I Dreamed About You
The problem started after the drawing.
Not immediately.
At first, things felt almost normal again.
Or at least—
normal for them.
Adrian still texted constantly.
Still noticed impossible details.
Still looked at Lia like she was something dangerously important.
But after she sent him the sketch—
something shifted.
Subtly.
Quietly.
Like crossing an invisible line neither of them could uncross afterward.
And maybe the worst part?
Lia crossed it willingly.
—
Monday morning arrived cold and gray.
Rain clouds hung low over Blackthorne while exhausted students wandered campus carrying coffee and academic regret.
Lia stood near the literature building waiting for Sienna while rereading messages she absolutely should not have been rereading.
Especially this one.
Message:
Adrian: I wasn't talking about the drawing.
Her stomach flipped annoyingly every single time.
"Still smiling at your phone?"
Lia looked up immediately.
Sienna stood beside her holding two iced coffees and judgment.
"I'm not smiling."
"You absolutely are."
Lia locked her phone quickly.
"You're dramatic."
"And you're emotionally doomed."
Before Lia could defend herself, Sienna suddenly froze mid-sip.
"Oh no."
Lia already knew.
That familiar stillness moved quietly through the courtyard.
The atmosphere shifted.
People looked up instinctively.
And seconds later—
Adrian appeared at the top of the main staircase.
Black coat.
Dark umbrella resting loosely in one hand.
His eyes found Lia immediately.
Always immediately.
The moment he noticed her—
something in his expression softened.
Tiny change.
Barely visible.
But enough for Lia to notice now.
And somehow that affected her more than the intense staring ever had.
Sienna physically looked between them in disbelief.
"That man looks at you like he invented devotion."
Lia ignored the dangerous warmth crawling into her chest.
Adrian approached slowly through the crowd while students openly watched.
Nobody even tried pretending this wasn't becoming a thing anymore.
The gossip pages would absolutely explode later.
Lia was already exhausted thinking about it.
Adrian stopped directly beside her.
Close enough for cedarwood and rain to wrap around her immediately.
"You slept four hours."
Lia blinked.
"...Good morning to you too."
"You were awake at 3:12 AM."
Sienna made a horrified sound.
"Okay. Nope. Too specific."
Lia stared at Adrian.
"How do you know that?"
"You stopped replying at 3:12."
"That does not mean I was awake."
"You type slower when tired."
God.
He sounded completely serious too.
Sienna slowly backed away.
"I suddenly remember I have somewhere else to be."
"You're abandoning me?"
"Yes."
Then she disappeared immediately like the coward she was.
Lia sighed softly before looking back at Adrian.
"You terrify people."
"They adjust."
"That's somehow worse."
A faint flicker touched his mouth briefly.
Then his gaze moved slowly over her face.
Careful.
Focused.
"You're wearing makeup."
Her pulse stumbled instantly.
"It's literally concealer."
"You rarely wear any."
The fact he noticed at all unsettled her.
And somehow—
embarrassed her too.
Lia crossed her arms lightly.
"You analyze me like a research project."
"You hide exhaustion under your eyes when stressed."
"That wasn't a compliment."
"It wasn't criticism either."
The honesty settled softly between them.
Like always.
Rain started falling lightly around the courtyard while students hurried toward buildings.
Adrian opened the umbrella above her automatically.
Not himself.
Her.
The gesture hit harder than it should have.
"You're getting wet."
"I don't care."
"I do."
The words wrapped tightly around her ribs.
Possessive.
Careful.
Too sincere.
Lia looked away first.
Again.
And Adrian noticed.
Again.
"You avoid eye contact more lately."
"You say emotionally dangerous things too often lately."
"That isn't denial."
Her heartbeat betrayed her instantly.
God.
Conversations with Adrian always felt like slowly losing balance.
Before she could recover, he spoke again.
Quietly this time.
"I dreamed about you."
The world stopped.
Rain echoed softly against the umbrella overhead while Lia stared at him in complete silence.
Because Adrian didn't flirt casually.
Which meant—
he absolutely meant that.
Her pulse turned violent beneath her ribs.
"...What?"
Adrian's gaze stayed fixed on her face calmly.
"I said I dreamed about you."
"You cannot just say things like that in public."
"Why?"
"Because it sounds intimate."
For the first time—
Adrian looked genuinely affected by that word.
Intimate.
His eyes darkened slightly.
"Yes," he said softly. "It was."
Lia forgot how breathing worked.
Completely.
Students moved around them in blurred motion while rain softened the city into gray haze.
But standing beneath that umbrella with Adrian looking at her like this—
everything else disappeared.
Her voice came quieter than intended.
"What was the dream about?"
The question slipped out accidentally.
Immediately.
Adrian noticed that too.
Of course he did.
Something dangerous flickered behind his eyes.
"You really shouldn't ask me things like that."
Heat rushed into her face instantly.
"That does not answer the question."
A pause.
Then Adrian stepped slightly closer beneath the umbrella.
Close enough that the world narrowed again.
His voice lowered naturally.
"You were laughing."
The answer surprised her.
"That's it?"
"No."
His gaze dropped briefly toward her mouth before returning to her eyes.
"You were laughing because of me."
The words settled somewhere dangerously deep inside her chest.
Not sexual.
Not dramatic.
Worse.
Tender.
Lia swallowed carefully.
"You remember dreams?"
"I remember anything involving you."
There it was again.
That terrifying honesty.
The kind that made every conversation feel too intimate too quickly.
Rainwater slid slowly from the edge of the umbrella while Adrian continued watching her quietly.
Then softly—
almost like confession—
he added:
"I didn't like waking up afterward."
Her heart physically hurt this time.
Because Adrian said things like they cost him something to admit.
And maybe that was exactly why she kept believing every word.