Chapter 11 Chapter 11
Chapter 11 Chapter 11
THIRD PERSON POV
Callahan leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms. “We should do the group project in the library,” he said. “The classroom is loud and you look like you will stab someone if there is noise.”
Lydia let out a tired breath. “The library sounds perfect.”
Adrian was already standing. “I’m in.”
She shot him a look. “No one invited you.”
He smiled, easy and smug. “Group project. I’m part of the group now. Remember?”
Callahan snorted. “Sure, Vale. Try not to get us kicked out.”
They walked together across campus. Callahan talked about deadlines and topics, his hands moving as he spoke. Lydia nodded, adding ideas here and there. Adrian walked on her other side, quiet for once. Too quiet. His hands were in his pockets. His eyes kept drifting to her face.
The library doors opened with a soft whoosh. The air inside was cool and smelled like old books and dust. Sunlight filtered in through tall windows, lighting up the long wooden tables.
Adrian spotted an empty table near the back. He moved ahead, pulling out a chair.
“For you,” he said, looking straight at Lydia.
She paused for half a second.
Then Callahan dropped his bag on the chair beside him and sat down.
“Lydia, sit here. I need you to explain the data part to me.”
She hesitated. Just a moment. Then she sat beside Callahan.
Adrian froze.
The chair he had pulled out stayed empty.
Something tight curled in his chest. He pushed the chair back in a little too hard and took the seat across from them instead. The sound echoed louder than needed in the quiet space.
Lydia pretended not to notice. She opened her notebook, leaned slightly toward Callahan, and started talking. Her shoulder brushed his arm as she pointed at the page.
Adrian watched it all.
The way her voice softened when she explained things. The way Callahan smiled at her like he had every right to sit that close. The way Lydia did not move away.
His jaw clenched.
Callahan laughed quietly. “See, this is why I need you. You make this stuff sound easy.”
Lydia smiled a little. “It’s not that hard.”
Adrian cleared his throat. “It is hard,” he said flatly. “You just like showing off.”
She looked up at him. “Excuse me?”
He leaned back, eyes dark. “Nothing. Continue.”
But he did not stop watching. Not when she tucked her hair behind her ear. Not when she leaned closer to Callahan. Not when Callahan’s knee brushed hers under the table.
Callahan pushed his chair back slowly, careful not to scrape the floor. “I’ll grab the reference books,” he whispered, already half turned away. “Do not start a fight while I’m gone.”
Lydia did not look up. “Just hurry.”
The moment Callahan disappeared between the tall shelves, Adrian moved.
One second the chair beside Lydia was empty. The next, it shifted. Wood scraped softly. The air moved. He was there.
Too close.
Lydia felt it before she saw it. The warmth at her side. The brush of his arm against hers. She stiffened, shoulders locking, fingers tightening around her pen.
She turned her head slowly. “What are you doing?”
Adrian looked relaxed. Way too relaxed. One elbow rested on the table, his jaw sharp in the soft light from the window. His lips curved into that lazy smile she hated. The one that said he knew exactly what he was doing.
“Working,” he said, eyes flicking down to her notebook and back to her face. “On the group project.”
“There was a seat across from us.”
He leaned back, stretching slightly, his arm sliding along the back of her chair like it belonged there. His wrist dangled close to her shoulder. Too close.
“That seat was lonely,” he said.
Her jaw tightened. “Move.”
“No.”
She turned fully toward him now. Her brows pulled together. Her lips pressed thin. “Adrian.”
“Yes, Lydia.”
Her voice dropped. “You are sitting way too close.”
His smile softened. His eyes darkened just a little. “Relax. People will get ideas.”
“That is exactly what I am trying to avoid.”
He leaned closer, slow and deliberate, like he was testing how far he could go. She could feel his breath now. Warm. Steady. Her heart kicked hard against her ribs.
“Why,” he asked quietly, “you are my girlfriend. Aren’t you?”
Her pen froze mid sentence.
She stared at him, eyes wide for half a second before anger rushed in. Her cheeks warmed. “Stop saying that.”
He tilted his head, studying her face like it was something new. “Soon to be fiancée sounds better anyway.”
She let out a sharp, breathy laugh. It came out louder than she meant it to. “In your dreams.”
“In the headlines,” he replied calmly. “Online. In our families’ statements.”
Her throat tightened. “You are doing this on purpose.”
His gaze flicked to her lips for a brief second before meeting her eyes again. “Maybe. Or maybe I do not like seeing you sit that close to him.”
Her chest felt tight. She scoffed, turning back to her notebook even though her hand was shaking. “That is not your problem.”
“It is,” he said softly, “when the whole world thinks you are mine.”
She shoved his shoulder, not hard enough to hurt, but enough to make a point. Her fingers brushed his arm and she hated the spark it sent up her spine. “You are impossible.”
He barely moved. Just smiled wider, dimples flashing. “And you are blushing.”
“I am not.”
“You are.”
She glared, eyes sharp, pulse loud in her ears. “If you do not move right now, I will scream.”
He leaned in just a bit more, his voice low and teasing. “Go ahead. Explain why your fiancé is bothering you in the library.”
Her mouth opened. Closed.
She hated that he could see it. The way her breath hitched. The way her eyes flicked away first.
Footsteps echoed between the shelves.
Adrian leaned back instantly, his face smooth and innocent again.
Callahan returned with a stack of books balanced against his chest. He stopped short, eyes moving between them. “Did I miss something?”
Lydia grabbed her notebook like it was a shield. “No.”
Adrian smiled, bright and shameless. “Not at all. Just catching up with my girlfriend.”
Lydia’s foot shot out under the table.
Adrian hissed quietly, his smile tightening, but his eyes were still laughing.
“Adrian!”
A high, sweet voice rang out. Lydia looked up just in time to see a girl with glossy hair and a bright smile slide into the empty space beside him. No hesitation. No shame.
The girl sat straight on his lap.
Lydia froze.
The chair creaked softly. Adrian stiffened for a split second, surprised, before his reflexes kicked in. The girl wrapped her arms around his neck, laughing like this was the most normal thing in the world.
“I missed you,” she said, pressing her cheek against his.
Lydia’s stomach dropped.
Heat rushed to her face, sharp and sudden. Her fingers curled around her pen until it hurt. She could feel it. Every eye at the table. Every whisper waiting to happen.
Adrian blinked once, then twice.
“Uh,” he said slowly. “Hi.”
The girl grinned, completely unbothered. “You didn’t reply to my texts. I figured you were busy being charming somewhere.”
She hugged him tighter.
Lydia looked away instantly, heart pounding, embarrassment crawling up her neck like fire ants. This was worse than rumors. Worse than teasing. Worse than him calling her his girlfriend.
This was real.
Her chest felt tight. She focused hard on her notebook, on the lines she had drawn earlier, even though she could not read a single word. Her ears burned.
Adrian cleared his throat. “You want to maybe not sit there.”
The girl laughed. “Why? You used to love it.”
Lydia’s breath hitched.
Used to.
Adrian shifted slightly, clearly uncomfortable now. His eyes flicked to Lydia, just once. Too quick. Too careful.
Lydia caught it.
That was worse.
She stood up abruptly, chair scraping softly against the floor. “I’m going to get water,” she said, voice flat.
She did not look at him. Did not wait for a response.
As she walked away, she heard Adrian say her name. Just once. Low and sharp.
She did not turn back.
Behind her, the girl leaned closer to Adrian and whispered something that made him tense all over.
And Lydia’s hands shook as she pushed open the library door, humiliation and something bitter twisting deep in her chest.