That night, after everything that had happened, Aria wrapped herself under the blanket, pulling it up to her chin. The warmth of the room and the quiet rhythm of raindrops against the window lulled her into a calm, sleepy state. Her thoughts, as always, drifted toward Ethan — his voice, his smile, the way he looked at her like she was the only one that mattered. Slowly, her eyelids grew heavy, and she drifted into a deep sleep.
During sleep she dreamed about ethan.In her dream, she and ethan was in same room and she was sitting on bed and ethan just came out after taking shower and was standing at a distance from her there was drops of water falling down from his wet hairs and there was also drops of water at his adam's apple then ethan pulled her toward him then he pinned her to the wall and interlocked her both wrists with his one hand with the wall and pulled her waist to him with another hand then he kissed her lightly on lips, then he laid her down on bed then threw himself on her then he kissed her deeply at her lips and aria was also kissing him back.
Aria woke up with a sudden gasp, her heart racing wildly in her chest. The morning light filtered gently through the curtains, but her face was already burning red. She buried her face in her pillow and groaned softly.
"Why did I dream something like that?" she whispered to herself, still feeling the warmth on her cheeks.
She sat up, clutching the blanket tightly around her. Her heart refused to calm down, and her mind kept replaying fragments of her dream — Ethan's closeness, his breath near her ear, his soft voice.
Her fingers brushed her lips unconsciously, and she shook her head quickly, trying to shake the image away. "No, no, no… Aria, what are you even thinking?!"
She hid her face in her hands, embarrassed beyond belief. "If Ethan ever found out I dreamed something like this… I'd never be able to look at him again!"
Her reflection in the mirror showed a flustered girl, cheeks pink and eyes still sleepy, but sparkling with something new — something she didn't dare name yet.
After a few minutes of self-scolding, she took a deep breath and got up from her bed. The chill of the morning air helped calm her racing thoughts. She went to the washroom, splashed water on her face, and stared at her reflection again.
"Just act normal today," she told herself firmly. "Forget about the dream. It was just… random."
But deep inside, she knew it wasn't random. The way she had felt in that dream — it was too real, too alive to be just imagination.
Aria got ready for class, wearing a soft pastel dress with her usual light perfume. As she packed her books, she tried her best to distract her thoughts with assignments and schedules. Yet, Ethan's face kept popping up in her mind every few seconds. Every time she remembered the dream, she felt her heartbeat skip.
Just as she stepped out of her dorm room, her phone buzzed. It was a message from Ethan.
Ethan: "Good morning. Ready for class?"
Aria: "Yeah… almost."
Ethan: "You're late again, sleepyhead?"
She smiled at the screen. If only you knew what I dreamed about, you wouldn't call me sleepyhead so casually, she thought.
She quickly texted back a simple "I'm coming!" and hurried out of her dorm.
When she reached the main campus gate, Ethan was already there — leaning against the gate, headphones around his neck, his hair a little messy but still somehow perfect. Seeing him made her stomach twist in that same strange fluttery feeling again.
"Good morning," he greeted her with a smile.
"Morning…" she mumbled, trying not to meet his eyes for too long.
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Why are you blushing? Did something happen?"
"W-what? I'm not blushing!" she denied immediately, waving her hands.
He chuckled, tilting his head. "You sure? Your face says otherwise."
Aria quickly turned away. "It's just… warm today."
"Warm? It's literally cloudy and cold," Ethan teased.
She shot him a glare, but he just grinned, clearly amused by her flustered state. They started walking toward the building, their steps in sync as always. Ethan kept talking about how their classes were getting tougher, how he'd been thinking about visiting the city library to get some reference books — but Aria barely caught half of what he said. Her mind was too busy remembering the way he'd looked at her in that dream.
By the time they reached their building, Aria finally managed to calm herself a little. They stopped in front of her lecture hall.
"I'll meet you after class?" Ethan asked.
"Yeah," she said softly. "Don't be late."
He smiled and reached out to pat her head gently. "I won't."
Her heart skipped a beat again.
Throughout her lectures, she couldn't focus properly. The professor's voice faded into the background as her mind kept drifting back to that same dream. Every time she remembered how close he had been, she bit her lip, scolding herself again. Aria Bennett, stop thinking about it!
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't. That dream had carved itself deep into her heart — not because of its boldness, but because of what it meant. She realized just how deeply she had started to love Ethan. It wasn't just admiration anymore; it was something stronger, something that scared her in its intensity.
When classes finally ended, she walked out and found Ethan waiting for her at the gate, as always. He smiled as soon as he saw her, holding two cups of coffee.
"One's for you," he said. "You looked tired this morning."
Aria smiled softly, accepting the cup. "Thank you."
They walked side by side under the golden evening sky, chatting about small things — upcoming assignments, dorm life, Rachel's jokes. Every now and then, Ethan's hand brushed hers, and her heart would start racing all over again.
As they reached the dorm gate, Ethan turned to her and said, "See you tomorrow, Aria."
She nodded with a small smile, clutching the warm coffee in her hands. "See you, Ethan."
When she reached her room that night, she lay on her bed staring at the ceiling. The dream replayed again — vivid, consuming, and confusing. She sighed softly and whispered to herself, "Why do you keep making me feel this way, Ethan Cross?"
Then she smiled faintly before closing her eyes.
This time, she didn't fight the thoughts. She just let them stay — warm, secret, and hers alone.