Author's Note:
Not all relationships start with spectacle. Some unfold in routine — in presence. This chapter is the shift. From potential to pattern. From "maybe" to "of course."
It wasn't a secret.
But it wasn't a show either.
No Instagram posts. No stories. No dramatic declarations.
Just… appearances.
Two names, together.
Quietly. Repeatedly.
At first, people assumed it was a one-off. Sera Marino, of all people, stepping out of her armored convoy at 2:15 p.m. sharp, waiting outside the engineering building. White blazer. Gold chains. Expression unreadable.
Then came day two.
Then three.
By the end of the week, the campus whispers were thunderous.
And then Niv walked out. Hoodie. AirPods. Calm like he'd never known the weight of attention in his life. Straight to her.
She'd kiss him on the cheek — brief, barely there — and they'd leave.
No guards. No performance. Just intention.
And in the backseat of her car?
Sir Reginald, King of Bears, still sitting proud.
Professors paused. Students stared. One freshman tripped over their backpack trying to take a photo.
Sera Marino. With him?
Across campus, rumors spread faster than midterms.
She wasn't performing. That's what made it worse. Or better. Depending on who you asked.
Because if it wasn't a stunt… it was real.
And Ethan?
Still in England.
Still oblivious.
The strange thing was how normal it felt. They studied. Ate. Walked. No grand gestures.
But Niv noticed the changes.
Her car playlist shifted. Less orchestral, more lo-fi.
His hoodies started going missing.
One afternoon, she waited by the library steps, scrolling on her phone. Wearing his grey zip-up like she'd never owned another jacket.
He saw it.
Didn't comment.
But he smiled — just barely.
She looked up.
"Stop staring."
"You look better in it."
"Obviously."
She offered him a bite of her protein bar like it was a natural extension of the conversation. And he took it.
No theatrics. Just ease.
By week's end, no one called it a rumor anymore.
They were something.
And whatever it was — it was staying.