Campus felt different that afternoon.
Not louder. Not brighter. Just… warmer.
Ava sat on the low stone bench outside the library, her notebook open but unread. She'd changed outfits between lectures soft brown cardigan, fitted black skirt, and ankle boots that made her feel quietly powerful. Her hair fell in loose waves, intentional but effortless.
Gabrielle noticed immediately.
"Okay," she said slowly, circling Ava like a stylist. "You're dressed like someone about to have a life-changing conversation."
Ava rolled her eyes. "I just wanted to feel good."
Gabrielle smirked. "That's what women say before something happens."
A shadow fell over them.
"Ava."
Her heart responded before her brain did.
Alex stood there, backpack slung over one shoulder, expression calm but focused like he'd already made a decision and wasn't backing out of it.
"Hey," Ava said softly.
"Can we talk?" he asked. "Just us."
Gabrielle stood immediately. "Say less. I'm disappearing." She leaned closer and whispered, "If you come back engaged, I won't scream. Much."
Ava laughed as Alex offered his hand.
They walked past familiar paths, past curious glances, until they reached the quieter side of campus near the art building. Alex stopped beneath a tree, sunlight filtering through the leaves above them.
He took a breath.
"I've been thinking," he began. "A lot."
Ava nodded, her fingers lacing together.
"I don't like guessing where I stand with you," he continued. "And I don't want you wondering either."
He met her eyes fully now.
"Ava, I like you. Not casually. Not halfway."
He paused. "I want to be with you. Officially. If you'll have me."
The world didn't stop.
But Ava's did.
She searched his face not for perfection, but for sincerity. And it was there. Steady. Real.
"Yes," she said, the word leaving her before fear could interrupt.
"Yes… I want that too."
Alex smiled not wide, not dramatic but deep. Like relief.
He reached for her hand, fingers intertwining naturally this time, like it was always meant to be that way.
Then he did something small that changed everything.
He leaned in and kissed her forehead.
Not hidden. Not rushed.
Public.
When they turned back toward campus, they didn't let go of each other.
People noticed.
Heads turned. Whispers followed. Phones came out.
By the time they reached the café area, Gabrielle was already there eyes wide, hands clasped.
"Oh," she breathed. "The hand-holding. The energy. The audacity."
Alex smiled politely. "We're together."
Gabrielle screamed.
Actually screamed.
"I KNEW IT!" she shouted, earning looks from across the quad. She grabbed Ava and hugged her fiercely. "My girl is TAKEN."
Word traveled fast.
By evening, everyone knew.
And Ava didn't shrink from it.
Later, when the sky softened into evening, Alex walked her partway home. When they reached the street that led to her apartment building, Ava stopped.
"I might stay here tonight," she said. "It's closer than going home."
Alex nodded, respectful as always. "Text me when you're inside?"
"I will."
They stood there for a moment, neither rushing away.
"This feels… real," Ava admitted quietly.
Alex squeezed her hand. "Because it is."
When Ava finally entered her apartment, she leaned against the door, heart racing not from uncertainty, but from excitement.
She wasn't guessing anymore.
She wasn't waiting.
She was chosen.
And for the first time in a long time, Ava smiled not just because of love but because she knew she was becoming someone she was proud of.