Finding light in the darkest places—through love-Chapter 110 – Something Feels Different (and Everyone Notices)

Chapter 110 - 110 – Something Feels Different (and Everyone Notices)

The next morning, Evelyn woke up feeling like she was floating.

She curled deeper into her comforter, hugging her pillow against her chest, and let herself replay last night in vivid little loops.

The warmth of Adrian's hand in hers.

The weightless feeling of their first real kiss.

The way he had looked at her was like she was something precious.

A grin stretched across her face before she could stop it.

She buried her face in the pillow, laughing softly at herself.

God, she thought. I'm so far gone.

There was a buzz from her phone on the nightstand.

She rolled over, reaching for it.

Adrian:

Morning, hope you slept okay.

Evelyn's heart did that familiar fluttery thing it always did around him lately—but now, it was worse. Or better. She couldn't tell.

She typed back quickly, smiling at the screen.

Evelyn :

I did. Thanks to you.

Hope you're not too sore from carrying me emotionally through that chocolate cake.

A few seconds later, another buzz.

Adrian :

Worth it. Would do it again.

Evelyn bit her lip, laughter bubbling up.

Before she could overthink it, she typed:

Evelyn :

Want to meet for coffee before class?

His reply was almost instant.

Adrian :

Would do that again, too.

Meeting up with Adrian in the morning had always been normal before.

Grabbing coffee, walking to class, sitting together in the lecture hall—it was just them.

But today?

Today, it felt like there was an invisible thread tugging between them.

Every glance lasted a little longer.

Every brush of fingers made her skin tingle.

Every smile felt a little too full, too knowing.

They met outside the café, the familiar autumn breeze nipping at their jackets.

Adrian was waiting by the door, his hands shoved deep into his pockets, looking just a little nervous and a lot adorable.

When he spotted her, his whole face lit up in that open, earnest way that always unraveled her completely.

"Hey," he said softly.

"Hey," she echoed, feeling suddenly shy and giddy all at once.

For a beat, they just stood there, both hesitating.

Then Adrian leaned forward and pressed a quick, warm kiss to her forehead.

It was fast—barely more than a brush of lips—but Evelyn still felt it to her toes.

She ducked her head, laughing under her breath.

Adrian scratched at the back of his neck, sheepishly.

"Sorry. Still figuring out the... uh... new boundaries."

"I like it," she said quickly, cheeks burning.

Adrian smiled, looking impossibly pleased with himself.

They grabbed their coffees and headed toward class, their hands brushing occasionally, like they couldn't quite stop reaching for each other.

The whole thing felt... right.

Different, but right.

And apparently, they weren't the only ones who noticed.

It started with Sophia.

As soon as they slid into their usual seats in lecture, she turned from the row in front of them, eyebrows arching.

"You two are weirdly smiley today," she said, narrowing her eyes at them like a suspicious detective.

Evelyn choked on her coffee.

Adrian coughed too, quickly averting his gaze to his notebook like it was the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen.

Sophia's eyes sharpened.

"Oh my God," she whispered, leaning closer. "Did something happen?"

"Nope," Adrian said, a little too quickly.

Sophia's grin widened.

Evelyn could feel her cheeks heating up.

"We're just... good," Evelyn mumbled, taking an unnecessarily long sip of her coffee.

Sophia gave them a long, knowing look.

"Uh-huh," she said. "Sure."

And then she turned back to the front, her smirk way too satisfied.

The rest of the day wasn't much better.

At the library, when Evelyn reached instinctively for Adrian's hand under the table, Claire caught them and raised her eyebrows so high they practically disappeared into her hairline.

Later, during lunch, one of Adrian's friends from his computer science class caught them sharing fries and stared like he was witnessing some kind of miracle.

"Dude," he said to Adrian, dead serious. "Are you dating now?"

Adrian blinked.

Paused.

Then, without even looking at Evelyn, said:

"Yeah. We are."

Simple. Unapologetic. Proud.

Evelyn's chest ached in the best way.

Her hand found his under the table again, squeezing once.

Adrian squeezed back.

Their friends immediately exploded into delighted chaos—teasing, clapping, mock cheers.

Sophia demanded the full story.

Claire wanted to know who confessed first.

Adrian's friends just kept making fake swooning noises.

Evelyn laughed until her face hurt, feeling a little overwhelmed but mostly... happy.

So ridiculously happy.

And through it all, Adrian stayed steady by her side, his knee brushing against hers, his gaze finding hers across the table again and again with quiet reassurance.

They were in this together.

Not a secret.

Not something fragile and uncertain.

Real.

Later that evening, when they finally had a moment alone again, sitting on a bench under the fading gold of sunset, Evelyn leaned her head against Adrian's shoulder and sighed.

"Today was a lot," she said, smiling.

Adrian chuckled, resting his cheek lightly against her hair.

"Yeah," he agreed. "But good. Good."

They sat there in comfortable silence for a while, watching the campus glow in the warm evening light.

Evelyn closed her eyes, letting herself breathe in the scent of him—coffee and clean laundry and something uniquely Adrian.

"I'm glad we didn't rush," she said quietly. "I'm glad we got here... like this."

Adrian's hand found hers, twining their fingers together with that same steady certainty.

"Me too," he said.

She tilted her face up toward him, catching the soft look in his eyes.

And for the first time, there was no hesitation at all as Adrian leaned down and kissed her again, slow and easy, like a promise.

The world blurred and softened around them.

Everything else could wait.

For now, it was just them.

And it was only the beginning.