The bell above the bookstore door jingled as Jade stepped inside, her eyes lighting up like she'd entered heaven. Rows upon rows of books stretched out before her, and the familiar smell of paper and ink made her stomach flutter.
She walked carefully down the aisles, fingers brushing over spines of the books like she was touching treasure. She had been waiting for this book for months — the one special edition she'd been stalking online. Finally, she spotted it.
Her hand reached out, trembling slightly. This was it. She could almost hear her heart pounding.
But just as her fingers grazed the cover, another hand landed lightly over hers.
"Oh! I'm sorry," Jade stammered, jerking her hand back. "You… you can take it!"
The boy looked at her, golden hair falling slightly over his forehead, and smiled. "No, you can have it. I was just—" He shrugged casually. "I was just reaching for it at the same time. You can have it."
Jade's face turned bright red. She blinked rapidly, words sticking in her throat. "O-Oh… Th-thank you… I-I…"
From a few aisles away, Aria's eyes widened in amusement. She tugged lightly on Lucian's sleeve, pointing subtly toward Jade. "Look at her," she whispered, trying not to laugh. "She's so cute!"
Lucian glanced over. He didn't move from his spot, didn't even raise an eyebrow. He just watched, expression flat, arms crossed. Nothing. Not a flicker of interest.
Aria rolled her eyes and nudged him again. "Seriously, she's blushing so much! Watch her, it's adorable."
Lucian let out a faint hum. "She's fine. It's a bookstore. Calm down."
Jade, meanwhile, was mumbling nonstop, trying to say thank you again but tripping over every word. "I-I've… I've been… waiting for this… s-so long… s-so… th-thank you."
Aria snickered quietly, enjoying the chaos from afar, while Lucian stayed rigidly indifferent, clearly unimpressed by both Jade's blushes and the cute golden-haired stranger.
Jade finally clutched the book to her chest, heart still racing. She didn't notice Lucian watching from the corner of the aisle, unreadable as ever.
Aria whispered to him with a grin, "Admit it… she's adorable."
Lucian looked at her, expression completely neutral. "Nope."
Aria huffed, shaking her head but smiling. "Whatever you say, Mr. Iceberg."
Jade wandered off down another aisle, still beaming at her new book, blissfully unaware that the indifferent guy in the corner was the same one she couldn't stop thinking about lately.
Jade was walking up to the line where people were signing out there books, she saw the guy who willingly gave her the book but the look in his eyes was weird. He stepped forward and grabbed a book out of a random shelf, as he smiled at her, but Jade caught him slowly lining up behind her with his phone, clearly trying to snap a picture.
Before she could do anything, a shadow fell over the aisle. Lucian was standing there, arms crossed, eyes sharp as knives.
"Hey. Step away. Now." His voice wasn't just cold — it was dangerous.
The golden-haired guy blinked. "I-I was just…"
"FUCK OFF!" Lucian growled, stepping closer, making it clear he wasn't joking. "Back up. Now."
Jade's mouth went dry. She hadn't realized anyone could look so terrifying and… protective at the same time.
The guy muttered something under his breath and finally shuffled away. Lucian's gaze lingered on him until he was out of sight, then he turned to Jade, expression flat as ever. "Are you okay?"
"I… y-yeah," Jade whispered, cheeks burning hotter than ever.
Aria, who had been watching from a few aisles away, stopped in her tracks. She blinked at Lucian's sudden aggression and then at Jade, who looked flustered, heart racing, and oddly… thrilled. Aria felt her stomach twist.
He hates her, she reminded herself, but the way he just stepped in… like he cared… like he couldn't stand someone bothering her…
Aria frowned, a little worried. What is going on between these two?
Lucian straightened, expression unreadable again, clearly trying to act like nothing had happened. Aria sighed quietly. "Yep… this is going to be complicated."
Jade clutched the book tighter, still trembling a little, her heart racing. For a shy girl who barely noticed attention, the feeling of someone actually stepping up for her — someone she didn't expect — left her flustered in the absolute best way.
Jade held the book tight. Her hands were shaking. "Th-thank y-you… f-for… uh…" she stammered, barely able to speak.
Lucian's eyes were cold. "You shouldn't let people take advantage of you. It's… fucking pathetic."
Jade froze. Her chest felt tight. The nice feeling from earlier disappeared. Her eyes watered.
Aria ran over from across the aisle. "Hey! That's not nice! You can't talk to her like that!"
Lucian didn't care. He looked at her, cold as ice. "She shouldn't have even come here."
Jade hugged the book to her chest, wishing she could disappear. "I… I…" she whispered, words stuck in her throat.
Aria's hands went on her hips. "Lucian! Stop it! That's mean!"
He didn't soften. "I'm not being mean. I'm just telling the truth. You'll thank me later."
Jade looked down at the book. Her heart hurt, but she remembered how he had stepped in earlier with that other guy. She didn't understand it, but… part of her still felt something for him.
The car was quiet. Jade sat in the back seat, hugging her book to her chest. Her eyes were downcast, cheeks still pink from embarrassment. She didn't speak. She just stared out the window, trying not to think about what Lucian had said in the bookstore.
Lucian drove in silence, his jaw tight. He didn't care about the words he'd said… until he glanced at the rear view mirror.
Jade's face. Sad. Hurt. And… fragile.
Something twisted in his chest. He didn't admit it, didn't say anything. But he made a turn into a small ice cream shop, pulling into a parking spot.
Aria, sitting next to him in the front, frowned. "Wait… why are we stopping? You don't usually do this."
Lucian shrugged, eyes still on the road. "She looks like she needs it."
Aria blinked, confused. "Huh?"
From the back seat, Jade peeked up, unsure. "I-I… w-what?" she stammered.
Lucian didn't answer her directly. He got out of the car and went to the counter, buying two scoops of ice cream — one for Jade and one for Aria.
Aria's jaw dropped. "You… bought her ice cream? Like… you're being nice? But… you hate her!"
Lucian handed the cup to Jade without a word. She looked at it, her fingers trembling slightly, eyes wide. "Th-thank you…" she whispered, barely audible.
Lucian didn't respond. He turned back to the car, expression unreadable, but Aria could see the subtle shift — a little softness in his gaze as he watched Jade carefully lick the ice cream.
Aria muttered under her breath, worried. "What the hell is going on with him?"
Jade sat quietly, heart racing, feeling a strange mix of happiness and confusion. For the first time in a while, she felt… seen.
The next day, Jade sat at her desk, fingers hovering over her laptop. She was trying to focus, but she could hear the heavy footsteps approaching.
Lucian walked in — he was back to his grumpy, stoic, mean, and completely arrogant behavior and his main goal was to annoy someone.
"Ugh. You're so slow. Typing like that thing actually matters," he said immediately, his voice sharp and cutting. "I don't even know why you bother."
Aria glanced up, mouth opening as if she was about to step in… but then hesitated, looking down at her phone instead. Something held her back, something she couldn't explain.
Jade's heart dropped. She had turned to Aria for help, hoping for a word, a gesture, anything. But Aria's eyes were glued to the screen, and Jade realized she was completely alone.
She took a shaky breath, then ignored him. Her fingers pressed against the keyboard, typing quickly, pouring everything into her laptop to drown out his voice.
Lucian huffed, leaning against the desk, clearly irritated by her silence. "Whatever. You're hopeless anyway."
Jade didn't look up. She didn't even blink. Words became her shield — louder than his insults, stronger than his scowl.
Aria stayed quiet, still scrolling on her phone, unsure why she didn't feel like intervening.
Jade's chest ached, but she refused to give him the satisfaction. Today, she was untouchable in her world of words.
Lucian didn't stop. He leaned against the desk, voice low and sharp.
"Seriously, do you even know how to do anything right? You sit there and type like it matters, but you're just—useless."
Jade's hands froze over the keyboard. Her chest tightened. Her face heated.
He leaned a little closer, studying her. "I don't know why I even try to—"
Something snapped inside her. She jerked her head up, glaring at him. Their faces were suddenly inches apart.
Jade's eyes widened. Her cheeks burned. She couldn't breathe properly, starstruck in a way she'd never expected.
Lucian blinked, his own face unexpectedly flushed. He hadn't meant to get this close, and yet… here they were, tense, staring at each other.
Aria, sitting on the other side of the room, looked up from her phone just in time to see the moment. She froze. Both of them, face flushed as they quickly moved away from each other.
Jade quickly jumped back toward her bed, clutching her laptop, cheeks flaming.
Lucian straightened up, moving over to Aria's bed as if nothing had occurred, though his eyes still betrayed a flicker of shock — or maybe fascination.
Aria blinked, stunned. Her mind was spinning. What the hell is going on between these two?
Jade's fingers hovered over her keyboard again. She couldn't type. She couldn't breathe. She could only stare at the screen, still starstruck, still reeling from just how close they'd been.
Lucian's jaw tightened, but his usual scowl was back. The tension was still there, humming between them, but… for now, it was just a charged, silent stare.