EIRA'S POV
I dashed into the college building, breathless, my bag bouncing against my shoulder.
God, I'm late.
Not today. Please, not today.
I hurried down the corridor and pushed open the classroom door. My heart immediately sank.
Mr. Robert was already taking attendance.
Every head turned toward me.
"Sir... may I come in?" I asked, trying to steady my trembling voice.
Mr. Robert glanced up from the register. "You're late, dear."
"I'm sorry," I murmured, lowering my gaze. "May I come in?"
His expression softened slightly. "Go ahead. Take your seat."
Relief washed over me as I quickly slipped into my chair.
The lecture continued, and I forced myself to focus on the notes written across the board. But no matter how hard I tried, an uncomfortable feeling settled over me.
It felt as though someone was staring.
Not casually.
Intensely.
The sensation crawled across my skin, raising goosebumps along my arms.
Slowly, I turned around.
My gaze landed on Adrian.
He sat several rows behind me, leaning back in his chair.
He wasn't even looking at me.
His attention seemed fixed elsewhere.
Yet the strange feeling remained.
I couldn't explain it.
And somehow, that bothered me more.
When the class finally ended, I let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Unfortunately, that relief didn't last long.
"All right, everyone!" our English teacher announced cheerfully as she entered the room. "We're doing a special performance of Romeo and Juliet."
The entire class erupted with excitement.
"Romeo?" someone shouted.
"Adrian!" half the class answered immediately.
The teacher laughed. "And Juliet?"
"Victoria!"
Everyone seemed to agree that they were the perfect pair.
For reasons I couldn't understand, my chest tightened.
I quickly looked away.
The teacher began assigning roles.
I wasn't given a character.
Instead, I was assigned backstage work.
Honestly, I didn't mind.
Acting in front of people sounded terrifying.
Tessy dramatically threw herself against my shoulder.
"Eira, let's run away."
I sighed.
"I'm too tired to run."
She gasped. "How dare you abandon me."
A voice called from across the room.
"Eira! We need help decorating the balcony!"
Tessy instantly clasped her hands together.
"Please? Just this once?"
I looked into her pleading eyes.
I already knew I was going to lose.
"Fine."
She grinned.
"You're the best."
A few minutes later, I found myself climbing a narrow staircase with ribbons and decorations in my arms.
The balcony set was higher than I expected.
I carefully stepped onto the platform and began arranging flowers around the railing.
Everything was fine.
Until suddenly it wasn't.
A wave of dizziness hit me without warning.
My vision blurred.
The room tilted.
I grabbed the railing.
The flowers slipped from my hands.
Voices became distant.
My knees buckled.
"Eira!"
Tessy's scream echoed through the room.
The world spun violently.
The floor rushed toward me.
And then—
Strong arms caught me before I could hit the ground.
For a brief moment, I looked up.
Adrian.
His arms were wrapped around me.
And for the first time since meeting him, his mask slipped.
Fear.
Real fear.
Concern.
His eyes were filled with it.
For me.
Then darkness swallowed everything.
The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the smell of antiseptic.
The second was the bright white ceiling above me.
I blinked slowly.
A nurse immediately appeared beside the bed.
"Welcome back, sweetheart."
I frowned.
"What happened?"
"You fainted. Low blood pressure."
Embarrassment flooded through me.
"I skipped breakfast."
The nurse crossed her arms.
"Skipping meals is dangerous."
"I know."
"No, you don't. Otherwise, you wouldn't keep doing it."
I gave her a guilty smile.
Her stern expression softened.
Then a mischievous glint appeared in her eyes.
"Do you know who brought you here?"
I shook my head.
"Your boyfriend."
My eyes widened.
"He's not my boyfriend."
The nurse laughed.
"Not yet."
Before I could argue, she winked and walked out of the room.
Leaving me completely flustered.
Adrian?
Worried about me?
No.
That couldn't be right.
Could it?
A knock interrupted my thoughts.
"Come in," I said quietly.
The door opened.
Adrian stepped inside.
Without a word, he placed my bag on the nearby table.
Then he turned to leave.
"Wait."
The word escaped before I could stop it.
He froze.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Finally, I gathered enough courage.
"Why did you help me?"
His shoulders tensed.
"I would've done the same for anyone."
I shook my head.
"No."
Slowly, he looked at me.
"I saw your eyes."
His jaw tightened.
"You were scared."
Silence filled the room.
"You were scared for me."
For a second, something flickered across his face.
Then it vanished.
In the next instant, he crossed the distance between us.
Before I could react, my back hit the wall.
My breath caught.
His arms caged me in.
His presence was overwhelming.
Dangerous.
Close.
Far too close.
His dark eyes locked onto mine.
"Do you really think I like you?" he asked quietly.
The words felt wrong.
Like he was forcing himself to say them.
"You're just desperate for my attention."
My chest tightened.
A tear slipped down my cheek before I could stop it.
For a moment, something flashed in his eyes.
Regret.
Then it disappeared.
He stepped back immediately.
Without another word, he turned and walked away.
The door closed behind him.
And I stood there alone.
Trying to understand why every word he said hurt so much.
What had I ever done to make him hate me?
ADRIAN'S POV
I didn't understand what was happening to me.
It wasn't supposed to be like this.
People looked at me all the time. Some were afraid. Some were curious. Some wanted something from me.
None of it mattered.
None of them mattered.
So why was she different?
Why did those ridiculous blue eyes make it impossible to think straight?
Why did every expression on her face stay in my mind long after she was gone?
The fear in her eyes terrified me.
Her tears destroyed me.
And her smile—
God.
Her smile was the worst of all.
Because whenever she smiled, something inside me responded before I could stop it.
I hated it.
Or at least I wanted to.
But every time I looked at her, I felt something I couldn't name.
Something unfamiliar.
Something dangerous.
A sharp knock sounded at my door.
Before I could respond, Drek walked in.
"Hey, buddy."
I groaned.
"Go away."
Drek ignored me and leaned casually against the doorway.
"You look terrible."
"I'm fine."
"You're lying."
"I'm not."
"You absolutely are."
I pinched the bridge of my nose.
"I don't have time for this."
"Interesting."
He folded his arms.
"So where are Elisa and Mike?"
"They'll be back in a few days."
"Hm."
His eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Then what's your excuse for looking like someone just ruined your life?"
"Leave me alone."
"Not until you tell me what's wrong."
I stood abruptly.
"Leave."
The word came out harsher than intended.
Drek raised both hands.
"Okay. Definitely something's wrong."
Despite himself, he laughed as he backed toward the door.
"You're impossible."
The moment he left, silence settled over the room once more.
But my thoughts weren't silent.
They never were anymore.
Every road led back to her.
Every thought ended with the same name.
Eira.