Later that evening, as the golden light of sunset filtered through their dorm window, Amara lay on her bed, scrolling through her phone. Nia entered with her hair tied in a high ponytail, plopping beside her.
"You won't believe who I bumped into at the campus café today," Amara said, still staring at the ceiling.
Nia turned sharply. "Wait, what? Did Kieran buy you coffee or something?"
Amara snorted. "Not even close. I ran into Ryan."
Nia sat up, eyes wide. "Ryan? Ryan Ryan? Your high school crush, 'I-wrote-about-him-in-my-diary' Ryan?!"
Amara covered her face with a groan. "Please don't bring up the diary."
"No way!" Nia laughed, grabbing her pillow and hitting Amara lightly. "What happened? What did he say?"
Amara grinned. "Well, I accidentally took his iced Americano — long story. He ended up with my caramel latte. We laughed about it and sat down to catch up."
"How did he look?" Nia wiggled her eyebrows.
"Pretty much the same. Just… older, and somehow even more confident," Amara admitted. "It was actually nice."
Nia hummed, already brewing mischief. "Should I start shipping you two again?"
"Don't you dare," Amara said, blushing just a little.
Next day Amara stepped out of the library café, tired and still in her plain uniform shirt from her part-time job. The afternoon sun was mellow, casting soft shadows on the pavement. She was just about to plug in her earphones when she heard a familiar voice.
"Amara?"
She turned. "Max?"
He was walking toward her with a warm smile, hands tucked in his pockets, looking effortlessly sharp in a charcoal sweater and jeans.
"Long day?" he asked, eyeing her tired expression.
She nodded with a laugh. "Part-time job. Coffee shop chaos."
"You need a break. Have dinner with me?"
Amara blinked. "Dinner?"
"Not just you. I already texted Kieran. Figured we could all catch up properly," Max said easily. "Come on, my treat."
Before she could come up with a polite excuse, Kieran appeared around the corner — sleeves rolled up, expression unreadable. He gave her a brief nod.
Max smiled, his eyes flicking between them. "Shall we?"
They walked to a quiet restaurant just off campus — nothing too fancy, but still elegant enough that Amara felt underdressed. As they sat down, Max pulled out a chair for her. Kieran didn't say anything — just took the seat beside her with a glance at the menu.
"You okay?" Max asked her casually, handing over a napkin.
"Yeah," she replied softly.
Kieran stayed silent, only ordering a drink when the waiter approached.
Max leaned over slightly, voice low but not harsh. "If she's your girlfriend, try looking at her when she speaks. Or at least ask how her day was."
Kieran stiffened slightly.
Then, without missing a beat, he turned to Amara and gently reached for her hand on the table. "Did you eat anything since morning?"
She blinked. "Uh… not really."
He clicked his tongue quietly. "You shouldn't skip meals. Especially after working."
Max raised an eyebrow — a smirk tugging at the edge of his lips — and said nothing more.
Amara felt her heartbeat skip. Kieran's tone wasn't forced. His thumb lightly brushed her hand. It was subtle, but it felt real.
Throughout dinner, he leaned in occasionally, asked about her classes, corrected the way she held her fork with a teasing nudge, even offered his drink when hers was too sweet.
Max chatted easily with them both, but Amara could feel the shift — the way Kieran's shoulder rested closer to hers, how he answered Max's questions by saying "we" instead of "I."
As they stepped out of the restaurant, the air had grown cooler — crisper, even. The sky was a soft navy now, pinpricked with faint stars, and the streetlights painted their path in pools of warm gold.
Kieran didn't say anything as they walked.
Their footsteps echoed in rhythm on the pavement, a quiet sync neither of them acknowledged. Amara occasionally glanced at him, but he was focused ahead, hands tucked into his jacket pockets.
She shivered slightly when a breeze brushed past.
Without a word, Kieran shifted his pace — just enough to move a little closer, subtly positioning himself between her and the street. It was barely noticeable, but she caught it.
She looked at him from the corner of her eye. "You don't have to—"
"You're not wearing something warm," he said simply, eyes ahead.
Amara blinked. The concern in his voice wasn't obvious — it was just… there. Understated. Matter-of-fact.
They continued in silence.
For a few moments, neither of them said anything — just walked through the quiet night, surrounded by the hum of insects and the occasional rustling of leaves. It wasn't awkward. It was oddly peaceful, like they didn't need to fill the silence with words.
The kind of silence that said more than small talk ever could.
Amara found herself relaxing.
As they passed under a tree, a dry leaf floated down and got caught in her hair. She didn't notice, but Kieran stopped walking.
She paused and turned. "What is it?"
He stepped forward, his hand lifting slowly. "There's something—don't move."
She froze.
Kieran gently brushed the leaf from her hair. His fingers grazed her temple, featherlight — deliberate, but careful. The contact was brief, almost hesitant, as if he wasn't sure if it was okay to touch her like that.
"There," he said quietly, letting the leaf fall away.
Amara's heart thudded once, unexpectedly loud.
"Thanks," she muttered, not meeting his eyes.
They resumed walking. Still in silence.
But now the space between them felt different — charged, somehow. Like something had shifted, even if just a little.
When they reached the hostel gate, Kieran finally spoke.
"Get some rest."
His voice was calm, even — but something in the way he said it felt softer than usual. Less guarded.
She looked up at him. "Goodnight, Kieran."
He turned and walked off without another word — but the air felt heavier now, like something unspoken had passed between them.
The classroom was already half full when Amara arrived, her bag slung loosely over one shoulder. She slid into her usual seat and pulled out her notebook, rubbing sleep from her eyes.
Moments later, Nia slipped into the seat beside her, almost too casually.
Amara raised an eyebrow. "Since when are you in this class?"
Nia shrugged, fiddling with her pen. "I switched. Thought it'd be fun to attend together for once."
Amara narrowed her eyes. "Fun? You hate early morning lectures."
"Well, yeah," Nia said, grinning sheepishly. "But my last class was near the construction site. I swear I lost half my hearing yesterday."
Amara gave her a look. "So you're saying you chose this class… for peace and quiet?"
"And your radiant company," Nia added with a dramatic hand over her heart.
Amara laughed. "You're hiding something.
"Always," Nia muttered under her breath with a grin.
"Nia?" Amara squinted. "Aren't you supposed to be in Professor Carter's class right now?"
Nia looked up mid-bite, eyes wide for a second before recovering. "Yeah, I… needed a break today. Mentally, spiritually, and emotionally," Nia said dramatically, popping the rest of the chocolate into her mouth. "Carter's mood is way too intense for a Thursday morning. My brain refused to cooperate today."
"Good," Amara said, stretching her legs out.