Her face was still warm.
She could feel it.
Even though Mira was talking.
Even though Aiden had already stepped forward.
Even though the moment with the flower had passed.
It hadn't passed for her.
"A lily… it suits you."
The words replayed again.
Why did he say it like that?
The seriousness in his tone made her heart skip.
Just… saying it.
She pressed her lips together, trying to calm herself.
Why did he suddenly come so close… and then say that…
Her thoughts felt tangled. Half-formed. Embarrassing even inside her own head.
Ahead of her, Aiden and Mira were already walking toward a table. Mira slipped her hand into Lily's like she always did naturally, casually, as if it had always belonged there.
Lily felt grounded by that.
Mira walked between them now. Talking. Laughing lightly. The space felt safer with her in the middle.
Lily stole a glance.
Aiden was walking on Mira's other side, holding the cups carefully so they wouldn't spill. His shoulders relaxed. His steps unhurried. The sunlight caught along the side of his face, tracing the line of his jaw.
His smile wasn't wide.
It never was.
When he smiled at Mira, it was soft, careful. Lily felt a strange pull in her chest, a flicker of something she couldn't name, and quickly looked away.
It made her chest tighten unexpectedly.
They look comfortable together, she thought.
Like they had known each other long enough to not explain themselves.
Before she could sink deeper into that thought—
"Wow. It's you two again!"
The voice crashed into the space.
Lily flinched.
Her shoulders jumped slightly, fingers tightening around Mira's hand.
Jake approached like a storm that didn't know how to be quiet.
"My Mira and little Lily," he continued dramatically, spreading his arms. "Did you miss me so much you came looking for me?"
Mira rolled her eyes immediately.
"I'm not yours, idiot. And we're hungry. Not missing someone who's too busy flirting"
She tugged Lily forward, pretending Jake wasn't there anymore.
Aiden followed, shaking his head once, the corner of his mouth lifting faintly.
Jake stood frozen for half a second before recovering and sliding into a chair with that grin still attached to his face.
They slid into a seat near a cafeteria table, the noise of the room wrapping around them like a familiar hum.
Lily and Mira sat down side by side, settling their things. Across from them, Jake claimed the chair next to where Aiden would sit, leaving the space empty for now.
Aiden placed the cups on the table carefully. Not dropping them. Not sliding them carelessly. He set one closer to Mira. One closer to Lily.
Close enough that she wouldn't have to lean.
"Thank you," she almost said, but the words stayed in her throat.
Jake leaned back in his chair and glanced toward another table.
"Aiden, bro, sit here—" he began, then followed his own gaze and smirked. "Oh wait. You've got company over there. Those girls are still waiting."
Lily's eyes moved before she could stop them.
There were girls looking this way.
Not subtle about it either.
One of them leaned forward slightly when Aiden's name was mentioned.
Lily felt something small and strange move in her chest.
Aiden didn't look at them.
He pulled his chair back and sat directly across from her.
"I'll stay here," he said simply.
Like it wasn't even a decision.
Mira glanced between them and then sighed lightly.
"It's fine if you stay. Just… don't bring too much attention here. We just want to eat peacefully."
Her tone softened at the end.
Lily understood. Mira had spoken like that because of her. Because she didn't want to be noticed too much, and Mira knew it.
Aiden's gaze shifted.
Not to Mira.
To Lily.
He didn't speak.
He looked at her, patient, as if he already knew the answer he wanted. Lily felt it.
This was about her, not Mira.
Jake, too, looked at her now.
She suddenly felt like the answer mattered.
"Oh…It's okay," she said softly, forcing a small smile. "I don't mind."
Her fingers curled into the edge of the table under it, unseen.It was a strange, warm feeling, like she finally existed to someone. Not ignored. Not invisible. She mattered.
She leaned closer to Mira and whispered, "It's really okay. Don't worry."
Mira studied her face for a moment.
Then nodded.
"Fine. Stay then. Do whatever."
Aiden and Jake immediately high-fived like children who had just won something.
The sharp clap of their hands echoed slightly above the table.
Lily blinked.
Aiden let out a quiet laugh, his eyes lighting up like they were smiling too. His shoulders eased, and there was a softness in him Lily hadn't noticed before.
For a second—
His composure faded, and in its place was something softer. Almost like a little boy beneath all that control. Unfiltered and Honest.
Her gaze lingered.
He smiles like that too…
Different from the small polite smiles.
This one reached his eyes.
It made him look… almost boyish.
She blinked, trying to gather herself
Cute—
The word formed before she could stop it.
A heavy beat hit her chest. Then another. She forgot how to move.
Did anyone hear that?
Her eyes darted around the table as if her heartbeat had been loud enough to echo.
Jake was talking. Mira was responding. Aiden was reaching for his drink.
No one reacted.
It was only inside her.
She quickly grabbed her hot chocolate.
The cup was still warm. Heat seeped into her palms.
She lifted it and took a sip too quickly.The sweetness spread across her tongue. The warmth slid down her throat.
Think about anything else.
Her mind scrambled.
Think about Max.
Max was waiting.
She repeated his name inside her head like it was an anchor.
Max.
Max.
Max.
Her heartbeat steadied. She took another sip, grounding herself. Okay. Calm down.
She placed the cup back on the table carefully, aligning it with the edge.
But even while Jake talked.
Even while Mira laughed.
Something felt different.
Sitting across from Aiden felt different.
She could feel his presence without looking.
Like awareness had sharpened.
Being near him…
She swallowed.
I don't think this project is going to be easy.
And she wasn't sure if she meant the drawing.
---
The walk to the next lecture felt different.
The noise of the cafeteria stayed behind them, but something from that table followed Lily quietly.
Aiden walked a few steps ahead this time. Not next to her. He didn't look back and she felt the distance.
He was talking to Mira about an artwork pinned on the department board. About composition, light balance, negative space. His voice drifted back to her in pieces whenever the hallway fell briefly quiet. And as always, people looked at them. They didn't have to do anything. Attention just followed.
Lily walked slightly behind.
She didn't mean to.
It just… happened.
Jake matched her pace easily.
"So, little Lily," he said, leaning down a little to catch her reaction, "how old are you? I feel like you're still a baby."
His grin widened, clearly waiting for her to react.
Baby?
Her steps faltered for half a second.
Do I look like that?
Her fingers brushed against the sleeve of her cardigan unconsciously. She wasn't sure whether to laugh politely or defend herself.
"I'm not a baby…" she said softly.
She hesitated before adding his name.
"Mm… Jake."
Saying it felt strange on her tongue. Too familiar. But she did it anyway.
He blinked at her, surprised, not by the answer, but by the way she said it. Careful. Almost formal.
"I'm twenty this year," she continued, straightening a little as she spoke. "Not a baby. An adult."
Her tone carried a seriousness that didn't match her small frame.
Without meaning to, her eyes lifted toward Aiden's back.
I wonder how old he is…
Jake suddenly burst into laughter.
"Bro!" he called out loudly, pulling slightly ahead so his voice reached Mira and Aiden. "She says she's not a baby. She's twenty. Like our Mira."
Mira groaned immediately.
Aiden turned his head slightly, his brows lifting in question.
Jake moved closer to Lily again, closing the space casually.
"Okay, okay, I get it. You're twenty," he said, but the teasing tone didn't fade. "Still our little Lily though."
And before she expected it—
He patted her head softly and quickly, just enough. Lily froze, caught completely off guard.
Her body reacted before her thoughts did. The touch wasn't harsh. It wasn't meant badly. But it made her shoulders tighten, her neck draw inward.
Mira's cheerful expression vanished in a heartbeat. Her lips pressed into a thin line, and her eyebrows drew together, subtle but tense.
Aiden said nothing. Didn't even give the slightest smile. Yet the air between them felt heavier and charged, waiting for something to break.
Lily couldn't read his face.
That made her more nervous than if he had laughed.
She forced a small smile, hoping it would smooth everything.
"It's fine," she murmured.
They continued walking.
But something in the air felt slightly uneven now.
They separated again, the small distance between them already feeling heavier as they walked toward different classrooms.
Classes passed slower than usual.
When they finally left campus, the late afternoon sun had turned softer, casting long shadows across the pavement.
This time, Mira walked beside Lily all the way home.
Lily noticed how quiet Mira had become.
Her steps were steady, but her eyes seemed distant, fixed somewhere ahead that wasn't the road.
"Mira…" Lily slowed her pace. "You don't look okay."
Mira stopped walking.
But she didn't turn around immediately.
"You remember the boy I told you about?" Mira asked, voice lower than usual.
The one she had liked for years.
The one who made her laugh and also made her stay up at night.
Lily nodded gently.
"Yes. I remember."
She didn't interrupt. She didn't ask questions. She simply waited.
"That person…" Mira swallowed. "I like him very much. These days I feel so down. I want to tell him. Not just that I like him… but how much I love him."
The word lingered between them.
Love.
It sounded heavier in the open air.
Mira finally turned.
Her green eyes looked brighter than usual, not from happiness. From unshed tears. The rims already slightly red.
"But I'm afraid," Mira continued, her voice thinning. "Because he's my friend."
The word friend trembled.
"What if he never saw me that way?" she whispered. "What if he only ever thought of me as someone easy to laugh with? What if I tell him… and he avoids me? What if he stops talking to me?"
The questions came quickly now.
Lily stepped forward without thinking and wrapped her arms around Mira.
She wasn't sure what the correct advice was.
She only knew Mira was shaking slightly.
"Mira… don't cry," she said softly, pressing her cheek against her friend's shoulder. "What if he likes you too? What if he's also scared?"
Mira let out a small breath that was almost a laugh.
"I thought about that," she said, pulling back, wiping at her cheeks. "This feels harder than any university exam. At least exams have right answers."
Lily gave a faint smile.
"I don't really understand love situations," she admitted honestly. "But I'll help you. Whatever you decide. I'll stay with you."
Mira nodded, gratitude flashing briefly through her expression.
They walked a little longer together before separating at their street corner.
End of Chapter 23