The library had always been Aurora's sanctuary. But today, walking away from Lucas, it felt different …like something invisible had shifted in the air around her.
She could still feel the weight of his gaze on her back long after they said goodbye.
As she stepped outside into the bright afternoon light, Aurora shoved her hands deep into her pockets and breathed in the scent of rain on pavement. She should have felt lighter after talking to someone new.
After laughing.
After daring to hope.
But instead, unease prickled at the back of her neck.
Maybe it was the intensity in Lucas's eyes.
Maybe it was how easily he seemed to know exactly what to say.
Or maybe it was just old wounds whispering fears she couldn't silence yet.
Whatever it was, Aurora shook it off and headed across campus.
She needed space to think…..to breathe.
She didn't notice the shadow trailing behind her …the figure lurking across the courtyard, eyes locked on her retreating figure.
Ethan's hands clenched into fists at his sides.
He watched Aurora …his Aurora walking away from the library with a lightness in her step that cut him deeper than any words could.
"Who the hell was that guy she had been laughing with?!", he thought angrily.
And why did it make him feel like the ground was crumbling beneath him?
Ethan hadn't slept the night before. Hadn't eaten. He had drunk too much, cursed himself too much, replayed the breakup over and over until it drove him insane.
Aurora had always been his.
She had always forgiven him ….even when he didn't deserve it.
She couldn't just move on.
Not without him.
Not with someone else.
He gave a dark and furious look which swept across his face.
This wasn't over.
Not by a long shot.
Aurora pushed open the door to her dorm and was immediately ambushed.
Mia launched herself from the couch, wielding two cups of coffee like sacred offerings.
"You survived the library," Mia declared, pressing a warm cup into Aurora's frozen fingers. "And you look... suspiciously less miserable. Spill."
Aurora smiled despite how she was feeling about the breakup and fell onto the couch.
"I met someone," she admitted, blowing on the coffee to hide her red flustered cheeks.
Mia's jaw dropped. "Already?! Girl, I leave you alone for two hours and you're already pulling hot rebound guys?"
"It's not like that," Aurora said quickly. "We just... talked. About books."
"Books," Mia repeated, eyebrows raised to the ceiling. "That's what we're calling flirting now?"
Aurora groaned and buried her face in a cushion. "It wasn't flirting! He was just... easy to talk to."
Mia plopped down beside her, grinning wickedly. "And cute?"
Aurora peeked at her through her fingers. "Maybe."
"What's his name?"
Aurora hesitated. "Lucas."
Mia whistled lowly. "Mysterious. Broody. I like it already."
Aurora laughed, but inside, uncertainty gnawed at her.
Was she really ready for something new?
Could she trust anyone again?
Especially someone who seemed almost too perfect?
That night, Aurora dreamed of Lucas.
Strange, disjointed images about the library, endless rows of books with Lucas standing at the far end of a corridor, watching her.
Always watching.
She woke in a sweat, heart racing, remembering his dark eyes which lingered behind her closed eyelids.
The next day passed in a blur of classes and awkward encounters.
Ethan was everywhere.
Or maybe it just felt that way.
He sat two rows behind her in English literature class, tapping his pencil repeatedly and annoyingly against the desk.
He loitered outside the cafeteria, pretending to scroll through his phone while glaring at anyone who so much as looked at Aurora.
And once ,heart-stoppingly ….she caught him standing outside her dorm, his face half-hidden by the hood of his sweatshirt.
Aurora hid behind a tree and waited until he left before slipping inside.
She leaned against the door, pulse pounding in her ears.
This wasn't normal.
This wasn't okay.
Ethan wasn't letting go.
Later that evening, desperate for distraction, Aurora found herself back at the library.
She wandered the shelves aimlessly until a familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Hey."
She turned…. and there he was.
Lucas.
Leaning casually against the end of the shelf, a book tucked under one arm, that same crooked smile tugging at his lips.
Aurora smiled back before she could stop herself.
"Hey," she echoed.
He pushed off the shelf and fell in to stand beside her. "Looking for anything special?"
Aurora shrugged. "Just... something to lose myself in for a while."
Lucas nodded like he understood that perfectly.
"Come on," he said, tilting his head. "I know a secret section."
Intrigued …and maybe just a little reckless . Aurora followed him deeper into the maze of shelves.
They went through some dimly lit corridors until Lucas stopped in front of a hidden dusty shelf filled with old, forgotten books.
"This is where they keep the best stuff," he said.
Aurora ran her fingers along the dusty books. "It feels like another world back here."
Lucas smiled, softer this time. "Maybe that's what we need sometimes. Another world."
Aurora pulled out a thin, battered novel and turned it over in her hands.
"How do you always seem to know exactly what to say?" she asked before she could stop herself.
Lucas's smile faltered just for a fraction of a second before he masked it with a casual shrug.
"Good guesswork," he said lightly.
But something flickered in his eyes. Something almost... guilty.
Aurora tucked the book under her arm and pretended not to notice.
They sat cross-legged on the floor of the secret shelf, telling each other stories, favorite lines from books, and dreams that they were half-afraid to say out loud.
Aurora found herself telling Lucas things she hadn't told anyone including Mia …..about the dreams she had sacrificed for Ethan, about the loneliness she carried like a hidden scar.
And Lucas listened.
Really listened.
At one point, Aurora looked up and found him watching her with an intensity that made her breath get caught in her throat.
"I'm glad you found me," Lucas said quietly.
Aurora felt her heart pump harder.
She should have been scared. Should have backed away.
But all she felt was warmth. A dangerous, intoxicating warmth.
Maybe it was loneliness.
Maybe it was hope.
Maybe it was something deeper, curling in her chest like a flame.
"Me too," she whispered.
For a moment, the world felt like it was just them, the forgotten books, and the space between their heartbeats.
Then Aurora's phone buzzed; a harsh, annoying sound that broke the silence and intensity.
She glanced at the screen and she felt her stomach turn.
'Ethan. Again!.'
Missed calls.
Texts.
"Come outside. I just want to talk. Please, Rory."
Her hands shook.
Lucas saw the panic flicker across her face.
"Everything okay?" he asked gently.
Aurora forced a smile that felt brittle. "Yeah. Just... someone who can't take a hint."
Lucas's jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
Instead, he stood and offered her his hand.
"Come on," he said. "I'll walk you back."
Aurora hesitated.
"I don't want to drag you into my mess," she said.
Lucas's fingers closed lightly around hers, grounding her.
"You're not dragging me anywhere," he said. "You're not alone, Aurora."
Something inside her cracked open at those words.
Maybe for the first time in a long time, she believed it.
They stepped out into the night together.
The campus was mostly empty, the air full with the smell of rain.
Lucas kept a careful distance beside her …close enough to reassure, far enough not to smother.
Aurora appreciated that more than she could say.
Halfway across the courtyard, a movement caught her eye.
A figure stepped out from behind a lamppost blocking their path.
It was Ethan.
His eyes locked on Lucas, then flicked to Aurora,giving a look which burned with a possessive rage that made her skin crawl.
"Aurora," Ethan said, in a low and strained tone. "We need to talk."
Aurora's heart hammered painfully.
"There's nothing to talk about," she said, amazed that her voice sounded stronger than she felt.
Ethan took a step closer, ignoring Lucas completely.
"I messed up," he said. "I know I did. But you can't just throw everything away. We're meant to be together."
Aurora shook her head, tears stinging her eyes.
"Meant to be?" she repeated bitterly. "You cheated on me, Ethan. Over and over. That's not love."
Ethan's face twisted. "He doesn't know you like I do," he spat, jerking his chin toward Lucas.
Lucas stepped forward then, quiet but firm.
"She said there's nothing to talk about," he said calmly.
Ethan's hands curled into fists. "Stay out of this."
Aurora stepped between them, trembling but fierce.
"Enough," she said. "I'm done, Ethan. This is over."
For a moment, Ethan just stared at her, stunned.
Then something ugly flashed in his eyes.
"This isn't over," he hissed. "You'll see."
He turned and walked off into the night, leaving a trail of anger behind him.