Too Close
Marco Reyes had the kind of smile that made people trust him immediately.
Warm.
Easy.
Familiar.
The complete opposite of Adrian Monteverde.
Lia hadn't seen him in almost three weeks, but somehow he still looked exactly the same—slightly messy hair, university hoodie hanging loosely over broad shoulders, and that permanently relaxed expression like life never stressed him out.
"Wow," Marco said while stopping in front of her. "You've become impossible to reach."
Lia smiled faintly. "I've been busy."
"With what? Surviving Blackthorne?"
"Barely."
Marco laughed softly before his attention shifted briefly toward Sienna.
"Hey."
"Hi," Sienna replied carefully.
Then she leaned slightly toward Lia and whispered:
"Oh no."
Lia frowned. "What?"
"You accidentally summoned jealousy."
Before Lia could ask what she meant—
she felt it.
That familiar sensation.
Like someone watching too carefully.
Slowly, she turned her head.
Farther down the hallway, Adrian stood near the classroom doorway speaking to the dean.
Except he wasn't paying attention to the conversation anymore.
His eyes rested entirely on Marco.
Cold.
Still.
Observant.
Lia's stomach tightened immediately.
Marco noticed her distraction.
"You okay?"
"Yeah," she answered too quickly.
His brows lifted slightly.
"You sure?"
Before Lia could respond, Adrian started walking toward them.
The hallway quieted almost instantly.
Again.
It amazed Lia how people reacted to him automatically. Conversations lowered. Students moved aside without thinking.
Power followed him naturally.
Marco glanced toward Adrian casually at first—
then visibly recognized him.
"Well," Marco muttered softly. "That explains the gossip."
Lia closed her eyes briefly.
Fantastic.
Adrian stopped directly beside her.
Too close.
Always too close lately.
His attention flicked toward Marco once.
Nothing in his expression changed.
But the atmosphere did.
Sharp tension settled immediately beneath the surface.
"Ms. Valencia."
Lia looked at him carefully.
"Mr. Monteverde."
Marco straightened slightly beside her.
"Marco Reyes," he introduced himself politely, holding out his hand.
For half a second, Adrian simply looked at it.
Then slowly shook it.
The contrast between them felt almost ridiculous.
Marco looked approachable.
Human.
Adrian looked like someone who destroyed companies for fun.
"Literature department?" Adrian asked calmly.
Marco nodded once. "Business management."
"Interesting."
The single word somehow sounded vaguely insulting.
Marco noticed too.
Lia could practically feel the tension building between them now.
Sienna looked seconds away from opening popcorn.
"We were actually about to get coffee," Lia lied quickly.
Marco blinked beside her but caught on immediately.
"Yeah. Right."
Adrian's eyes settled on her.
"You dislike coffee."
Her heartbeat stumbled.
Of course he remembered that.
Marco frowned slightly.
"How would you know that?"
Silence.
Lia wanted to disappear into another dimension.
Adrian remained perfectly calm.
"She orders tea during faculty events."
Marco looked unconvinced.
Honestly, so did Lia.
Because that answer sounded prepared.
Like he'd already anticipated needing explanations for the things he knew about her.
"You remember people's drink orders?" Marco asked carefully.
"No," Adrian replied smoothly.
The silence afterward said everything.
Marco glanced at Lia briefly.
Lia looked away immediately.
God.
This situation was a disaster.
Finally, Adrian stepped slightly closer toward her.
"You have another seminar in twenty minutes."
Lia blinked.
"...You know my schedule?"
"Yes."
Marco stared openly now.
Sienna physically turned away to hide her reaction.
Lia lowered her voice immediately.
"You really need to stop admitting things like that."
"Why?"
"Because normal people find it alarming."
Something dark flickered briefly behind Adrian's eyes.
"Do you?"
The question settled directly between them.
Too personal.
Too intense.
Lia opened her mouth—
then closed it again.
Because she didn't actually know the answer anymore.
And maybe Adrian noticed that too.
Marco shifted beside her slightly.
"Well," he said carefully, "I'll see you later, Lia."
The way he said her name sounded natural.
Comfortable.
Easy.
Adrian noticed that immediately.
Lia felt the atmosphere change again.
Subtle.
Dangerous.
Marco smiled at her one last time before walking down the hallway.
Several girls immediately started whispering again the second he left.
Lia exhaled slowly.
Then looked toward Adrian.
Big mistake.
Because he was still watching Marco disappear.
Expression unreadable.
But his jaw had tightened slightly.
"You don't like him."
Adrian finally looked at her.
"No."
"That was fast."
"I dislike people quickly."
"That sounds healthy."
"I didn't say it was."
Again.
That honesty.
Lia rubbed at her forehead tiredly.
"You know most people try harder to seem normal."
"Most people bore me."
"And what if I get bored of you?"
The question slipped out before she could stop it.
For the first time all day—
Adrian went completely still.
Not angry.
Not surprised.
Still.
His eyes held hers quietly.
Intensely.
Like the question itself mattered more than it should have.
"You won't."
The certainty in his voice sent warmth uncomfortably through her chest.
Arrogant.
Completely arrogant.
And yet—
part of her hated how believable it sounded.
Before she could respond, Adrian reached toward her suddenly.
Lia froze.
His fingers brushed lightly against her hair near her shoulder.
Warm.
Careful.
Too intimate.
Her breath caught immediately.
Adrian pulled back slowly.
A small white flower petal rested between his fingers now.
"It was stuck," he said quietly.
The hallway around them suddenly felt very far away.
Lia stared at him.
At the petal between his fingers.
At the calm expression on his face after touching her so casually.
Meanwhile her heartbeat felt completely out of control.
Adrian noticed.
Of course he did.
Something dark softened slightly in his eyes.
Not enough to feel safe.
Just enough to feel dangerous in another way.
"You react strongly when I touch you," he murmured.
Heat rushed instantly into her face.
"You can't just say things like that."
"Why?"
"Because it's embarrassing."
"For you?"
Lia stared at him in disbelief.
"You are impossible."
"And yet," Adrian said quietly, stepping slightly closer again, "you still haven't walked away."
Her pulse stumbled harder this time.
Because he was right.
Again.
Every instinct told her Adrian Monteverde was dangerous.
Too observant.
Too possessive already.
Too interested.
And still—
she stayed standing there while his eyes lingered on her like she was the only thing in the hallway worth looking at.
A phone vibrated nearby.
Adrian ignored it immediately.
Another vibration followed seconds later.
Still ignored.
Lia glanced toward the phone inside his coat pocket.
"You really never answer those."
"They're unimportant."
"You run an entire company."
"And?"
"How is any of that unimportant?"
Adrian's gaze settled back on her calmly.
"Because I'm speaking to you."
The words hit harder than they should have.
Lia looked away quickly before he noticed.
Unfortunately—
he definitely noticed.
And somehow—
that seemed to please him.