31. Chapter Thirty-One
Saturday morning sunlight spills across our dorm room, catching on the scattered clothes I’ve already tried on and discarded twice. My stomach flutters with a mix of nerves and bright excitement that makes it hard to sit still.
Sophie lounges on her bed, grinning like she knows every thought running through my head while Noodle winds figure eights around my ankles, purring loudly and demanding attention with every pass.
I finally decide on the silky navy dress I’ve been saving.
It falls just above my knees in gentle folds, pretty enough to feel special but still academic enough that I won’t feel out of place.
At least, I don’t think — I don’t actually know where we’re going.
I fasten the delicate diamond butterfly necklace around my throat and clip the blue morpho wing keychain onto my bag.
Both gifts from the pack still make my chest warm every time I touch them.
Sophie whistles low when I turn around. “Look at you. Adrian is going to forget how to speak English when he sees you in that dress.”
I laugh and give Noodle one last scratch behind the ears before grabbing my bag. “I’m just hoping I don’t trip over my own feet.”
“Go have fun and be nerdy,” she calls after me. “And tell me everything later.”
The air outside feels crisp, fall having truly set in finally, when I step through the dorm doors.
Adrian waits on the path near the entrance, exactly where he said he would be.
He looks handsome in a crisp white button-up shirt layered under a navy cardigan with the sleeves rolled once.
His wire-rimmed glasses sit perfectly on his nose, and the soft morning light catches in his brown hair.
I take one look at him and burst out laughing.
Adrian’s eyebrows lift in surprise, but a shy smile curves his mouth when he realizes what I am laughing at. We’re both wearing navy. The color matches so perfectly it looks almost planned.
“I really like it,” he admits, cheeks flushing just a little. “The coincidence feels like a good sign.”
He steps closer and holds out a small, beautifully wrapped box. “I brought you something small.”
I take the box with careful fingers and unwrap it right there on the path.
Inside lies a delicate vintage glass specimen jar containing a single preserved firefly.
Its wings spread in perfect detail, I can almost envision how it would have glowed in life.
Tucked beside it is a small handwritten note in Adrian’s neat handwriting.
For the girl who makes everything glow.
My breath catches. The gift is so perfectly thoughtful, so completely him, that my eyes sting for a moment. I look up at Adrian, heart full.
“This is beautiful,” I whisper. “Thank you. I love it.”
He smiles, and for a moment we just stand there. I breathe in his scent, crisp rain on stone mixed with bergamot and paper, clean and intelligent and so comforting. It wraps around me like a living embrace as we turn toward his car together.
This already feels like the beginning of something wonderful.
Adrian opens the passenger door for me with politeness that I am starting to adore. I slide into the seat and breathe in the clean leather and faint trace of his scent that already lingers inside the car. He circles around and settles behind the wheel, starting the engine with a faint hum.
The campus slips away in the rearview mirror as we turn onto the main road.
The conversation flows easily from the first mile. We talk about my week in the archives and the new specimens Jules assigned to me. Adrian listens with genuine interest, asking thoughtful questions that make me feel seen. After a comfortable lull I realize something and tilt my head toward him.
“I feel like I always hog the science talk,” I say, smiling a little. “I know you’re studying biochemistry, but what led you to that?”
Adrian glances over at me, green eyes warm behind his glasses.
“I can’t specialize just yet,” he answers, an almost giddiness entering his voice.
“But once I can, I want to hone in on molecular signaling and chemosensory systems. Scent receptors and pheromones, mostly. The way chemical messages travel between organisms and how brains interpret them.”
My eyebrows lift in delight. It feels so perfectly right for him.
He continues, the words coming a little tentative now, more personal.
“I grew up as the quiet one in my family pack. The other alphas were louder, more athletic, guys that everyone noticed right away. I always felt a little different. Like I never quite fit the typical alpha mold. Books were my thing, not sports or parties. Science was the first place I ever felt like I belonged. It let me understand the world in a way that made sense to me.”
He pauses, fingers tapping lightly on the steering wheel. “I’ve felt different from typical alphas my whole life. Until I found this field. It showed me that being thoughtful and analytical doesn’t make me any less of an alpha. It just makes me… me.”
The honesty in his voice is heartwarming. I reach over and rest my hand on his arm for a moment, feeling the heat of him through the cardigan sleeve.
Adrian glances at me again, a shy smile touching his mouth.
“I’ve been looking forward to this date for a long time,” he confesses softly.
“Since long before you officially accepted the courtship invitation. Possibly since the first time I saw you in the Research Methods lecture hall, sitting up front taking immaculate notes while everyone else looked half asleep.”
My heart does a slow, fluttering spin. I don’t know what to say at first, so I just smile and let the warmth spread through me.
We fall into comfortable silences after that, ones that feel full instead of empty. I watch the fall scenery blur past the window, golden leaves and deep reds painting the hillsides in plush watercolor strokes.
The sun catches on the trees and sends shifting patterns of light across the dashboard. Every now and then Adrian’s scent drifts toward me, and I breathe it in without meaning to.
The flutter in my stomach grows with every mile. This is our first real date, we studied together in the library café, but this is different… and something about the way Adrian shares pieces of himself makes the whole world feel a little more vibrant.
I lean my head against the seat and let the excitement sink deep in my bones, content to ride beside him toward whatever surprise he has planned.
I notice after a while that we’re not turning toward any of the local spots I know. Instead the highway carries us steadily toward the city skyline that grows larger on the horizon.
Buildings rise taller, traffic thickens, and the air outside the windows shifts from pine and open fields to something busier and more alive. I glance over at Adrian, curious, but he keeps his eyes on the road with a small, secret smile playing at the corner of his mouth.
I decide not to ask. The gentle mystery feels nice, like he wants this moment to unfold exactly the way he planned it.
We drive deeper into the city, passing shops and cafés and wide sidewalks full of weekend crowds. My excitement builds in layers. Whatever he has chosen, I already know I will love it simply because he chose it for me.
Adrian turns onto a broad avenue lined with old trees. Then he signals and pulls into a large parking lot that stretches out in front of a massive stone building. My breath catches the second I see it.
The grand Natural History Museum rises ahead of us.
I recognize it from pictures, all wide marble steps and towering columns, its facade glowing crisply in the late morning light.
Huge banners flutter above the entrance, one of them featuring a brilliant blue morpho butterfly that makes my heart skip.
I turn to Adrian with pure delight lighting up my face. “The museum?!”
He parks the car and looks over at me, pleased and a little proud of himself. His cheeks carry the faintest flush. “I hoped you’d like it,” he says softly. “I know how excited you get talking about the archives and the specimens. Thought this might be the perfect first date.”
I can’t stop smiling. “It is perfect. I’ve wanted to come here since the semester started. I’ve never been.”
Adrian reaches into the glove compartment and pulls out two tickets already printed and ready. He hands me one with a small, shy grin. “I bought them yesterday so we wouldn’t have to wait in line.”
“My hero,” I grin, leaning across the center console and planting a quick kiss on his cheek.
We climb out of the car and walk side by side toward the entrance.
The wide marble steps feel hard and cool under my loafers.
As we climb, the grand architecture wraps around us like an old friend, all carved stone and high arched windows.
The faint scent of old wood and polished glass cases drifts out through the open doors, mixed with the clean, dusty smell of preserved history.
It feels like stepping into a place that understands me.
Adrian’s hand brushes mine as we reach the top step. I slip my fingers through his without thinking, and he gives them a gentle squeeze. My heart flutters with the same excitement I’ve felt all morning, only stronger now.
This is our first real date, and it already feels like the best one I could have imagined.
We don’t waste any time wandering through the general halls. The moment we step inside the main building, I turn to Adrian with bright eyes and ask if we can head straight to the entomology wing. He smiles like he expected nothing less and leads the way.
The entomology exhibit opens up before us like a hidden treasure room. Scratch that, rooms, I think I am in heaven.
Dim lighting makes the glass cases glow, and rows upon rows of carefully mounted specimens stretch out in perfect order. My heart beats faster the second I see it all.