Finding light in the darkest places—through love-Chapter 71 – Lingering Thoughts

Evelyn had always prided herself on being rational. She liked things that made sense, things she could analyze and categorize neatly. But whatever was happening between her and Adrian defied all logic.

It was the little things. The way he always seemed to notice when she needed a distraction. The way his eyes softened when he looked at her. The way her heart reacted every single time he got too close.

And that wasn't normal. Not for a friend.

After parting ways with Claire, Evelyn found herself wandering back to her dorm, her mind replaying the morning over and over. She should have been focused on the upcoming midterms, on the long list of assignments she needed to finish. Instead, all she could think about was Adrian calling their breakfast a date.

A joke. It had to be a joke. But then why did her stomach flutter when he said it?

Claire, of course, had noticed her distraction almost immediately. "Okay, spill. What's up with you?"

Evelyn blinked. "What?"

Claire gave her a knowing look. "You've been spacing out ever since I dragged you away from lover boy. Don't even try to deny it."

"I'm just tired," Evelyn muttered, pushing open the dorm room door.

"Uh-huh." Claire flopped onto her bed. "Is it Adrian? Because if it is, you should just accept the fact that you're basically one long, dramatic love confession away from being together."

Evelyn grabbed a pillow and smacked her with it.

Claire cackled, dodging the next attack. "I'm just saying, he's ridiculously into you, and you're clearly into him, so why not stop torturing yourself and just admit it already?"

Evelyn opened her mouth, but no words came out. Because Claire was right. And that was the problem.

—

Adrian's Dilemma

Meanwhile, Adrian was having his battle with denial.

He knew he liked Evelyn. That much had been obvious for a while now. But lately, it was getting harder to ignore just how much she meant to him.

He caught himself watching her when she wasn't looking. Noticing the little things, like the way she tucked her hair behind her ear when she was deep in thought, or the way she bit her lip when she was concentrating. He noticed everything about her.

And the way she had looked at him this morning?

It had nearly wrecked him.

He wasn't sure when it happened—when his feelings had stopped being something he could brush off. Maybe it had been slow, creeping up on him in quiet moments. Or maybe it had always been there, waiting for him to finally see it.

Either way, there was no escaping it now.

He was in deep.

Sighing, he pulled out his phone, scrolling to Evelyn's name. His fingers hovered over the keyboard before he finally typed out a message.

Adrian: Want to go for a walk later?

Her response came almost immediately.

Evelyn: Sure.

Adrian stared at the screen for a long moment before exhaling. "Yeah," he muttered to himself. "I'm so screwed."

—

A Walk Under the Stars

Later that night, they found themselves strolling through campus again, much like the night before. The air was crisp, the stars scattered across the sky like tiny flecks of light. It should have felt normal. Comfortable. But there was an undercurrent of something neither of them had acknowledged yet.

Adrian stuffed his hands into his pockets, glancing at Evelyn. "You're quiet tonight."

Evelyn let out a small laugh. "I think you've just been talking too much."

"Rude." He nudged her playfully. "But seriously, what's on your mind?"

Evelyn hesitated, then exhaled. "Just...thinking."

Adrian raised an eyebrow. "Dangerous."

She rolled her eyes but smiled. "I just... I don't know. Have you ever felt like something was changing but you weren't sure what to do about it?"

Adrian stilled for half a second before recovering. "Yeah. I have."

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Evelyn glanced at him, something unreadable in her expression. "And what do you do?"

Adrian looked at her for a long moment, then smirked. "I wing it."

Evelyn groaned. "Why did I even ask?"

He laughed. "Because you secretly appreciate my wisdom."

She shoved him lightly, but her smile lingered. And so did the question.

They walked in silence for a while longer, the tension hanging in the air between them, heavy and unspoken. There was something there. Something right there.

But neither of them were quite ready to say it yet.

For now, it was enough to exist in this moment.

But not for much longer.

Something was about to change. They could both feel it.