Back at the dorm, Bella, Mia, and Suzy gathered for dinner, which Mia had prepared. The room, meant for four, usually only housed Bella and Mia, so Suzy decided to stay the night. The trio chatted idly as they settled in for the evening.
"Gosh, I'm exhausted" Suzy sighed, stretching out on the couch "I need to read a play to calm my nerves down"
Mia looked at her in disbelief. "Wait, you read *plays* to relax?"
"Yep!" Suzy grinned "I'm studying theater in addition to fashion design, so I like to read them to unwind"
Bella chuckled as she sat on her bed. "I read plays sometimes too, but usually only for class ,When I'm stressed or bored, I prefer novels."
Mia laughed at that. "Of course you will , since you're a literature major!"
"Guilty as charged," Bella replied with a smile.
"I love reading novels too," Suzy chimed in. "Especially webnovels ,those that can really pull me in"
"Same here," Bella said, chuckling, then added, "I really need to revise my notes, though. My grades are slipping."
She reached into her side drawer and pulled out a stack of literature books. But as she sifted through them, she found something else mixed in: her finance notes.
"How did I mix my finance notes with my literature ones?" Bella sighed, exasperated with herself.
Mia glanced over, as she applied her nightly skincare routine. "You might as well study finance since that's the class you're struggling with."
Bella groaned but nodded. "I guess I'll go over a few pages before I fall asleep." She opened her finance notebook, but the first thing that caught her eye wasn't a diagram or a formula , it was a small piece of paper tucked inside. Adrian's contact information.
She picked it up, staring at the familiar handwriting. "Adrian Blackwood," she murmured softly, almost to herself. A small, involuntary smile formed on her lips as she remembered the events of the day. "He's really something else.."
"Bella, did you say something?" Mia asked, glancing over at her.
Bella quickly tucked the paper back into her drawer. "Oh, nothing," she said, her smile lingering. With a deep breath, she refocused on her books, determined to push thoughts of Adrian out of her mind.
…..
Meanwhile, Adrian in his own dorm room, had just gotten out of the shower. He dried his hair quickly and flopped down onto his bed, deciding to check his phone after what felt like ages away from social media. As he scrolled through his Instagram feed, he noticed that his follower count had skyrocketed. His interest piqued, he clicked on the notifications but quickly brushed it off, thinking it was just the usual post-game buzz.
But as he continued scrolling, something caught his eye , it was a reel that featured him and Bella. Curious, Adrian clicked on the video and realized it had been posted by an account called "Eldor University's Top Chart." The reel showed moments from the basketball game, including the exact moment he had whispered to Bella on the court. The caption read: "Eldor's Crown Prince and Crown Princess?"
Adrian raised an eyebrow, intrigued. Whoever ran the account had impeccable timing and is good for capturing the perfect angles. He found himself scrolling through the comments section, something he usually avoided.
"I'm the only one who loves them together, right?"
"Girl, I love them too! They're so cute!"
"Ugh, I still want him for myself."
"Stop right there, our crown princess has him."
"I can't wait to see what their future kids look like!"
"I feel like throwing confetti whenever I see their pictures!"
Adrian laughed out loud at the sheer enthusiasm of the commenters. He had never cared much for gossip or the opinions of strangers, but something about these posts amused him. Without thinking, he pressed the like button on the post ,something he'd never done for any reel outside of science or history-related content.
After scrolling through a few more reels, Adrian tossed his phone aside and lay back on his bed. The day's events played through his mind ,especially Bella. He hadn't meant to cross any boundaries with her, and he knew the incident with the mustard might have embarrassed her. His phone buzzed in his hand as he absentmindedly stared at the ceiling. Before he could stop himself, he opened his messages and began typing.
…..
Meanwhile, Bella had finished revising her notes and was about to start her own skincare routine when her phone buzzed. She picked it up and saw a notification for a message. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Adrian's name.
'Adrian Blackwood': 'Hey Bella, I just wanted to apologize about earlier at the court. I shouldn't have touched your face. It was unintentional, but I couldn't help myself. Honestly, the mustard looked kinda cute on you. I hope you don't take it to heart. Goodnight and sweet dreams'
Bella's eyes widened as she read the message, her heart doing somersaults in her chest. Her face flushed a deep red as she thought about the moment at the court, how his fingers had brushed her lips so casually. She could still feel the light, almost electric touch lingering there, as if his hand had left an imprint.
Without realizing it, Bella raised her hand to the spot where Adrian had touched her, tracing her lips with her fingertips. She was flustered, confused, and deep down a little pleased. His apology was unexpected, but the thoughtfulness behind it only made her think of him more.
'Why does he have this effect on me? 'she wondered, feeling a warmth in her chest she couldn't quite explain. Bella had always been the type to keep her emotions in check, never allowing herself to get too swept up in the romantic fantasies her friends indulged in. But Adrian… he was different. There was something about him that made her defenses slip, and that frightened her a little.
"Bella, you okay over there ?" Mia asked, her voice breaking through Bella's thoughts.
Bella snapped out of her daze. "Yeah, I'm fine," she mumbled, setting her phone down quickly.
Mia, having finished her routine, crawled into bed, glancing over at Bella with a knowing smile. "You sure? You've been staring at your phone for a while."
"I'm fine," Bella repeated, though her cheeks still burned.
Suzy, already curled up on the couch with her playbook, chimed in. "I bet it's Adrian texting her."
Bella shot her a warning look, but Suzy just grinned, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "It's okay, Bella. We know. He's cute, and clearly, he's into you."
Bella groaned, burying her face in her hands as the room filled with playful giggles. But even as she tried to hide her face, she couldn't help the small smile tugging at her lips. Maybe… just maybe, Adrian Blackwood was more than she had bargained for.