By the next morning, something about Laura had changed.
It wasn't loud or obvious, but it was there.
The way she carried herself.
The way she looked at her reflection just a second longer than usual.
The quiet confidence sitting in her chest.
She felt… different.
Not just because of the gifts, or the dinner, or even Adrian, but because, for the first time, she felt seen in a way she hadn't before.
And yes, she liked it.
Maybe a little too much.
Her alarm rang early, and unlike most mornings, Laura didn't snooze it.
She got up, stretched, and moved with purpose. Exams were around the corner, and no matter what was happening in her personal life, she wasn't about to lose focus.
Books first.
Feelings later.
After her morning lecture, she packed her things and headed toward the library, her mind already shifting into study mode.
The campus was alive, students moving in clusters, conversations buzzing, the usual rhythm of academic pressure settling in.
Laura walked steadily, earbuds in, her thoughts half on her notes, half drifting…
Until voices cut through.
'That's her.'
'Yeah… HIM's pet.'
Laura slowed slightly.
Another voice followed, low but clear enough. 'His spending a lot on her'.
She frowned, instinctively turning her head just enough to catch a glimpse of three guys walking past her, their laughter trailing behind them like it meant nothing.
HIM's pet?
She blinked.
For a moment, she stood there, confusion knitting her brows together. The words didn't quite land, not fully, not yet.
What did that even mean?
Her first instinct was to brush it off.
People talk.
Campus gossip travels faster than light.
And honestly, she didn't have the energy to start decoding random comments from strangers.
With a small shake of her head, she adjusted her bag and kept walking.
Still… something about it lingered.
Not enough to stop her.
Not enough to ruin her mood.
But enough to sit quietly at the back of her mind.
The library welcomed her with its usual silence, a sharp contrast to the noise outside.
Laura settled into a corner, spreading out her books, trying to focus.
And for the most part, she did.
But every now and then, her mind drifted, not to the guys, not even to what they said, but to Adrian.
To the night before.
To the way everything had felt so easy… so perfect.
She exhaled softly, forcing her eyes back to the page.
Whatever people thought, whatever they said, it didn't define her.
She knew who she was.
* * * * *
Laura adjusted her bag as she stepped out of the library, the cool air brushing gently against her skin.
Her mind was supposed to be on her books, formulas, notes, upcoming exams, but instead, it kept drifting.
Back to last night.
To Adrian.
To everything that suddenly felt… bigger than her usual life.
She shook her head lightly.
'Focus, Laura,' she muttered under her breath, walking along the pathway.
Not too far ahead, a group of guys stood gathered under a tree, their voices low but confident, their laughter carrying just enough to draw attention.
Laura didn't think much of them at first.
Just another group on campus.
Until she heard it again.
'That's her…'
'Yeah, that's HIM's pet.'
She slowed, just slightly.
Not enough to make it obvious.
But enough to hear clearly.
Her brows pulled together in confusion.
HIM's pet?
She resisted the urge to turn fully. Instead, she glanced briefly from the corner of her eye as she walked past them, catching the way one of them smirked, another whispering something she couldn't quite hear.
A soft scoff escaped her lips.
'People are weird,' she murmured.
Honestly, she didn't even have the energy to decode whatever nonsense they were saying.
Campus boys always had one slang or the other, it wasn't her business.
Still… it was odd.
She continued walking, brushing it off as nothing important.
But not too far ahead, she saw him.
Adrian.
Standing with another group of guys.
This time, something about the atmosphere felt different.
They weren't loud like the others. They didn't need to be.
There was a certain calm confidence around them, the kind that made people notice without understanding why.
Adrian stood among them effortlessly, hands in his pockets, listening as one of them spoke.
When he looked up and spotted Laura, his expression changed instantly.
Softer.
Warmer.
Like she was the only thing that mattered in that moment.
He gave her a small nod.
Laura smiled back.
Simple.
Like everything was completely fine.
By the time she reached her hostel later that day, the words had already started fading from her mind.
Assignments replaced them.
Exams pushed everything else aside.
Life moved on.
Whatever those guys meant, it didn't concern her.
At least, that's what she told herself.
That night, as she lay in bed scrolling through her phone, Adrian's name popped up again.
A small smile crept onto her lips.
Just like that, everything else disappeared.
The whispers.
The strange words.
The unfamiliar tone in people's voices.
None of it mattered.
Not when she felt like this.
And unknowingly…
Laura was walking deeper into something she didn't yet understand.
A world where words like HIM and pet weren't just jokes,
But meanings.
Meanings she hadn't learned yet.