CHAPTER 3 — Campus Gist and Hidden Smiles
The lecture hall emptied slowly, the sound of shoes scuffing the tile echoing across the wide space. Students talked in small groups, arguing over assignments, gossiping about campus drama, and laughing like nothing in the world mattered.
Lara walked calmly through the crowd, earbuds in, keeping her head high. She felt eyes on her—she always did—but this time, she didn't look over. Not immediately. Pride hummed in her chest: Let him wonder. Let him see what he's missing.
From the corner of her vision, she caught him—Ethan. Leaning casually against a wall, hands in his pockets, but something about the way he shifted, the way he kept glancing her way… told her he noticed. Really noticed.
Her pulse raced.
She bit the inside of her cheek and straightened her back.
Don't show it, she whispered internally.
A classmate nudged her.
"Lara… he's been asking about you. Like, yesterday. He keeps mentioning your name."
Her lips curved into a subtle, almost imperceptible smile. That spark—the thrill of being noticed without chasing—was intoxicating.
She turned her eyes forward, pretending not to hear. But inside, her chest was fluttering, hot and electric.
Finally, she thought.
He's realizing I'm not the same girl he could ignore.
Walking toward the faculty building, she noticed how he adjusted his bag, shifting weight from one foot to the other, pretending he wasn't looking at her, but clearly… he was.
She could feel the tension crackling between them, like static before a storm.
Her mind drifted back to last night, the 2:17 AM panic, the pulse of pride she felt after ignoring his first message. The memory made her chest flutter in a dangerous, thrilling way.
He's going to have to work for this now.
By the time she reached the mango tree outside the lecture hall, her friends were gathered, laughing loudly, eating small snacks they'd brought.
"Girl, you look… different," Maya said. "I think someone noticed your glow-up."
Lara smirked. Someone indeed.
She leaned back against the tree, crossing her arms casually. Ethan appeared at the edge of the courtyard, pretending to adjust his bag strap but obviously trying to catch her eye. He paused, scanning the group, then caught her gaze for the briefest moment.
Her lips twitched, barely a smile, just enough to make him wonder.
She turned her attention back to Maya, tossing her hair over her shoulder as if she hadn't noticed him.
Let him sweat a little, she thought.
Romantic tension hummed in the air like a live wire. Every glance, every small movement, was amplified. Every tiny smile or tilt of the head could spark a thousand "what ifs."
By the time the last class ended, Lara was walking alone to her hostel. Her phone buzzed—again.
Are you ignoring me on purpose?
She read it, heart thumping, fingers hovering over the screen. A small smirk tugged at her lips.
Maybe… just maybe, she thought, I'll reply later.
But not now.
She tucked the phone into her bag, inhaling the warm evening air. She felt the first real taste of power—of being the girl who didn't have to chase.
And somewhere, in the distance, she knew Ethan was thinking of her.
That, she thought, was enough for today.