The Library Incident
By the following week, Lia had developed a serious problem.
She noticed Adrian before anyone else did.
It happened unconsciously now.
A shift in atmosphere.
Lowered voices.
That strange tension that settled through hallways whenever he entered a room.
And somehow—
before she even looked up—
she always knew it was him.
Lia hated that.
Especially because Adrian clearly enjoyed it.
"You're distracted again."
Lia blinked and looked up from her notes.
Sienna sat across from her inside the university library, slowly stirring iced coffee while watching her with narrowed eyes.
"I'm studying."
"You've reread the same sentence four times."
Lia looked back down at the book immediately.
Unfortunately, Sienna was right.
The words blurred together uselessly.
Mostly because her phone sat face-down beside her notebook.
And Adrian had texted her thirty minutes ago.
Message
Adrian: Eat lunch today.
Lia: You are becoming emotionally exhausting.
Adrian: That isn't a no.
Lia: Stop monitoring my eating habits.
Adrian: Stop skipping meals.
Lia immediately locked her phone again.
Sienna leaned forward dramatically.
"You're smiling."
"I literally am not."
"You literally are."
Lia pressed both hands against her face.
"This is psychological warfare."
"Oh my god," Sienna whispered. "You're flirting with the billionaire."
"I am fighting for my life."
"That's basically the same thing."
Before Lia could defend herself, someone approached their table.
"Mind if I sit here?"
Lia looked up immediately.
Marco.
Warm smile.
Relaxed posture.
Normal.
The relief she felt seeing someone normal was almost embarrassing.
"Please," Lia said quickly.
Marco slid into the chair beside her while balancing two coffees carefully.
"I brought peace offerings."
Sienna gasped dramatically. "Finally. A man with survival instincts."
Marco laughed softly and handed one coffee toward Lia.
"Still hate campus coffee?"
"You remembered that?"
"You complain about it constantly."
Lia smiled faintly despite herself.
Easy.
Talking to Marco was easy.
No confusing tension.
No feeling constantly analyzed.
No dangerous eye contact that made her heartbeat act stupid.
Just comfort.
Sienna noticed too.
She looked between them suspiciously.
"Oh, you two have history history."
"We grew up in the same neighborhood," Marco explained casually.
Lia nodded. "Our mothers were friends."
"Ah," Sienna said dramatically. "Childhood connection. Dangerous."
Marco grinned. "Dangerous?"
"Everything becomes dangerous in Lia's life lately."
Lia immediately kicked Sienna under the table.
"Ow—"
"Stop talking."
Marco laughed again.
The sound blended softly with the quiet atmosphere of the library around them.
For the first time all week—
Lia relaxed completely.
And unfortunately—
that's exactly when Adrian arrived.
She felt it instantly.
That shift.
That silence.
The entire library somehow seemed to tighten subtly.
Sienna's expression changed first.
Then Marco's.
Slowly, Lia turned her head.
Adrian stood near the entrance.
Black coat.
Dark gloves.
Cold expression.
His eyes landed immediately on the table.
On Marco sitting beside her.
On Lia smiling.
And something about his face changed.
Not dramatically.
That would've been easier.
Instead—
his expression became still.
Too still.
Like every emotion had suddenly gone quiet beneath the surface.
Lia's stomach tightened immediately.
Marco noticed the tension too.
"That's him, huh?"
Sienna whispered dramatically:
"And suddenly I fear for your safety."
Adrian began walking toward them slowly.
The sound of his footsteps against polished floors seemed unnaturally loud in the silence.
Several students nearby openly stared now.
Nobody even pretended to study anymore.
Adrian stopped beside the table.
His attention settled on Lia first.
Always first.
"You ignored my messages."
Lia blinked.
"You cannot say things like that publicly."
"Why?"
"Because it sounds insane."
"It was a statement, not insanity."
Marco nearly choked on his coffee.
Sienna physically turned away to hide her laughter.
Lia lowered her voice immediately.
"You are impossible."
"And yet," Adrian murmured calmly, "you still respond every time."
God.
He always did that.
Twisted conversations until she forgot what she was annoyed about.
Marco straightened slightly beside her.
"Marco Reyes," he introduced himself again politely.
Adrian's gaze moved toward him slowly.
"I remember."
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Sharp.
Uncomfortable.
Lia noticed Adrian looking at the coffee in Marco's hand.
Then at the second coffee sitting beside Lia.
"You bought her coffee."
Marco blinked once.
"...Yeah?"
Silence.
Lia suddenly felt like she was witnessing two predators assessing each other.
Except one of them smiled politely.
And the other looked like he ruined lives professionally.
"It's just coffee," Lia said carefully.
Adrian's eyes returned to hers.
"You don't like coffee."
Marco frowned slightly beside her.
"She drinks caramel lattes."
"No," Adrian said calmly. "She orders tea when stressed and coffee when she hasn't slept enough."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Even Sienna looked frightened now.
Lia stared at Adrian.
"How do you know that?"
"You've done it six times this month."
The answer sent chills down her spine.
Because he sounded so certain.
So precise.
Marco leaned back slightly in his chair.
"Okay," he muttered quietly. "That's actually terrifying."
For the first time—
Adrian looked directly annoyed.
Not explosive anger.
Worse.
Controlled irritation.
His jaw tightened slightly while his gaze settled on Marco.
"And you're loud."
The temperature around the table seemed to drop instantly.
Lia sat up immediately.
"Okay. We're not doing this."
Neither man looked away from each other.
Sienna whispered:
"This feels like National Geographic."
Lia ignored her.
Adrian's attention finally shifted back toward her.
"You skipped breakfast again."
Lia stared at him in disbelief.
"We are in a library."
"Yes."
"There are people around."
"Yes."
"You cannot keep publicly monitoring me like this."
A pause.
Then Adrian said quietly:
"You look pale when you don't eat."
The words hit differently.
Not controlling.
Not cold.
Careful.
Concerned.
And somehow that made everything worse.
Because part of Lia softened every time Adrian revealed those small moments of genuine attention beneath all the obsession.
Marco noticed her expression change too.
His brows pulled together slightly.
"You okay?"
Before Lia could answer, Adrian reached toward her suddenly.
Marco stiffened immediately.
So did Lia.
But Adrian only brushed his thumb lightly beneath her eye.
Soft.
Brief.
Dangerously intimate.
"There," he murmured. "You smudged ink."
Lia forgot how breathing worked for a second.
The library around them disappeared completely.
All she could focus on was the warmth of his hand lingering against her skin.
Adrian noticed the exact moment her pulse changed.
His eyes darkened slightly.
Then—
Marco stood abruptly.
The chair scraped loudly against the floor.
"I think I'm gonna head out."
Lia blinked quickly and stood too.
"Marco—"
"It's fine," he said quickly, though he looked anything but fine.
His gaze flicked briefly toward Adrian again.
Careful now.
Wary.
"See you later, Lia."
Then he left.
Fast.
Sienna watched him disappear before slowly looking toward Adrian.
"...Wow."
Adrian remained completely calm.
Like none of that had happened.
Like he hadn't just silently intimidated someone without raising his voice once.
Lia stared at him.
"You did that on purpose."
"What?"
"You made him uncomfortable."
"I answered questions honestly."
"You stared at him like you wanted to bury him under the library."
A faint flicker crossed Adrian's face.
Not guilt.
Definitely not guilt.
"He talks to you too casually."
Lia blinked slowly.
"...Excuse me?"
Adrian leaned slightly closer.
His voice lowered.
"He behaves like he knows you."
The possessiveness beneath the words settled heavily between them.
Dangerous.
Sharp.
And for the first time since meeting him—
Lia realized Adrian Monteverde might not simply be obsessed with watching her.
He was starting to dislike anyone else who did too.