First Jealousy
After the gala, things changed.
Not publicly.
Publicly, Adrian Monteverde remained exactly the same.
Calm.
Elegant.
Controlled.
But privately—
his attention sharpened.
And Lia felt it everywhere.
Her phone buzzed more often now.
Not excessive.
Not enough to seem completely insane.
Just enough to quietly occupy space in her life.
Enough to make her think about him constantly.
Enough to become routine.
That was the dangerous part.
Adrian didn't force himself into her world loudly.
He settled into it carefully.
Like he already belonged there.
—
Monday afternoon arrived unusually warm despite the cloudy sky.
Lia sat outside near the campus fountain trying to finish literature notes while students crowded the courtyard around her.
For once—
things felt normal.
No gala.
No expensive events.
No Adrian standing too close and saying dangerous things quietly into her ear.
Just sunlight.
Noise.
Campus life.
Then Marco dropped into the empty seat across from her holding iced teas.
"Peace offering."
Lia looked up and smiled faintly.
"You disappear for days and suddenly return with drinks?"
"I needed emotional recovery time."
She laughed softly despite herself.
"That dramatic?"
"Lia." Marco leaned forward slightly. "That man looked at me like I committed crimes in a past life."
She tried not to smile.
Failed slightly.
Marco noticed immediately.
"Oh no."
"What?"
"You think it's funny now."
"I do not."
"You're literally smiling."
Lia looked back down at her notes quickly.
Unfortunately—
Marco was right.
Because despite how unsettling Adrian could be...
part of her still found his jealousy ridiculous.
And maybe a little flattering.
Which probably meant she needed professional help.
Marco rested his elbows against the table.
"You know he likes you, right?"
The question landed differently coming from someone else.
Lia's fingers paused over her notebook.
"It's not that simple."
"It looks pretty simple from where I'm standing."
"That's because you're not the one dealing with him."
Marco laughed quietly.
"Fair."
A breeze moved softly through the courtyard trees overhead while students passed around them in loud groups.
For a few minutes, things felt easy again.
Comfortable.
Familiar.
Marco had always been easy.
No tension.
No careful thinking before speaking.
No feeling constantly watched.
"You still drawing?" he asked suddenly.
Lia blinked.
"I haven't in a while."
"You used to sketch constantly."
"I got busy."
"You got stressed."
That answer hit a little too accurately.
Marco noticed her expression soften slightly.
"You should start again," he continued quietly. "You always seemed happier when you did."
Lia looked down at the condensation sliding slowly down her drink cup.
Nobody noticed things about her anymore.
Not really.
Except apparently—
the two men currently occupying entirely too much space in her head.
"You remember weird details," she muttered softly.
Marco grinned.
"I grew up with you."
The warmth of familiarity settled gently through her chest.
Safe.
Simple.
And unfortunately—
that's exactly when the atmosphere around them shifted.
Lia felt it instantly now.
Like instinct.
A strange stillness moving through crowded spaces.
Her stomach tightened before she even looked up.
Across the courtyard—
Adrian stood near the main building steps.
Black coat despite the warm weather.
Phone pressed loosely against one ear.
But he wasn't paying attention to the call anymore.
His eyes rested directly on Marco.
On the way Lia smiled at him.
On the comfortable closeness between them.
Marco followed her gaze slowly.
Then sighed.
"Oh, great."
Lia looked back down immediately.
Maybe if she ignored him—
Nope.
Too late.
Adrian had already started walking toward them.
Students moved aside automatically as he crossed the courtyard.
The closer he got—
the quieter the atmosphere became.
Not silent exactly.
But aware.
People noticed Adrian instinctively.
And people definitely noticed the way he looked at Lia.
Marco leaned back in his chair slowly.
"I feel like prey."
"You're exaggerating."
"Am I?"
Honestly—
not really.
Adrian stopped beside their table.
His attention landed on Lia first.
Always first.
"You skipped your second lecture."
Lia blinked immediately.
"How do you know that?"
"You weren't in your usual classroom."
"That doesn't answer my question."
Adrian ignored that smoothly.
His eyes moved toward the iced tea in her hand.
"You're dehydrated."
Marco stared openly.
"Okay, now I'm scared."
Lia pressed a hand over her face.
"Please stop monitoring my biological functions in public."
"You get headaches when you don't drink enough water."
"You should not know that."
"But I do."
Again.
That honesty.
Always that honesty.
Marco looked between them carefully now.
"You two are either secretly dating..."
He paused.
"...or starring in the beginning of a crime documentary."
Lia nearly laughed.
Adrian didn't.
Instead, his attention settled on Marco again.
Cold.
Measured.
"You spend a lot of time around her."
The statement sounded casual.
It absolutely wasn't.
Marco noticed too.
"We're friends."
Silence.
Then Adrian asked quietly:
"How long?"
Lia frowned immediately.
"Adrian."
But Marco answered anyway.
"Since we were kids."
Something in Adrian's expression shifted subtly.
Not anger.
Worse.
Calculation.
Lia recognized it immediately now.
He was thinking.
Analyzing.
Assessing.
Like Marco had suddenly become something important enough to study carefully.
The realization unsettled her.
Before she could interrupt, Marco smiled slightly toward her.
"Remember when you broke your wrist trying to climb the basketball court fence?"
Lia groaned immediately.
"Oh my god."
"You cried for three hours."
"I was twelve."
"You threatened to sue gravity."
Lia laughed despite herself.
Real laughter this time.
Warm.
Uncontrolled.
And the second it happened—
Adrian went completely still beside her.
Lia noticed immediately.
So did Marco.
The atmosphere changed.
Sharp tension settled quietly beneath the conversation.
Because Adrian was watching her laugh at someone else.
And for the first time since meeting him—
she realized he might hate that.
Not dislike.
Not find irritating.
Hate.
The thought sent something uneasy through her stomach.
Adrian's voice remained calm when he finally spoke.
"You've never laughed like that with me."
The honesty of it startled both of them.
Lia looked up slowly.
Adrian's eyes stayed fixed on her face.
Not angry.
Not loud.
But there was something darker beneath the calm now.
Something possessive enough to make her pulse change.
Marco shifted awkwardly beside her.
"Well," he muttered carefully, standing up, "I suddenly feel very unwanted here."
Lia sighed softly.
"You're being dramatic."
"Lia." Marco looked toward Adrian once. "That man has murder eyes."
For the briefest second—
Adrian smiled.
And somehow—
that was worse.