There was one more person whose mood dipped at Lev's careless words.
Lilliana.
"Now screw off on your date."
The phrase echoed in her head long after Lev had said it.
Her heart sank.
She watched as Soren and Amelia headed toward the doorway, side by side.
Soren didn't respond to the comment beyond that small flinch, but he also didn't deny it out loud; he just kept walking with Amelia, their shoulders almost brushing.
Lilliana pressed her lips together.
Her fingers curled slightly around the hem of her skirt.
It was a small, childish feeling, but it hurt nonetheless.
Before the silence could thicken further, a voice cut through the room.
"Hey, Cutie?"
Soren paused at the doorway and looked back.
"I don't think any of us will need Professor Roseblood's help, you know?" Esper said, twirling a strand of her hair between her fingers. "Plus, wouldn't it be better to take someone with a sense of style rather than the sleepy one next to you?"
She jerked her chin toward Amelia.
Amelia yawned, unfazed.
For some reason, Esper was pushing Lilliana.
Lilliana blinked.
Her heart thudded once in surprise.
Soren turned fully to face her.
"That's what she says, Lilly. What do you think?"
Multiple pairs of eyes focused on her at once.
Lilliana straightened up.
"Uhm… I'll try my best," she said quietly.
She rose from her seat a little too quickly and had to steady herself.
When she glanced toward Esper, the girl was grinning widely at her, eyes glinting with mischief and something like understanding.
Lilliana flushed and looked away.
'How did she find out?' Lilliana thought, cheeks warming.
She had been trying so hard to keep things subtle.
She tried not to stare too much.
She tried to keep her voice level when she spoke his name.
She tried to hide the way her gaze always drifted to his neck.
But apparently, it hadn't been enough.
Besides, wasn't it only a few days ago that she had bitten him and then forced him to walk around proudly displaying the mark?
Maybe her subtlety had never existed in the first place.
Lilliana seemed to be dense when it came to things like this, although she was unaware.
She hurried over to Soren and Amelia, trying to keep her expression calm despite the way her heart was beating.
The moment they stepped out of the clubroom and the door closed behind them, Lilliana let out a small breath of relief.
The air in the hallway felt cooler.
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
By the time they left the club building, the sky above Stellaris Academy was already darkening.
The last traces of sunlight were fading behind the surrounding buildings, painting the clouds in dull shades of grey and blue.
Lanterns along the pathways flickered to life one by one, casting a soft, warm glow over the stone walkways.
The three of them walked together toward the shopping district in the academy city.
There were still students scattered around the grounds, but the daytime crowds had thinned; the ones still out were either heading back from late training or lingering in small groups, chatting quietly.
Their footsteps echoed lightly against the ground.
"Do either of you have anything you want?" Soren asked as they walked.
"A bed," Amelia replied instantly.
"Duh, I was already planning to buy one anyway, how else would I live there? Should I get two?"
Amelia shook her head.
"One is enough."
"I guess we can always get another one later if people need it," Soren muttered. "What about you, Lilly?"
"Huh? Oh, uhm…" Lilliana blinked, pulled from her thoughts. "A coffee machine would be nice. And maybe a bookshelf."
"Then let's get those as well," Soren said with a small smile.
Lilliana's gaze flickered away.
'He's so unfair,' she thought as she turned her head slightly so he wouldn't see her expression.
Now that she had become aware of her feelings, being around him made her heart race more than before.
It wasn't a dramatic, sweeping feeling.
It was small things.
Every time his hand brushed past hers, even by accident, her fingers tingled.
Every time he said her name in that casual, familiar way, it felt like someone had knocked gently against her chest.
Every time he looked at her and smiled, something warm pooled beneath her ribs.
And once she noticed, she couldn't stop seeing the ways he was unintentionally destructive.
Even now, walking side by side, he was pacing himself to match her.
His steps were unhurried, not too fast, not too slow; he made sure that Amelia wasn't left out of the conversation, asking her opinions about furniture every few minutes, then turning to Lilliana to do the same.
He never walked ahead.
He never forgot they were there.
He noticed the small things without making a big deal of them.
It was those little, thoughtful kindnesses that broke her defences piece by piece.
If it had just been about physical attraction, it would have been simple.
He was pretty enough to look at, that much was obvious.
But it wasn't just that.
It was the way he stubbornly pulled himself back from the edge, even when he didn't want to.
The way he still thought about other people's comfort, even when he was barely holding himself together.
The way he tried to shoulder everything and then apologised for being "a bother" on top of it.
He was reckless with himself and careful with everyone else.
It annoyed her.
And yet, it made her want to protect him all the more.
Lilliana glanced up at his profile.
He was listening intently as Amelia described the kind of bed she wanted, his expression serious, as if the decision were of great importance.
Then, he noticed her gaze and turned to look at her.
Their eyes met.
And he smiled.
Lilliana quickly looked away, heat creeping up her neck.
Her chest thudded.
Even though her heart reacted this way, her mind remained calm.
She still had no plans to confess.
It wasn't because she thought they wouldn't suit each other, or because she believed he would reject her and never speak to her again.
It was simpler than that.
She was scared of hurting him.
In the past several months, Soren had been through more than most people experienced in a lifetime.
His mental state was still fragile, even if he didn't always show it.
He had made progress.
He could laugh again.
He could sit in a crowded cafe without breaking down.
He could let a male friend grab his hand and pull him up without freezing solid.
But even now, there were moments when his eyes went distant for a second too long.
Moments when he woke up looking tired, even after a full night's sleep.
Moments when his body tensed at sudden sounds or unexpected touch.
He was balanced on a thin line.
If one more bad thing happened, if one more heavy weight was dropped on his shoulders, she didn't know what would happen.
And then there were his own words.
He once told her, with that blunt honesty he had, that he didn't really know what romantic love was like, that he had never experienced it before, that he couldn't tell the difference between affection, attachment and love.
He had said it with an awkward little smile, but his eyes had looked distant.
Because he had said it so confidently, yet with that strange sadness, Lilliana hesitated.
What if she confessed and he felt pressured to respond?
What if he forced himself to accept because he thought he "owed" her?
What if things became awkward and he started avoiding her?
What if she lost her only friend?
The thought was unbearable.
Her life had only really started to change after meeting him.
Before that, everything had been quiet.
An empty routine, solitary gardening, and trying to find any excuse to stay away from home for even a day longer.
Then he appeared.
He was messy, annoying and considerate.
He shared food with her like it was natural, fell asleep on her sofa without asking, and even let her drink his blood without looking at her strangely.
Her days had become brighter without her even realising it.
The idea of that suddenly stopping made her throat tighten.
So, for now, she decided: this was enough.
Walking beside him like this.
Watching him grumble about stupid things.
Helping him with classes.
Letting him nap in her dorm when he was exhausted.
Teasing him and being teased back.
For now, keeping things as they were felt safest.
She would protect this fragile, warm balance for as long as she could.
One day, maybe, when he was steadier, when he understood his own feelings more, when he wasn't so close to the edge…
Maybe then she would think about it more.
But not yet.
Lilliana lifted her head and looked at Soren again.
He turned at the same time, almost as if he had felt her gaze, and their eyes met.
This time, she didn't look away.
She smiled.
He smiled back, just as gently as before, as the three of them walked together through the dim academy grounds toward the lights of the shopping district.
————「❤︎」————