Chapter Fourteen: The Morning After
Morning arrived quietly, like it was afraid to disturb the memory of the night before.
Rose woke up slowly, not to an alarm, not to noise, but to the unfamiliar weight in her chest. For a few seconds, she lay still on her bed, staring at the pale ceiling of her hostel room, trying to understand what she was feeling. It wasn't fear. It wasn't excitement alone either. It was something deeper—something unsettled.
Then the memory surfaced.
The balcony.
Lucas' voice in the dark.
The softness of his lips against hers.
Her heart skipped.
She turned on her side and pulled the blanket closer, as if hiding beneath it could hide the thoughts rushing through her mind. She had been kissed before in stories, imagined in books, in dramas she once watched secretly after studying. But this one—this one was real. Unscripted. Unexpected.
And that made it terrifying.
Rose sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. The hostel was already awake. Voices drifted from the corridor, doors opening and closing, girls laughing softly as they prepared for lectures. Life was moving on as if nothing had changed.
But something had changed.
Inside her.
She stood up, walked to the mirror, and stared at her reflection. The same calm face looked back at her, yet her eyes seemed different. Softer. More aware. She touched her lips without thinking.
"Why does it feel like this?" she whispered.
She had always believed emotions were distractions—things to be controlled, postponed, mastered. Her life had been built around discipline, not desire. Around grades, not feelings. Around certainty, not confusion.
But now, confusion lived inside her.
---
Across campus, Lucas was awake too.
Unlike Rose, he hadn't slept much. He lay on his bed staring at the ceiling, one arm beneath his head, his phone glowing softly beside him with unread messages he had no mood to open. His mind had refused to rest, replaying the same scene again and again.
The way Rose had looked at him before the kiss.
The hesitation in her breath.
The way her fingers trembled when she touched his shirt.
He had kissed many girls. Too many to count. Quick kisses. Careless kisses. Hunger-driven kisses. But that one—last night—
That one had been different.
There was no rush in it. No game. No performance.
Just two people standing at the edge of something neither of them fully understood.
He exhaled slowly and sat up.
"She's not like the others," he muttered.
And that realization unsettled him more than he cared to admit.
Lucas had always lived freely. No attachments. No promises. No consequences he couldn't walk away from. Yet something about Rose made walking away feel… wrong.
His phone vibrated.
A message from Bella.
Bella: So? Balcony Boy. Still breathing?
He smirked faintly but didn't reply.
His eyes drifted to the window as sunlight spilled into the room.
Something had begun last night.
And for the first time, he wasn't sure how to control it.
---
Back at the hostel, Rose prepared for class in silence. Bella moved around the room energetically, humming as she packed her bag. Every few minutes, she shot Rose an overly curious look.
"You're quiet," Bella finally said with a grin. "That usually means something happened."
Rose avoided her gaze. "Nothing happened."
Bella laughed. "Liar. You kissed him."
Rose froze.
"How did you—?"
"I saw everything," Bella said proudly. "Well, not everything, but enough." She dropped onto Rose's bed and studied her face closely. "How was it?"
Rose felt her cheeks warm. "Bella…"
"Was it bad?"
"No!"
"Was it good?"
Rose hesitated.
Bella's eyes widened slowly. "It was good."
Rose buried her face in her pillow in embarrassment. Bella shrieked with suppressed laughter.
"Oh my God. Rose kissed a boy and actually liked it."
"Bella, stop," Rose mumbled.
Bella's laughter softened into a fond smile. "You're blushing so hard. You're adorable."
Rose sat up. "I don't know what this means. I don't even know what Lucas expects."
Bella leaned back thoughtfully. "Lucas doesn't usually expect much. But this—this felt different."
"That's what scares me," Rose admitted quietly.
Bella's expression softened. "Look at you, worrying already. Just take it one step at a time. You don't have to decide anything today."
Rose nodded slowly.
---
On the other side of campus, Victor observed the morning like a silent spectator.
From the upper floor of the faculty building, he watched students move across the grounds in familiar patterns. He spotted Lucas first, walking with his hands in his pockets, expression unusually thoughtful. Then he saw Rose later, moving toward the lecture hall with her books held tightly to her chest.
His lips curved into a faint, unreadable smile.
"So," he murmured, "the line has been crossed."
Victor had seen the kiss. From the shadows of the balcony entrance. He had watched the tenderness between them, the hesitation, the restraint. It wasn't the kind of thing that faded easily.
And that was exactly why it interested him.
Rose was still unaware of how many eyes were beginning to follow her.
---
Later that afternoon, fate placed Rose and Lucas in the same room again.
It was supposed to be a simple meeting—a final review of project details with their supervisor before official documentation was submitted. Several students were already seated when Rose entered. Luca was there too.
Their eyes met instantly.
The air shifted.
Neither of them smiled.
Neither of them looked away quickly either.
Lucas stood slowly as Rose took the seat across from him. Their hands brushed briefly on the desk.
Her heartbeat stuttered.
He drew his hand back immediately, as if afraid to make her uncomfortable.
Throughout the meeting, Rose tried to focus on the discussion—corrections, approvals, deadlines—but her awareness of Lucas never faded. She felt his glances even when she didn't look at him. Once or twice, their eyes met again, and every time it felt like a quiet conversation was taking place between them.
After the meeting ended, the others left quickly in small groups, talking animatedly. Rose packed her things carefully, hoping to leave unnoticed.
She almost succeeded.
"Rose," Lucas called softly.
She stopped.
"Yes?"
They walked out of the room together, side by side but not touching, like two people learning how to exist in a new tension.
"I didn't mean to make things awkward today," he said.
"You didn't," she replied. "I just… didn't know how to act."
He gave a small smile. "Me too."
They stopped near a shaded path on campus.
"About last night…" Lucas began.
Rose's breath hitched slightly.
"If that changed anything for you," he continued gently, "I want to know. I don't want you to feel pressured by an impulsive moment."
She gathered her courage. "It changed something… but not in a bad way. I just need time to understand it."
He nodded. "Then take your time. I'll be here."
Those words settled something inside her chest.
Before she could respond, Victor appeared from behind them.
"Am I interrupting something important?" he asked casually.
Rose shifted uneasily.
Lucas' expression hardened slightly. "We were talking."
Victor smiled politely at Rose. "I just wanted to congratulate you again on the successful defense. You were impressive—as always."
"Thank you," Rose said softly.
Victor's gaze lingered on her a moment too long. "Perhaps we should talk sometime. About future collaborations."
Lucas stepped subtly closer to her side.
"We'll see," he said coolly.
Victor chuckled. "Of course. No rush."
As he walked away, his smile faded.
---
That night, Rose sat alone by her window again.
The moon was bright.
Her mind was crowded with thoughts she had never learned how to整理. Lucas' gentleness. Victor's attention. Bella's teasing. The uncertainty of her heart.
She pressed her notebook to her chest.
"I just wanted perfect grades," she whispered. "When did life become this complicated?"
Her phone buzzed.
Lucas: Did you get back safely?
Rose: Yes.
A pause.
Lucas: Good.
She hesitated, then typed—
Rose: Thank you for understanding.
Lucas: Always.
She smiled softly at the screen.
Unknown to her, from another corner of campus, Victor stood by his own window watching the same moon.
And planning his next move.