Emilia sat in the campus café, her fingers wrapped around the mug of coffee in front of her, though she hardly noticed the warmth seeping into her palms. She stared out the window, watching students pass by in a blur, her thoughts lost in a whirl of confusion. The conversation with Aiden the day before still lingered in her mind, his words echoing in the quiet spaces of her thoughts.
"I feel like I know you," he had said, his voice calm, yet tinged with something deeper—something vulnerable. "But I don't." She could still hear the way he had hesitated before speaking those words, almost as if he too had been caught off guard by the intensity of the connection they'd shared.
At the time, she hadn't known what to say. All she had been able to do was nod, her heart racing faster than her thoughts could keep up. Now, sitting alone, Emilia felt a sense of dread creeping in. What did it mean? Did Aiden really feel it too, or was it all just in her head?
She let out a long breath, watching the steam rise from her cup. She had never been the type to overthink things—at least, not like this. But ever since she met Aiden, everything had shifted. He was different from the people she usually interacted with. There was something magnetic about him, a quiet confidence that she couldn't help but be drawn to. Yet every time they spoke, she was left with more questions than answers.
The worst part was not knowing whether those questions would ever be answered. Did Aiden feel the same pull she did? Was there something deeper between them, or was it just a fleeting connection that had no real foundation?
Is it just me? she wondered, the question lingering in her mind like a stubborn echo. She didn't want to admit it, but a part of her was afraid it was just her—just her overanalyzing, imagining things that weren't really there. She had spent so many years hiding her emotions, afraid of getting too close to anyone, and now here she was, feeling like she was on the edge of something significant, something real.
Her phone buzzed on the table, jolting her from her thoughts. She glanced at the screen, surprised to see a message from Aiden.
"Hey, you around today? Would you want to meet up later?"
Her heart skipped a beat. He wanted to meet? It was the first time he had reached out to her like this, and it sent a flutter of excitement through her chest. But before she could type a response, doubt crept in.
What if he only wanted to meet as friends? What if he didn't feel the same way? What if, after everything, this was just a casual interaction for him, and she was reading too much into it?
Is it just me?
She stared at the message for a moment longer, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. What if she misread the situation? What if she misunderstood everything? Her thoughts were racing, but deep down, she knew she couldn't let fear control her.
She took a deep breath and typed back, "Yeah, I'm free. Where do you want to meet?"
Within seconds, he replied. "How about the library? I have some work to do, but I thought we could hang out while I get through it."
The library. It was familiar territory for both of them, a neutral space where they could talk or not talk, where the pressure of being around other people could ease some of the tension that hung in the air when they were alone. She smiled at his suggestion, feeling the weight of her doubts begin to lighten just a little.
Maybe this time, I won't overthink it, she thought, a little more confident than she had been earlier.
---
The library was quieter than usual when Emilia arrived. The low hum of students typing on keyboards and the soft rustle of pages turning seemed distant, almost like a muffled background to the thoughts racing through her mind. She spotted Aiden sitting at one of the long tables near the back, his laptop open, a few textbooks scattered around him. As usual, he looked completely at ease, focused, but not withdrawn—just... him.
She walked over to him, her steps tentative but sure. When he saw her, he looked up, and for a brief moment, their eyes met, a flicker of something passing between them. Aiden's lips curved into a small smile.
"Hey," he greeted, pushing aside a few books to make space for her. "Glad you could make it."
"Yeah, of course," Emilia replied, sitting down across from him. She adjusted her bag nervously, trying not to look too eager, though she felt her heart racing in her chest. She could feel the connection between them, stronger now than it had been before, but there was something different this time—something unspoken.
Aiden shifted in his seat, looking down at his laptop before glancing back at her. "I'm sorry if this is a bit dull. I've got a lot of work to catch up on, but we can still hang out."
Emilia nodded, trying to ease the tension in her own chest. "It's fine. I can just read or something. No pressure."
He smiled again, and she couldn't help but feel a little lighter, though the undercurrent of uncertainty still lingered. She had to admit, the distance between them, the space they had been trying to navigate, felt different now. There was a weight to the silence they shared, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It felt like they were both testing the waters, unsure of how to proceed.
The minutes passed slowly as Aiden worked, and Emilia flipped through a book, her thoughts drifting every so often. But all the while, she couldn't help but steal glances at him, wondering what was going through his mind. He seemed completely engrossed in his work, but there were moments when he would glance up at her, his eyes meeting hers in that way that made her heart flutter and her mind spin with questions.
Is it just me? she thought again, the question a persistent weight in her chest.
As the afternoon wore on, Aiden finally closed his laptop, letting out a small sigh of relief. He ran a hand through his hair, looking at her with a soft smile. "I think that's enough work for today. Want to take a break?"
Emilia nodded, feeling a small sense of relief that the awkward tension wasn't taking over. "Sure, I could use a break."
They sat in silence for a few moments, but it wasn't the heavy kind of silence that made her want to fill the space with words. This was different—comfortable, even. It felt like they didn't need to say anything, like just being in the same place was enough.
"I don't know why," Aiden finally said, his voice quieter than usual, "but there's something about you that I can't quite figure out."
Emilia's heart skipped a beat at his words, but she kept her composure. "What do you mean?"
He shrugged, a small, almost self-deprecating smile on his lips. "I don't know. I've always been the kind of person who doesn't get too close to people, but with you… it's different. Like, I feel like I can talk to you about things I don't even understand myself."
Her breath caught in her throat. Was he saying what she thought he was saying? Was there more to this than she realized?
"I feel the same way," Emilia replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's like there's this connection, but I don't know how to explain it."
Aiden looked at her for a long moment, his gaze intense. "Yeah. Me neither. But I think it's real."
For the first time since meeting him, Emilia felt a sense of certainty. Maybe it wasn't just her. Maybe, just maybe, this connection was something real.
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