The rumors started quietly.
They always did.
At first, it was just glances too long to be accidental, too deliberate to ignore. Then whispers followed, drifting through hallways and lingering near lockers, carried by people who had nothing better to do than turn someone else's life into entertainment.
Aria noticed it on Thursday morning.
She and Julian were walking across campus, not touching, not hiding, just existing side by side the way they always did. Yet somehow, heads turned. Conversations paused. Phones tilted ever so slightly in their direction.
"Do you feel that?" Aria asked softly, her eyes forward.
Julian hummed. "Yeah. Feels like we're trending."
She laughed under her breath. "I hate that you're right."
A group of girls near the café whispered openly as they passed. One of them didn't even bother lowering her voice.
"That's her. The one always with Julian."
Aria stiffened for half a second out of instinct, not fear. She had lived long enough to know how quickly narratives were formed by people who didn't know the truth.
Julian noticed immediately.
He didn't stop walking.
Didn't glare.
Didn't react.
Instead, he leaned closer and said calmly, "If you want to turn around and walk the other way, we can."
Aria glanced at him, surprised. "Why would we do that?"
A slow smile curved his lips. "Just checking."
She shook her head. "No. Let them look."
Something about saying it out loud felt powerful. Freeing.
By lunchtime, the whispers had evolved into speculation.
Some said Aria was playing him.
Others said Julian had always been out of her league.
Someone even claimed they'd seen her leave campus late at night alone.
Chloe relayed the last one while stabbing a fork into her salad like it had personally offended her.
"I swear, if I hear one more person talk nonsense."
Aria reached across the table and squeezed her hand. "Chloe. It's fine."
Chloe blinked. "Fine? Aria, they're making things up about you."
"I know," Aria said calmly. "And that's exactly why it doesn't matter."
Julian, seated beside her, watched her with something close to admiration. "You're handling this better than most people would."
She shrugged lightly. "I've learned that explaining yourself to people who don't care to understand is exhausting."
"Still," Chloe said, narrowing her eyes, "if anyone says anything directly to you"
"I'll handle it," Aria replied gently. "I promise."
Julian nodded. "She's got this."
And that was that.
The rest of the day passed quietly. Classes, notes, small smiles exchanged across lecture halls. The rumors existed but they stayed on the outside, unable to seep into the space Aria and Julian had built.
By the time the sun dipped low, painting the sky in warm shades of orange and gold, it was already time to go home.
They walked toward the parking lot together, their footsteps unhurried.
"I can drop you off," Julian offered casually. "If you want."
Aria hesitated not because she didn't want to, but because she wanted to be honest.
"Well," she said carefully, "I stay in a private apartment sometimes. Alone. In case I won't be able to go home."
Julian didn't blink. Didn't question. Didn't pry.
"Okay," he said simply. "Nice."
She turned to him.
Something warm settled in her chest.
"Then yes," she said. "You can drop me off."
When they reached his car, Julian stepped ahead and opened the passenger door for her. It wasn't dramatic or performative just natural, like something he did without thinking.
"Thank you," she said softly, slipping inside.
He closed the door gently before circling to the driver's side.
The drive was quiet in the best way. No awkwardness. No pressure to fill the silence. Just the soft hum of the engine and the city lights blurring past the windows.
Aria rested her elbow against the door, watching him from the corner of her eye. The way his hands moved easily on the steering wheel. The focused calm in his expression.
She realized somewhere between the third traffic light and the familiar turn toward her apartment that she felt safe.
Not butterflies.
Not chaos.
Safety.
When they pulled up in front of her building, Julian parked and turned off the engine. The night was calm, the street illuminated by a single streetlight casting soft shadows against the walls.
They sat there for a moment.
Neither rushed to speak.
"Thank you for today. For… not making things weird." Aria finally said.
"I don't see a reason to," he replied. "Do you?"
She shook her head.
He stepped out of the car first, walked around, and opened her door again. Aria stepped onto the pavement, the cool night air brushing against her skin.
They stood facing each other now, close but not touching.
Julian's gaze softened. "You good?"
"Yes," she said. "I really am."
He exhaled quietly, as if he'd been holding that breath all evening. Then slowly, deliberatelymhe lifted his hand, giving her time to pull away if she wanted.
She didn't.
His fingers brushed her cheek, warm and steady.
"Can I?" he asked softly.
Aria nodded.
The kiss wasn't rushed.
It wasn't desperate.
It was gentlenintentional like he was memorizing the moment instead of trying to consume it.
His lips moved against hers with care, unhurried, leaving space between each breath. No pressure. No urgency. Just a quiet connection that spoke louder than words ever could.
When they finally pulled apart, their foreheads rested together.
Julian smiled faintly. "Good night, Aria."
She smiled back, her heart steady, full. "Good night, Julian."
She watched him return to the car, waited until the headlights disappeared down the street before turning toward her door.
Inside her apartment, Aria leaned back against the door and closed her eyes.
The rumors could talk.
The campus could speculate.
None of it mattered.
Because for the first time, she wasn't distracted by the noise.
She was choosing what felt real.
And Julian steady, patient Julian was exactly that.