Chase didn't even try to be subtle as he leaned against the tree outside, watching Ryan through his glasses, looking less like an undercover and more like someone who didn't know how to mind his business.
Inside, Ryan sat at a table, eating and scribbling in his notebook. He stood up at intervals to get something, and yet not noticing the silhouette outside.
When he was finally settled and focused on his work, Chase straightened, removed his sunglasses, and walked in as if he had just come across the café by chance..
He went to the counter where another part-timer worked, ordered an iced coffee, and stole glances at Ryan while it was being prepared. Noting the focus in his eyes, the way his delicate frame bent over the table, and how magnetic his movements were. It was something that kept pulling at him. Something he couldn't stop pondering on.
When his drink was ready, Chase carried it over, approaching Ryan without hesitation.
"Ryan?" he called out, and without waiting for an answer, pulled out a chair and dropped into it at Ryan's table.
The scratch of chair legs against the floor forced Ryan to look up, his pen hovering over the paper.
"Man, what are the odds?" Chase grinned, leaning forward and setting his iced coffee down. "I was just passing through and needed something to cool myself. I didn't think I'd run into you all the way out here. Talk about luck, ha."
"Why are you then at my table?" Ryan asked, scanning the café. "There are a lot of empty tables you could use."
"You don't have to shun me off like that," Chase said lightly. "I simply saw someone familiar and came over to say hi."
"If you're done saying hi, can you leave then? As you can see, I'm busy and don't have the time to entertain you."
"But I want to stay here," Chase shrugged. "I promise I won't make a single noise."
Ryan returned to his notebook, pen moving faster, underlining, crossing out, rewriting. The scratch of the pen against paper was sharper now, sharper with irritation.
Chase watched him for less than a minute before breaking his promise.
"So," he said, tapping the side of his cup lightly. "Do you always eat like that when you're writing or reading, or is today a special occasion?"
Ryan froze mid-stroke, brow furrowing slightly in annoyance.
"I thought you said you wouldn't make noise."
"Yeah, I said I wouldn't make a single noise," Chase replied. "But talking doesn't count, right? Noise involves knocking things over, screaming, or being dramatic. Here, I'm even talking in a whisper." His voice dipped low at the last word, almost teasing.
Ryan's lips pressed into a thin line. He decided to ignore him this time, hoping Chase would take the hint. And went on scribbling down, but Chase kept talking.
Finally, Ryan couldn't take it anymore. He slammed his notebook shut, muttering a string of curses under his breath, and stood up. He packed his things quickly and disappeared into the staff room, leaving Chase behind.
"See you later in school," Chase called after him, waving as if they had just shared a perfectly normal, friendly conversation.
_____________________
Ryan was already irritated before he even left the café. He wasn't able to complete his practice assignment during the little break he had.
"What the hell is his problem?" he muttered under his breath as he headed out
This was the first assignment Adrian was giving him, and even though time wasn't on his side, he wasn't going to do a half-hearted job. He wanted to be careful, to do right by Adrian.
After all, Adrian was tutoring him without pay, so Ryan figured the least he could do was show he was taking it seriously.
Luckily, Mrs. Chen had dismissed them an hour early since there weren't many customers. Ryan decided to use that time to rush back to his room, grab Adrian's shirt, and finish the assignment before heading to the library
Cause Adrian had texted earlier during his shift, fixing their meeting at the library.
Figuring he still had enough time to get the shirt and wrap up his work at his room, he opted to take his usual alley instead of the bus to save money.
He pulled out his headset, the one Liam had given him at the hospital, and instinctively let the songs fill him.
His mind drifted to Liam, the realization hitting him that they hadn't spoken since their first conversation. Ryan had sent occasional "hi" and "hello" messages, but they remained unread and unreplied.
I hope he's doing fine, he said internally, letting the music wash over him.
When he arrived at the library, it was almost 4 p.m. There were still a few people scattered around, unlike the last time he'd been there, when the place had felt almost deserted, with just the security guard lurking around.
He took the stairs up to the mezzanine floor and approached the glass-walled room Adrian had specified.
Ryan had never been up there before. The floor held only that single room, and the entire space carried a sense of exclusivity, like it wasn't meant for just anyone.
Even while climbing the stairs, he'd felt glances following as though he wasn't supposed to be going that way.
First the archive room. Now this?
Is this what it means to have wealth and brains? Unrestricted access to places? He wondered.
Sliding the door open, he saw medals and framed group photos along one wall. A shelf and a long table sat in the center, with screens at the far end. The room was quiet, clean, like it was clearly reserved for important meetings.
His eyes landed on Adrian, lying back on the banquette. Eyes closed, one leg bent, the other straight, headphones over his ears.
Is he sleeping? Ryan asked internally.
He walked over quietly, pulled out a swivel chair opposite Adrian, and sat with his back facing the table. Resting his head on his folded arms over the backrest, he kept his gaze fixed on the man before him.
Ryan had always thought Adrian was indistinct. But in that moment, he wondered if maybe, just maybe, if he looked long enough, there would be something there. Maybe a crack, maybe a hint.
His gaze lingered on the stillness of Adrian's body. He looked almost approachable like this, so different from the distant, cold presence Ryan was used to.
It felt like a moment he was never meant to witness, like he was intruding on something private. But that thought didn't stop him.
"This is the second time I've seen him like this," he murmured. "Alone in a room with me, and he isn't focused on me."
He leaned forward without realizing it, his thoughts drifting to the music playing through the headphones. To Liam's songs. To Adrian.
His eyes traced the slow rise and fall of Adrian's chest, then the headphones, wondering if Adrian's head was filled with the same melodies.
The rhythm of the music in Ryan's mind seemed to match the presence Adrian carried in that moment. Something that quietly pulled at him. It was gentle yet dangerous in a way he couldn't explain.
It made him want to reach out, to trace the line of his brows and...
Adrian's eyes fluttered open.
They locked onto Ryan's, but he didn't flinch.
He knew he'd been caught staring, yet he didn't look away. He held the gaze, unfaltering and unsure where the sudden boldness came from, only knowing that it was there.
"When did you get in?" Adrian asked, rising to his feet and moving toward the other end of the table.
"Not long ago."
"And you chose to watch me instead?" He let out a soft laugh as he dropped into a chair.
"I thought you were asleep. I didn't want to disturb you."
They slipped into the tutoring session as if that moment had never happened, like it hadn't lingered at all. While somewhere in Adrian's head, something clicked, and his lips curved slightly at the realization of it.
The session itself stayed what it was meant to be. A session that was nothing but an interaction between a tutor and a student. Nothing more, nothing less.
"You didn't do badly," Adrian said once they were done, and now skimming through Ryan's work. "But the ending feels rushed. Overall, it's above average."
He paused, then added, "From this, I can tell you're not dull. So why are you seeking out a tutor?"
"Because I can't keep up with lectures. And I can't teach myself," Ryan replied. "To grasp something, especially in a college like this, I have to be there when it's being taught."
"And why can't you attend lectures?"
We've basically had over five sessions, and you're asking this now? Ryan thought, but out loud, he said, "Because I have to juggle part-time jobs."
Adrian simply nodded, shifting his focus back to the notebook. He pointed out the rushed sections and the corrections they needed, his voice steady as he explained where the logic had slipped.
"Fix these," he said, handing the notebook back.
Ryan bent over it and worked through the notes, finishing a few minutes later.
Instead of saying anything, he stayed quiet, watching Adrian flip through a book he had pulled from the shelf earlier.
His gaze drifted to the headphones hanging loosely around Adrian's neck. Now that he was closer, he could make out the details clearly.
He paused.
Then he looked down at his own pair resting on the table, and back at Adrian's... the brand, the design, the color, the curves... they were Identical.
A quiet, almost intrusive question tugged at him.
Could they really have the same taste? Even though his was just a gift.
The thought of it sparked something subtle in him, a small excitement that made him swing an invisible foot under the table.
Still staring at Adrian's neck, he traced the edge of the table with his finger. The silence was usually a wall between them, but now, sitting there and tracing the edge of the table with eyes still on Adrian's neck... he felt a sudden, reckless itch to break it.
"So… um," his voice barely above a murmur, "do you like music?"
"I like silence more," Adrian replied, still not looking up from his book. "The music just serves as a switch."
Ryan paused, rolling his eyes slightly as he tried to understand. "A switch?" he pressed.
Adrian gestured for his work, which Ryan handed over.
"Yeah. When I don't want to think, I put it on to keep my head occupied," he said, skimming through the pages.
Ryan pushed a little further. "What type do you listen to?"
"Noise music."
"Huh?" Ryan's eyes widened in disbelief as Adrian stood up.
"Your work is good. We're done here," Adrian said. "See you in the next session."
"Oh," Ryan snapped back to reality. "Alright."
He reached for a paper bag under the table with a neatly folded shirt in it. "And, um… here's your shirt. Thanks for lending it the other day."
Adrian took the bag, his fingers briefly brushing against Ryan's as he accepted it.
He didn't say a word, only giving a short, nearly imperceptible nod before turning and walking toward the exit.
Ryan stayed there, still processing how many unbelievable sides to that man he had already seen... and the ones he was yet to see.