ELAINA'S POV The entire university was screaming. "ROMEO! ROMEO! ROMEO!" The deafening chants rolled through the concert grounds as thousands of students raised their phones, waiting for the man who had turned music into a religion at West Ridge University. Beside me, Kiara Sterling was practically vibrating. "Oh, my God! He's coming out! Bella, he's actually coming out!" she shrieked, clutching my arm hard enough to stop the circulation in my fingers. "Kiara, my arm!" I protested."Your arm will survive. My heart won't!" I rolled my eyes, but a smile tugged at my lips. Romeo King was undoubtedly talented. He was also ridiculously handsome, judging by the thousands of students who had spent the past hour screaming his name. As the leader of one of the most popular bands in the country, he could sell out concert tickets faster than most people could finish a meal. And tonight, West Ridge University belonged to him, the stage lights flashed. Then he appeared. The screams that followed were almost enough to make me question whether we were attending a concert or witnessing a historical event. Romeo stepped onto the stage with a microphone in one hand, his dark hair falling carelessly across his forehead. His band members followed, and within seconds, the entire crowd was singing along. Kiara grabbed Bella's shoulders and shook her. "LOOK AT HIM!" Bella laughed so hard that she nearly spilled her drink. "I'm looking! Stop trying to dislocate my shoulders!" I shook my head at them. Some people fell in love with books. Others fell in love with music. My roommates, apparently, fell in love with men who had no idea they existed. I preferred books. Books didn't make my heart race for absolutely no reason. At least, that was what I believed before my eyes wandered across the VIP section. And landed on him. Lucien Cross. Even from a distance, he was difficult to overlook. He stood among a small group of young men, dressed in black, with the sort of effortless composure that made everyone around him seem unnecessarily loud. His broad shoulders filled out his shirt perfectly, and his expression suggested that the entire concert was merely a minor interruption to his day. I recognized him from the countless conversations I'd overheard on campus. Third-year Engineering student. Brilliant. Wealthy beyond imagination. Heir to Nexora Technologies, one of the most influential technology companies in the world. Apparently, he was also one of those men whose faces made people forget the very reason they'd approached them. The students around us seemed to agree. "That's Lucien Cross!" a girl squealed behind me. "Who doesn't know Lucien Cross?" her friend replied. "I'd sell my soul for one date with that man." I almost laughed. Some people really needed hobbies. As if sensing the attention, Lucien turned slightly. For one brief second, our eyes met across the crowd. I looked away. Not because I was nervous. I simply had better things to do than admire a stranger. "ELIANA!" I turned just in time for someone to collide with my shoulder. My phone slipped from my hand. "Oh, no!" I bent to retrieve it, but another hand reached it first. Long fingers. A black sleeve. I straightened and found myself standing directly in front of Lucien Cross. Up close, he was even more annoyingly handsome.He held out my phone. I took it quickly, checking the screen for cracks. "Thank you," I said. He gave a brief nod. Someone called his name from behind him, and he walked away. I stared after him for approximately two seconds before returning to my friends. "Who was that?" Bella asked. "Lucien Cross." Kiara's mouth fell open. "You bumped into LUCIEN CROSS?" Bella asked by looking shocked "Technically, he bumped into me." I replied Do you know how many girls would kill for that moment?" she said" "And you're dramatic," I replied. "I'm romantic," she argued I laughed, slipping phone into bag. Lucien Cross might be man people wrote fantasies about, but he was stranger who returned phone, nothing more, and I had no intention of turning two-second encounter into love story. By time concert ended, Bella developed appreciation for Romeo King's voice, while Kiara decided future depended on attending every concert he performed. Unfortunately, roommates celebrated evening with more enthusiasm than bodies could handle. Bella leaned heavily against shoulder when we reached exit and whispered, "Eliana, I think I'm in love." "With Romeo King?" I asked. She considered. "His voice, specifically. It could make anyone believe in love," she said. "That's reassuring," I replied. Kiara, holding Bella's other arm, shook head. "You two don't understand romance," she said. "Enlighten us then, professor of love," I said. "Romeo sings like man who knows how to break heart," she said. "Have you ever spoken to him?" I asked. "No," she admitted. "Then how would you know?" I asked. "It's intuition. A woman knows," she said. I laughed so hard Bella nearly stumbled and I caught her. "Careful!" I said. "I am careful," she protested, swaying. "Yes, I can see that," I said. Getting them back to hostel became mission requiring patience and strength I usually reserved for examinations. Bella insisted she could walk alone while Kiara argued shoes were too expensive for uneven walkways at night. At one point, Bella stopped beneath streetlight and announced she forgot the lyrics to a favourite song. "You sang it ten minutes ago, Bella," I said. For all dramatics, I loved these girls deeply. Bella made worst days lighter. Kiara could turn afternoon into fashion emergency and make everyone laugh. And then there was Seraphina Ellis, fourth roommate, who would rather read law textbook than attend concert. We were unlikely group of four, but somehow we worked perfectly together. When we reached room, I helped Bella onto bed, found water for both, and made sure they were comfortable before changing into my nightwear. Kiara was half-asleep when she opened one eye. "Eliana? If Romeo King asks for my number, will you give it to him? Promise?" she asked sleepily. I stared. "Go to sleep, I said while laughing. "Promise first," she insisted. "I promise to consider it," I said. She smiled and closed eyes. I shook head, laughing quietly. Then I settled at desk and opened medical notes, trying to focus. From the Outside, the campus grew quieter after concert. I was alone with books, alone with thoughts. Or so I thought, because eyes wandered towards small photograph tucked inside transparent cover of notebook. Darian Blake. I traced edge with thumb gently. Three years of keeping secret that became so woven into life that sometimes I wondered whether I would ever find courage to speak aloud. I closed notebook slowly. Tomorrow, I would have to decide whether I was brave enough to change everything, because I realised hardest thing about loving someone wasn't waiting, it was possibility you could wait forever and never know whether they would have chosen you. And I was tired of wondering. In truth I had liked Darian since first year, watching him from library corner, listening to his calm explanations, admiring his patience with juniors. "Bella, do you think he even notices me?" I whispered later. Bella squeezed my hand and said, "Eliana, he will notice you when you finally speak. You just need courage." I nodded slowly. "Maybe tomorrow, maybe I will finally say something," I replied.

I'm never drinking again." That was the first thing Bella said the following morning. I looked up from the book I was reading. "You said that last month." She pulled a pillow over her face. "This time, I mean it." From the opposite bed came Kiara's muffled voice. "Someone wake me when Romeo King gets married." Bella lifted her head. "Why would you want to wake up for that?" "To attend the wedding." "You don't even know him!" "Bella, please. Let me suffer in peace." I laughed, closing my book. The morning sunlight filtered through our curtains, illuminating the familiar disorder of our shared room. Clothes hung over chair backs, beauty products occupied half of Kiara's dressing table, and Bella's nursing textbooks lay scattered beside an unfinished packet of biscuits. Seraphina sat by the window, already dressed, reading through a casebook. She glanced at Bella. "Water is on your desk." Bella turned towards her with the gratitude of someone who had just been rescued from certain death. "Seraphina Ellis, I take back every bad thing I've ever thought about you." "You've said that before too." "And I meant it every time." Seraphina returned to her book. That was Seraphina. Quiet, observant, and so direct that sometimes I wondered whether she had ever learned the art of softening an uncomfortable truth. She wasn't unfriendly exactly. She simply didn't see the point in speaking when silence would do. Unlike Bella, who could become friends with a stranger before learning their surname, or Kiara, who considered silence an opportunity to fill the room with her opinions, Seraphina seemed perfectly content in her own company. We were four very different girls sharing one room. And I wouldn't have traded them for anything. "Come on," I said, standing. "We have lectures." Bella groaned. She looked at Kiara. "Can fashion wait till tomorrow" "Fashion never waits," Kiara replied, already examining two outfits. I shook my head. Some things would never change. We got ready, collected our books, and stepped into the bright morning air. Students hurried towards their departments, their conversations blending with the sounds of traffic and distant music. The university looked entirely different from the previous night's concert grounds. In daylight, it was all deadlines, lecture halls, and the unrelenting pressure to become somebody. I liked it that way. As we crossed the courtyard, Bella nudged me. "So," she said casually, "are you going to tell us what that photograph was about?" My steps faltered. Kiara immediately turned. "What photograph?" "Bella!" "What? I saw it last night." I tightened my grip on my bag. "It was nothing." Bella stopped walking. "Eliana Rose, I have known you long enough to recognize when you're hiding something." Kiara's eyes widened. "Oh, this is interesting." Seraphina continued walking for another two steps before stopping too. I stared at the three of them. There was absolutely no escaping this. I drew a breath. "I like someone." Bella's expression softened. Kiara clasped her hands together. "Finally! A romantic development in this room!" I rolled my eyes, but my cheeks had already begun to warm. "His name is Darian Blake." Bella's smile disappeared. Not because she disapproved. Because she recognized the name. "Darian Blake?" she repeated. "The fifth-year medical student?" I nodded. Kiara stared at me. "Wait. The Darian Blake who always helps the juniors after lectures?" "Yes." "The one who won that academic award last year?" "Yes, Kiara." "The one who-" "Kiara." She closed her mouth. "How long have you liked him?" I looked away. The answer had lived inside me for so long that saying it aloud felt almost like confessing to something shameful. "Three years." Nobody spoke.Then she whispered, "Eliana..." I swallowed. I had never told them the whole truth because I didn't know where to begin. How could I explain that I remembered the first time I noticed Darian as clearly as I remembered the first time I held a medical textbook? How could I tell them that what started as admiration had slowly become something I carried into every ordinary day? It wasn't just his face. Although, heaven knew, his face had certainly not made the situation easier. It was the way he treated people. I had watched him stay behind after a lecture to explain a difficult concept to a student who was struggling. I'd seen him give up his seat to someone who needed it more. Once, when a junior student had been embarrassed over a wrong answer, Darian had calmly explained the question again, turning the moment into a lesson instead of a humiliation. He was intelligent without making other people feel stupid and confident without demanding attention. And somewhere along the way, I had fallen. Quietly. Completely. Without ever meaning to. "Does he know?" Bella asked. I shook my head. "Three years of loving a man who doesn't even know he's loved? Girl, that is the most romantic and most stressful thing I've ever heard." "It's not romantic when you're the one living it." My voice came out softer than I intended. Bella's expression changed. I looked down at our joined hands. "What if he doesn't feel the same way?"I asked. There it was. The question I had been avoiding for three years. What if all my little hopes, all the moments I'd treasured, all the times I'd imagined what it might be like if he ever looked at me differently, meant nothing to him? What if I walked up to him and discovered that the beautiful future I had quietly built in my head existed only there? Bella squeezed my hand. "Then we will be here for you," she said honestly. . But at least you won't have to keep wondering." I blinked rapidly. Kiara moved closer. "Listen to me. I'm not saying he'll definitely say yes. Nobody can promise you that. But you deserve the chance to tell him how you feel." Seraphina finally closed her book. "Uncertainty is not the same as rejection," she said. I turned towards her. She shrugged slightly. "You're treating an answer you haven't received as though it's already a disappointment." I stared at her. That was the problem with Seraphina. She could remain silent for an entire conversation, then say one sentence that made it impossible to keep lying to yourself. I let out a shaky breath. "What if I embarrass myself?" "Then you'll survive," Seraphina replied. Kiara gasped. "Could you at least pretend to be comforting?" "I am being comforting. Embarrassment isn't fatal." Bella started laughing. I laughed too, even though my stomach was twisting into knots. Perhaps they were right. Perhaps three years was long enough to live inside my own imagination. Perhaps it was time to find out whether Darian Blake could ever see me as more than a junior student. I looked at Bella. "Will you come with me?" "Of course." Kiara grabbed my other hand. "We're all coming." "No!" I protested immediately. "Absolutely not. I am not confessing my feelings to a man while three women stand behind me like an audience." "Fine," Kiara said. "We'll stand far away." "That is not better!" For the first time that morning, I laughed without feeling the weight in my chest. And as we continued towards the medical building, I began to feel something I hadn't felt in a long time. Hope. We were almost at the steps of the medical building when Kiara let out that sigh. That long, dramatic, theatrical sigh that always meant trouble. Bella closed her eyes. "No." "I haven't said anything," Kiara said, innocent. "You're about to say something about a man." Kiara put a hand to her chest, deeply offended. "I was just thinking out loud. About how the universe is unfair." "Here we go," I muttered. "Lucien Cross," she announced, like she was announcing a weather disaster. "That man was standing five meters away from us yesterday and didn't even have the decency to be ugly. How is that fair?" Bella snorted. I kept walking. "He returned my phone, Kiara. That's all that happened." "But did you see how he returned it? Like he was doing you a favor by being efficient? Like did he say 'here is your phone, I have businesses to run'? Ugh. I can't." "You need help," I told her. "I need him to stop being handsome in my line of vision!" Bella was laughing so hard she had to grab the railing. Even Seraphina's mouth twitched. I shook my head, but I was smiling too. The image of Lucien from last night did come back, that calm, almost detached composure in the middle of all that screaming. The brief nod. The way he had left before I could even say more than thank you. It hadn't made my heart flutter. It hadn't meant anything. If anything, it had been a little irritating, how easily he could be so unaffected. He was just a guy who had handed me my phone.

Lucien's POV Valentina Hayes stood across from my desk, looking at me as though she were still trying to understand the man she had spent three years dating. Her eyes were red, her hands clasped tightly in front of her as if she was trying to hold herself together. "Why are you so cold to me, Lucien?" she asked, her voice trembling. "We've been together for three years. Does that mean nothing to you? Tell me it meant something." I closed the file in front of me slowly, keeping my expression neutral. "Three years doesn't change why we got together in the first place, Valentina. You know that." Her expression shifted, hurt turning quickly into frustration. "Our families wanted us together. That doesn't mean we couldn't have made it work. We did make it work, Lucien. For three years, we made it work." "Maybe you could have convinced yourself of that," I said. "I never wanted this relationship. I was clear about that from the beginning. You chose to ignore it." She stared at me, wounded, as if hearing it for the first time. Before she could respond, my attention returned to the confidential technology project that had occupied my team for months. Information about the project had been leaked to a competing company, and every trace of evidence had led me directly to her. "Did you leak the information about Project Nexora?" I asked directly, watching her face carefully for any reaction. Valentina's face lost its colour instantly, her composure breaking. "Lucien, please. Let me explain. It's not what you think it is." "There's nothing to explain, Valentina. I have the access logs, the forwarded emails. I just want to hear you say it yourself." "It was a mistake! I never thought it would go this far, I swear," she cried, tears now spilling over. "They told me it was just for market comparison. I didn't know they would use it to undercut us." I watched her carefully, my jaw tight. She had known exactly what she was doing, even if she hadn't fully understood the consequences it would bring. That was the part she refused to admit, even to herself. "You betrayed my trust," I said quietly but firmly, my voice cold. "Not just as a partner, but as someone I allowed into my company. We're finished. Professionally and personally." She reached for my hand across the desk, her fingers trembling. "Lucien, please don't do this. We can fix this. I can talk to them, I can fix the leak." I pulled my hand away before she could touch me. "Don't come looking for me again, Valentina. And don't contact my team." I walked out, leaving her standing alone in my office, the silence heavy behind me. For the first time in three years, I was finally free of a relationship I'd never wanted, free of an arrangement that had felt like a chain. So why did it feel as though something inside me had just broken? Eliana's POV The library was almost empty when I finally found the courage to approach Darian Blake. For three years, I had carried my feelings for him quietly, hiding them behind friendship and shy smiles. I had admired his kindness, his intelligence, and the way he helped struggling students without ever making them feel inferior. I had imagined this moment so many times that I had lost count of all the versions in my head. Some ended happily with him smiling, some ended badly, but none of them felt as terrifyingly real as this moment. "Darian," I called softly, my voice barely above a whisper. He looked up from his book, his expression warm and familiar, the same look that had made me fall for him. "Eliana? Is everything okay? You look nervous," he said with a small, concerned smile. I nodded, though my hands were trembling so badly I had to hide them behind my back. "There's something I've wanted to tell you for a long time. I've been keeping it to myself because I was scared." He closed his book and gave me his full attention, which only made my heart beat faster. "Of course. You can tell me anything, Eliana. You know that." I took a deep breath to steady myself. "I like you, Darian. I've liked you for three years. I know this might be unexpected, but I couldn't keep pretending my feelings didn't exist anymore. I had to be honest." For a moment, he said nothing. The silence was so loud I could hear my own heartbeat echoing in my ears. Then his expression softened, but not in the way I had desperately hoped it would. "Eliana, you're a wonderful person. Truly wonderful, and anyone would be lucky to have you," he said gently. "But I don't feel the same way. I see you as a dear friend, nothing more. I'm so sorry." My heart sank, and I felt my eyes sting with tears I was trying desperately to hold back. "I understand," I whispered, even though I didn't understand at all. I didn't understand how three years could mean nothing. "I don't want to give you false hope. That would be cruel to you, and you don't deserve that," he added sincerely. I forced myself to ask the question that had been haunting me for months, the question I dreaded most but needed to know. "Is there someone else? Is that why?" He hesitated before answering, looking away for a second, guilt crossing his face. "Yes. There is someone else." I swallowed painfully, my throat dry and tight. "Who is she? "I'm sorry. I can't tell you that right now," he said, his voice low with guilt. "It's complicated, and it's not my place to say yet. I nodded, fighting back tears with everything I had left. I had wanted honesty, and he had given it to me. I had no right to demand anything more from him, even if it felt like my world was collapsing. I left the library before he could see me break, pushing the door open quickly and rushing out. Outside, rain poured from the dark sky in heavy sheets. I ran across the campus, barely noticing where I was going, until I reached an empty field far from the lights. Then I stopped pretending to be strong. The tears came freely, hot against my cold skin, as I sank into the loneliness I had tried so hard to avoid. Three years of hoping, imagining, and believing that perhaps one day he would choose me. And now, in a few minutes, it was over. Lucien's POV The rain battered my windscreen as I drove away from everything I wanted to forget. Valentina's betrayal had left me angry, but underneath that anger was something harder to name, something heavier and colder that sat in my chest. I turned onto a quieter road near campus to avoid traffic when I noticed someone standing alone in the middle of the field. A girl, soaked completely, her shoulders shaking violently as though she had forgotten the world around her. I stopped the car without thinking, my headlights illuminating her small figure in the rain. For a moment, I considered driving away. Her pain was none of my business, and I had enough problems of my own to carry tonight. But something about the way she stood there, completely alone and broken, made me reach for the umbrella in the back seat. I stepped into the rain and walked towards her, my shoes sinking into the wet grass, the rain soaking me instantly. She didn't seem to notice me until I held the umbrella above her head, blocking the downpour. Her tear-filled eyes lifted to mine, surprised and confused, as if she couldn't understand why anyone would stop. I said nothing, and neither did she. I simply stood there, shielding a stranger from the storm, while the rain soaked through my clothes and ran down my face, washing away the anger of the night. And for the first time that night, standing in the middle of that empty field with a stranger crying beside me, I wasn't standing alone in the rain.