°•°•°•°•°•°•°•
Lyra and Sienna were walking down the hallway toward their next class, when suddenly the entire corridor erupted.
"They're coming!" someone shouted.
Screams and whispers spread like wildfire in the hallway. Students scrambled to the sides, leaving the middle of the hallway wide open for whoever.
"Wow… he's gorgeous!" one girl whispered, hiding her face behind her notebook in a shy attempt.
"Look at his eyes! They're like… I can't even!" another squealed, clutching her chest.
"See them?" Sienna started. "That's the high-class trio. Kieran's in the middle, no one even thinks about messing with him. I heard he's dangerous. One of the oldest bloodlines, top of the hierarchy. Handsome doesn't even cover it, but he's the kind of guy who breaks the rules and gets away with it. Everyone's afraid of him and drawn to him at the same time."
Everyone had their heads up, desperately trying to get a glimpse of them, it felt like a scene out of a movie. The crowd parting around them like they owned the place
"And that's Adrian," Sienna nodded to the right. The guy at the library, Lyra remembered him. "He's wealthy too but… different from Kieran. He's friendly in a way and no doubt charming. And the guy on the left, that's Marcus. He doesn't talk much, but his presence… well, it's enough. No middle ground."
Adrian appeared to be more chilled than the other two, he held a book in one hand and the other tucked in his pocket. He did say he liked reading.
And then there was Kieran, walking in the middle.
Students instinctively gave him more space than the others, as if a dangerous predator was among them. Girls whispered to each other, their voices trembling with excitement and fear.
"Do you see him? That's Kieran Black," one girl whispered to her friend.
"He's so handsome!"
Lyra watched as they walked, the girls squealing and running after them.
"And the thing you need to know is that these guys aren't just pretty faces. Kieran, Adrian, Marcus… they have privileges, sometimes more than the teachers themselves. But honestly, watching them from a distance… is kind of… addicting."
She was right, there is a certain joy that came along with watching good-looking guys.
They were almost at the end of the hallway when it happened. Adrian kept walking, Marcus too, but Kieran stopped.
It wasn't obvious at first. Just a slight pause, like he had just missed a step. And then he turned his head.
His eyes found hers across the hallway. It felt like he was looking through her, like he was trying to figure something out.
The noise around her faded. The whispers, the laughter, the squeals...it all just blurred.
For a second, it felt like it was just them. Then he turned back around and kept walking, like nothing had happened.
Lyra let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Her heart was beating too fast, and she hated that she didn't know why. She hadn't done or said anything, and yet it felt like she'd just crossed a line she didn't even know existed.
Her eyes were still on the empty space where Kieran had been.
And somehow, she already knew that moment wasn't going to leave her alone anytime soon.
°•°•°•
The bell rang not long after, snapping everyone back into reality.
Lyra barely remembered the walk to her next class. Kieran's stare still on her mind in an annoying way.
By the time classes ended, she had the strong urge to go somewhere quiet, and the library felt like the safest option.
"You're here again."
She froze, recognizing that voice. Lyra looked up, her brows knitting together in confusion
Adrian sat across from her, leaning casually against the table with a smile. And then she saw those deep, unfairly, charming dimples.
"Oh, it's you."
"Ouch." He placed a hand over his chest dramatically. "That's how you greet someone you know?"
"We… don't know each other."
"Sure we do. This is the second time we're crossing paths."
"That still doesn't mean-"
"You've been staring at the same page for five minutes." He tipped his chin towards her book.
Lyra glanced down at her book. She hadn't noticed, and why did he notice?
Adrian smiled, dimples flashing again. "Relax. I don't bite. That's more Kieran's thing."
"What?"
"Kidding. Mostly." He leaned back in the chair, completely at ease. Lyra couldn't help but wonder how someone could feel so familiar so fast, like a friend she'd somehow skipped the introduction with.
"So," she said, closing her book halfway, "do you just… appear in libraries, or is this a hobby?"
"Depends. Are you asking because you're impressed or concerned?"
"None of the above." He chuckled. He really needed to stop smiling, his dimples kept flashing right at her face.
"You always come here after class?" he asked.
"Most days, it's quiet here. Plus, people mind their business."
"Ah, so I'm ruining the experience."
"A little."
"Worth it though," He tilted his head, "Because you're pretty interesting."
"You don't even know me."
"That's the fun part."
"You say things like that to everyone?"
"No," he said quickly. "Just the ones I like watching."
"Watching?"
He raised both hands in surrender. "Not in a creepy way. Relax."
"That didn't help."
"I mean… you're always doing something different. You sit at different spots. You tap your pen when you're thinking, and you frown at books like they personally offended you somehow."
"How the hell do you know all that?"
"I like observing people. It's kind of hard not to notice."
She studied him, really studied him. He was rather carefree and the way he spoke like, he had all the time in the world.
"You're very… comfortable."
"Years of practice," he replied. "Plus, people tend to expect certain things from me. I like disappointing them."
"By being nice?"
"Exactly."
"You're nothing like I imagined."
"That makes two of us," he said, eyes flicking to her book again. "What are you reading?"
She slid it toward him. "Don't judge."
He read the title, then smiled. "You kidding? This is good taste."
"Really?"
"Absolutely. You just went up in my mental ranking."
She chuckled softly and he smiled in return. "You have a ranking?"
"Of course. You're currently very high," he paused. "Well, at least you're smiling," he pointed out and she realized he was right. "I should get going. Curfew."
"Right." He stood, pushing his chair out. He placed his hand on the table and leaned towards her. "Oh and I meant what I said, I like watching you. You make this place less boring."
Then he was gone, leaving her staring after him, heart lighter than it had been all day… and far more confused than she wanted to admit.