From that day on, Gianna and Adrian were nearly inseparable. Every free moment between classes, after school at the café, weekends spent exploring the city—they seemed to gravitate toward each other effortlessly. Their laughter filled the spaces around them, and the more time they spent together, the easier it became to ignore the gnawing suspicions lingering in the back of her mind. Almost.
Still, certain moments would jolt her back to reality, moments that reminded her how little she actually knew about him. Like when she casually mentioned that night when she'd found him bruised and bloodied. Adrian would tense up immediately, his gaze shifting to anything but her, and just as quickly, he'd change the topic to something lighter, something trivial. Every time.
Days turned to weeks, and the more she got to know him, the less she seemed to truly understand. He was always there, always present with that warm smile and easy laughter. But the pieces of his life felt scattered and carefully placed, almost like a puzzle with key pieces missing.
She found herself searching for answers to questions she hadn't dared ask out loud. She didn't know his last name, which felt absurd the more she thought about it. They were close—close enough that everyone assumed they were together, yet she knew next to nothing about his roots. He'd never once talked about where he was from, and the few times she asked about his family, his answers had been vague, like shadows cast on a foggy night.
It all came into focus one chilly evening when they'd both stayed late after school. They were leaning against the brick wall just outside the entrance, watching the last few students trickle out. Gianna wanted to ask, again, about the bruises she'd seen on him. But something held her back, a strange reluctance that had been growing inside her. What if he didn't want her to know? What if there was more to Adrian than she could handle?
With a quiet sigh, she looked up at him, catching the outline of his face in the fading light. "Adrian…" she started, but he turned to her with that familiar, guarded smile.
"Yeah?" he said, his voice soft, yet somehow distant.
She held his gaze, wrestling with herself. She wanted answers, but she wasn't sure she was ready to break the fragile bubble they'd created. "Never mind," she murmured, shaking her head. "It's nothing."
He smiled, gently reaching for her hand, his touch sending a wave of warmth through her. But even in that warmth, a shadow lingered, and the questions she kept buried inside continued to grow.
As they walked home, she silently promised herself she'd wait. Maybe Adrian would tell her when he was ready, when he trusted her enough to share those hidden parts of himself. Until then, she'd let herself believe in what they had, even if there were shadows he refused to let her see.