There was something different about the way the day began.
Not dramatic.
Not loud.
Just… quieter.
Aria noticed it the moment she stepped onto campus.
The air felt heavier, like it was holding secrets it wasn't ready to release. Students moved around her in clusters laughing, arguing, brushing shoulders but she felt strangely separate, like she was walking through glass. Present, but untouched.
She adjusted the strap of her bag and kept walking.
Liam was already there.
She didn't see him at first not until she reached the steps of the humanities building. He was leaning against the railing, phone in his hand, but he wasn't scrolling. He was just staring at the screen like it might answer a question he hadn't asked out loud.
When he looked up and saw her, something softened in his face.
Not a smile.
Not relief.
Just recognition.
Like he'd been waiting without admitting it.
"Hey," he said.
"Hey."
They stood there for a second too long. Not awkward. Just… suspended.
Normally, Liam filled silences with jokes or casual comments, something easy and surface-level. But today, he didn't rush it. He pushed himself off the railing and fell into step beside her as they walked.
"How was your night?" he asked.
"It was okay," she said. "Yours?"
"Quiet."
She glanced at him. "That's rare for you."
He huffed a short laugh. "Yeah. Guess I needed it."
They entered the building together. Their shoulders brushed accidentally, naturally and neither of them moved away.
Inside the lecture hall, they took their usual seats. Liam sat closer than normal, close enough that Aria could feel his presence without looking. He smelled faintly like soap and something clean comforting.
During class, she caught him watching her more than once.
Not staring.
Observing.
Like he was paying attention to the things people usually missed how she tucked her hair behind her ear when she was thinking, how she tapped her pen when she got restless, how her brow furrowed when something didn't sit right.
It wasn't possessive.
It was… careful.
When class ended, he didn't immediately stand.
"Aria," he said quietly.
She turned toward him. "Yeah?"
"Do you have time to walk? Not to class. Just… walk."
Something in his tone made her nod before she could think about it. "Okay."
They left the building and headed toward the quieter side of campus, where the trees were older and the paths less crowded. The silence between them stretched, but it didn't feel empty.
Liam shoved his hands into his jacket pockets.
"I've been thinking," he started, then stopped.
She waited.
"That's new for me," he added with a crooked smile.
She smiled back. "You think more than you let on."
"Maybe." He exhaled slowly. "I just don't always know how to say things."
Aria's steps slowed. "You don't have to say anything perfectly."
He glanced at her, surprised. "You always make it sound easy."
"It's not," she admitted. "I just… learned how to sit with discomfort."
They reached a bench under a wide tree. Liam gestured toward it, and they sat.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Liam broke the quiet.
"I'm not great at letting people in," he said. "Not really."
She didn't interrupt.
"I joke. I show up. I help when I can. But when it comes to actually talking about how I feel?" He shook his head. "I shut down."
Aria's chest tightened not because she felt burdened, but because she recognized the courage it took to say that.
"I've noticed," she said gently.
He winced. "Yeah. Thought you might."
"But you're here," she added. "Talking to me."
He nodded slowly. "Because I don't want to lose this."
Her breath caught. "Lose what?"
He looked at her then. Really looked at her.
"You."
The word landed softly but firmly, like it had weight.
"I don't always know where I stand with you," he continued. "And I don't want to assume. But I also don't want to keep pretending I don't care when I do."
Aria's fingers curled in her lap.
"Liam…"
"I'm not asking you for anything," he said quickly. "Not answers. Not promises. I just want to be… honest. For once."
She studied his face the tension around his eyes, the vulnerability he usually buried under charm.
"That means more than you know," she said.
He swallowed. "I've been trying to show up better. Listening more. Being present. Not disappearing when things feel real."
She nodded. "I noticed that too."
A small smile tugged at his lips. "Good. Because I'm trying."
They sat there, the world moving around them, but the moment stayed still.
After a while, Aria spoke.
"I've had people be loud about their feelings," she said. "Big gestures. Big words. But what matters to me is consistency. Effort. Someone staying even when it's uncomfortable."
Liam looked thoughtful. "I can do that."
"I know," she said. "But I need you to know something too."
He turned toward her.
"I'm careful with my heart," she continued. "I don't give it to people who aren't willing to hold it properly."
He nodded, serious. "That's fair."
"I don't need you to be perfect," she added. "I just need you to be real."
His voice was quiet when he replied. "I'm working on that. With you."
Something settled between them then something warm and steady.
Later that afternoon, they found themselves in the library, sitting across from each other with open books they weren't really reading. Liam tapped his pen absentmindedly, glancing up at her every so often.
"You always do that," she said.
"Do what?"
"Check in without saying anything."
He shrugged. "Just making sure you're okay."
Her lips curved into a soft smile. "I am."
He hesitated. "If I'm ever not enough… tell me. Don't disappear."
Her smile faded slightly. "I won't. Promise."
He relaxed visibly.
That evening, as the sun dipped low, they walked out together again. At the edge of campus, Liam stopped.
"Can I walk you part of the way?" he asked.
"You already did," she teased.
"I mean… all the way."
She studied him for a second, then nodded. "Okay."
They walked in comfortable silence, their steps in sync.
When they reached her place, Liam didn't rush to leave.
"I'm glad we talked today," he said.
"Me too."
He shifted his weight. "I'll call you later. If that's okay."
"I'd like that."
He smiled then really smiled.
As he walked away, Aria watched him go, feeling something unfamiliar but comforting settle in her chest.
Not excitement.
Not fear.
Security.
For the first time, she didn't feel like she was guessing where she stood.
And somewhere between the honesty, the quiet effort, and the space he gave her to breathe, she realized something important:
Liam wasn't trying to impress her anymore.
He was trying to be there.
And that changed everything.