The Way He Looked At Me
Lia couldn't stop thinking about the expression on Adrian's face after she mentioned her father.
Not anger.
Adrian never reacted loudly.
That would've been easier to understand.
Instead, he became quieter.
Still.
Like something dangerous had settled beneath his skin and decided to wait there patiently.
That expression stayed with her the entire night.
And somehow—
it followed her into the next morning too.
—
Blackthorne University looked gray beneath cloudy skies while students hurried across campus carrying umbrellas and coffee cups.
Lia sat near the literature building fountain trying very hard to focus on her notes.
Unfortunately—
her brain had completely betrayed her.
Every other thought somehow circled back to Adrian.
The way he looked at her in the car.
The way his voice softened whenever he noticed something painful about her.
The terrifying sincerity behind everything he said.
"You look emotionally compromised."
Lia glanced up immediately.
Sienna dropped into the empty seat beside her carrying enough coffee for two people and concern for an entire intervention.
"That's rude."
"It's accurate."
Lia took the offered coffee quietly.
Sienna watched her carefully.
"So." She leaned forward dramatically. "Did you finally kiss the terrifying billionaire?"
Lia nearly inhaled coffee directly into her lungs.
"What is wrong with you?"
"That's not a no."
"There was no kissing."
Sienna narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"But there was tension."
Lia looked away immediately.
That alone answered the question.
"Oh my god." Sienna physically grabbed her arm. "YOU LIKE HIM."
"I never said that."
"You don't have to." Sienna lowered her voice. "Lia, you get this look every time someone mentions him."
"What look?"
"The 'I know this is a terrible idea but I'm emotionally attached now' look."
Lia stared down into her coffee cup quietly.
Because unfortunately—
that sounded dangerously accurate.
Before she could defend herself, movement near the main staircase caught her attention.
Several students suddenly lowered their voices.
That familiar shift moved through the courtyard.
Lia's stomach tightened instinctively.
Adrian.
She recognized his presence before she even saw him now.
Which honestly felt like its own problem.
Adrian walked across campus beside two sharply dressed executives while speaking calmly into his phone.
Black coat.
Dark gloves again.
Rain clinging lightly to his hair.
Power followed him effortlessly.
People moved aside automatically when he passed.
And the second his eyes landed on Lia—
the conversation on his phone stopped.
Immediately.
Sienna watched this happen in real time and looked deeply unwell about it.
"Oh no."
"What?"
"He literally stopped mid-sentence."
Lia's pulse betrayed her instantly.
Adrian said something quietly into the phone before ending the call completely.
Then he started walking toward them.
Again.
Always toward her.
Sienna whispered dramatically:
"I feel like I'm watching a lion notice movement."
Lia elbowed her lightly beneath the table.
Too late.
Adrian had already reached them.
His gaze settled on Lia first.
Always first.
"You're cold."
Lia blinked.
"...Hello to you too."
"You forgot your sweater."
She stared at him.
"How do you know that?"
"You wear it every Thursday."
Sienna physically covered her mouth.
Adrian removed his coat smoothly before draping it over Lia's shoulders without asking permission.
Warmth immediately surrounded her.
The coat smelled like cedarwood and rain again.
Like him.
And somehow—
wearing it felt strangely intimate.
"Adrian."
"You're shivering."
"I am not."
"You are."
Lia hated how calm he sounded while proving her wrong.
Again.
Sienna looked between them like she was witnessing live psychological damage.
"You know," she muttered, "I used to think rich men were emotionally unavailable."
Adrian ignored her completely.
His attention remained fixed on Lia.
"You slept badly."
Her pulse stumbled.
"What?"
"You have dark circles under your eyes."
"That could describe every university student alive."
"You bite the inside of your cheek when exhausted."
Lia immediately stopped doing exactly that.
God.
Adrian's eyes darkened slightly.
"There."
"What?"
"You only realize certain habits after I mention them."
The atmosphere shifted subtly around them.
Too focused.
Too private despite the crowded courtyard.
Lia crossed her arms beneath his coat.
"You say things like that so casually."
"Because they're true."
"You remember everything about me."
"Yes."
The answer came softer this time.
Not possessive.
Not sharp.
Just honest.
And somehow—
that honesty kept affecting her more than it should have.
Sienna suddenly stood dramatically.
"Well." She pointed between them. "I'm leaving before whatever this is becomes emotionally explicit."
"Sienna—"
"Nope. Absolutely not. The tension here could power a small city."
Then she walked away carrying both coffees like a traitor.
Lia stared after her in disbelief.
"You terrify my friends."
"They're observant."
She looked back toward Adrian.
Big mistake.
Because he was watching her again.
Not casually.
Carefully.
Like every expression mattered.
The courtyard noise faded strangely around them.
Rain tapped softly against stone walkways while students rushed between buildings.
But standing beside Adrian always made the world feel smaller somehow.
More intense.
"You've been avoiding me less."
Lia frowned slightly.
"That sounded strangely pleased."
"It was."
"Why?"
Adrian's gaze held hers steadily.
"Because I dislike distance from you."
The words wrapped tightly around her chest.
Too honest.
Too intimate.
Her heartbeat turned uneven again.
Lia looked away first.
Again.
And Adrian noticed.
Again.
"You do that constantly."
"You make eye contact feel dangerous."
"It is."
The answer startled her enough to look back immediately.
Adrian's expression remained calm.
But there was something darker behind his eyes now.
Something warm.
Possessive.
Almost hungry beneath the surface.
Lia swallowed carefully.
"You really don't filter your thoughts around me anymore."
"No."
"Why?"
A pause.
Then Adrian stepped slightly closer.
Close enough that warmth radiated between them despite the cold air.
"Because you already know what I am."
The quietness of it settled deeply beneath her ribs.
Not playful.
Not teasing.
Truth.
Lia's voice came softer now too.
"And what exactly are you?"
For the first time in days—
Adrian looked affected.
Not outwardly.
But something behind his composure shifted slightly.
His eyes lowered briefly toward her mouth before returning to her gaze.
Then quietly—
dangerously quietly—
he answered:
"The man who thinks about you constantly."
Her breath caught immediately.
The courtyard around them disappeared again.
Because Adrian didn't flirt normally.
He confessed things like they physically hurt to keep inside.
And maybe that was why every word he said felt heavier than it should have.