Chapter Four:
Unspoken Things
Monday morning showed up like a slap in the face.
The kind of morning where the alarm goes off and you seriously consider dropping out of college, moving to a village, and selling handmade soap. Adera groaned as she reached blindly for her phone, silencing the buzzing monster that had no respect for weekend peace.
She blinked twice, rolled over, and stared at the ceiling.
Okay. New week. Fresh start. Hopefully no awkward Jace encounters. No group projects. No Chloe dragging her across campus to stalk Smoothie Boy. Hopefully.
By the time she made it downstairs, Josh was already halfway through a plate of toast, watching some video on his phone. Demitra stood at the counter, humming to herself while prepping sandwiches for later.
Karen had already left for work, but he'd scribbled a sticky note on the fridge: *"You got this, champ."*
"Is that for me or Josh?" Adera asked, grabbing a slice of toast.
Demitra smiled. "I told him to make it vague so no one felt left out."
Josh didn't even look up. "It's obviously for me."
"Confidence," Adera said, "misplaced, but admirable."
Kiara came in a moment later, already dressed and glowing the way people in love often did. She had her phone pressed to her ear and a half-smile tugging on her lips.
"Yeah, babe, I'll see you later," she said softly, and ended the call.
"Tell Owen we said hi," Demitra called without looking up.
Kiara laughed and leaned over to hug Adera from behind. "Good luck today, brainiac."
"I need more than luck. I need caffeine, quiet, and zero distractions."
"Then why are you still in this house?" Josh quipped.
Adera threw a toast crust at him.
---
Later on campus, the vibe was different. That early-week rush, everyone fake-smiling through exhaustion. Adera was walking toward her first class when Chloe appeared out of nowhere, smoothie in hand and the widest grin on her face.
"He said I looked like sunshine."
Adera blinked. "Who?"
"Nathan!" Chloe practically squealed.
"I thought you said he compared you to a tropical fruit last week."
"He's evolving!" Chloe gushed. "Tropical last week. Sunshine today. Next week? Wife."
Adera laughed. "Your optimism is terrifying."
They walked toward the lecture halls, sipping smoothies and dodging flyers about some student council election no one cared about.
---
Literature class was its usual vibe: moody lighting, mismatched chairs, and the faint smell of old books. Professor Madura was already writing on the board when they slipped into their seats.
Jace was already there. Because of course he was.
He didn't look at her, not really. But when Tanya leaned over to whisper something that made Adera laugh, she caught it—that flicker of attention from his direction.
She ignored it.
Mostly.
Class began. Notes were taken. Tanya passed a doodle of a vampire Shakespeare. Liam wrote "Send help" in his margins. Adera tried to focus, but her mind kept wandering to the announcement Madura made just before the bell.
"Group presentation sign-ups begin tomorrow. Don't make me assign randomly. You won't like it."
Adera wrote it down in all caps. She was not about to get stuck with Jace again. No way. Not this semester.
Liam glanced at her while pretending to jot something in his notebook. The way she furrowed her brow when focused, the way her lips twitched when Tanya whispered a joke—he noticed it all. And for the first time, he found himself wondering why he hadn't noticed it before.
---
Cafeteria time was chaos. Tanya somehow convinced them all to squeeze into a booth way too small for five people.
"Cozy is bonding," she declared.
Liam was crushed against the wall. "Bonding feels like a rib fracture."
But even then, his gaze kept drifting to Adera—how she pushed her hair out of her face, how she leaned into Chloe when she laughed.
Chloe was barely listening. She kept checking her phone.
"He liked another one of my pictures," she whispered to Adera.
"God forbid he follows you," Adera teased.
"I will combust."
Tanya leaned in. "So who are we pairing with for the project?"
Adera answered first. "Anyone but Jace."
Liam raised an eyebrow. "Sounds personal."
"It's academic," Adera replied quickly. Too quickly.
Tanya smirked. "Sure."
Liam didn't say anything, but the way his eyes lingered on her said enough.
---
That night, Adera didn't go straight to bed. After dinner and a hot shower, she curled up on the couch with her tablet and headphones, wrapped in a fleece blanket that smelled faintly of vanilla.
She opened the Webtoon app and tapped on *The Emperor's Proposal*—the series she'd been obsessed with but hadn't touched in over two weeks. Adera had completely forgotten to catch up.
As the first unread chapter loaded, she took a bite from the apple she'd brought with her, her eyes glued to the screen. The emperor was still being annoyingly cold, the heroine was still oblivious, and somehow it made her heart flutter.
By the time she reached chapter five, she was clutching her blanket like a lifeline. "Just kiss already," she whispered, grinning.
beep! It was a text message 😭... Why now . She was enjoying her comic.
Chloe: **"He said goodnight. GOODNIGHT. I'm not okay."**
Adera: **"Did you say it back?"**
Chloe: **"I sent him a heart. Too much?"**
Adera: **"Perfect amount."**
She locked her phone and returned to the comic.
Then it buzzed again.
**Unknown Number:** *"Hey, it's Jace (from class). Don't freak out. Tanya gave me your number—I may have begged. Just wanted to say… what are the odds you'll sign up after me tomorrow?"*
Adera blinked, paused the comic, and frowned.
She typed: **"How did you get my number?"**
**Jace:** *"Tanya talks a lot when she's bored and I asked nicely. There may have been gum involved."*
Her jaw dropped. "Tanya!" she whisper-shouted, grabbing her phone.
She immediately texted her: **"Did you give Jace my number???"**
Tanya: **"Omg lol I thought you knew. He asked super politely! Also he had gum. I was weak."**
Adera shook her head, grinning reluctantly, and tossed her phone aside.
She turned back to her comic, sighing. The emperor had just pulled the heroine into a carriage and shut the door.
She smiled. Then rolled her eyes. Then smiled again.
---
Meanwhile, Jace was at Daniel's house for a sleepover, lounging on the edge of the bed while Daniel scrolled through something on his laptop.
"You actually texted her?" Daniel asked without looking up.
Jace shrugged. "It wasn't a big deal."
Daniel snorted. "Sure. You've been looking at your phone every thirty seconds."
"I just… didn't think she'd respond anyway."
Daniel paused, then looked up. "And yet you still sent it."
Jace leaned his head back against the wall. "She's smart. Kind of annoyingly smart. And she doesn't care that I exist."
Daniel smiled. "So basically, she's your exact type."
"Apparently."
They both laughed, and Jace checked his phone one more time.
No response. Still.
But she'd read it. He knew she had.
She didn't text Jace back.
But she didn't delete the message either.
And she was still smiling.