDED HIM IN FRONT OF EVERYONE. THIS IS THE GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE."
Adrian stared at me.
One second.
Two.
Three.
Then, impossibly, a slow smile spread across his face. It was not his usual smirk. It was something else. Something dangerous. Something that promised retaliation.
"…You are dead later," he said, and his voice was low and calm and absolutely serious.
I picked up my bag and slung it over my shoulder. "Get in line," I said. "There are plenty of people ahead of you."
I looked at Liam, who was still frozen in his seat, his mouth still open. "Let us go," I said.
He stood up instantly, grabbing his tray with trembling hands. "YES," he said. "Escaping is good. Escaping is smart. I support this decision completely."
We started walking.
Behind us, I heard Liam's voice, still loud enough for the entire cafeteria to hear. "I think I just witnessed a murder," he whispered, though it was not a whisper at all. "I think I just watched someone die and smile about it."
"Eat your food next time," I said, not looking back. "Then you would not have to witness anything."
"I could not eat!" he insisted, scrambling to keep up with me. "There was drama! You cannot expect a person to eat when there is drama happening right in front of them!"
At the table we had left behind, that boy was still watching.
He was not laughing. Not talking. Not doing anything except sitting very still and observing everything that had just happened.
His eyes moved between Adrian, still sitting in his chair, still looking down at his ruined shirt, still smiling that dangerous smile.
And me, walking away with Liam trailing behind me like a confused duckling.
Something did not add up. That guy could feel it. He could see it in the way Adrian had looked at me, in the way I had looked at him, in the way we had spoken to each other like we had known each other for years.
Author POV
"…You do not know her?" Rifat asked quietly, his voice thoughtful.
Adrian leaned back in his chair, finally looking away from the door Ruz had disappeared through. He wiped his shirt with a napkin like nothing had happened, like this was just another ordinary day, like he had not just been publicly humiliated by a girl who was supposed to be a stranger.
"…No," he said.
But this time, there was a small smile on his lips.
A real one. Not a smirk, not a grin, but something softer. Something that looked almost like affection.
Rifat did not believe it.
Not even a little.