The air outside was crisp, the late-morning sun warm against my skin. As I made my way to the lecture hall, my phone buzzed. I glanced down to see Aiden's name pop up.
Why's he calling now?
I hesitated for a moment, then answered. "Hey."
"Raven," Aiden's voice came through, his tone lighter than last night. "Hey, um… I just wanted to say sorry. For sounding… I don't know, kind of off last night."
I shook my head, though he couldn't see it. "Oh, no, it's fine. Really. I wasn't mad or anything."
"Still," he continued, "I felt like I should say something. I didn't mean to come off that way."
"It's all good," I assured him with a small smile. "Besides, we've got bigger things to focus on, like finishing that project next week."
"Right," he said, a hint of a chuckle in his voice. "Final meeting's coming up, huh?"
"Yep. We've got this," I replied confidently, though a small part of me was still a little nervous about pulling everything together in time.
"Well, just wanted to check in," Aiden said. "I'll see you later?"
"Yeah, see you then. And thanks for calling."
"No problem. Later, Raven."
"Later," I echoed before hanging up.
The lecture hall was buzzing with noise as I finally made it to my seat, just a few minutes before class started. My mind drifted back to the phone call. It wasn't like Aiden to sound so off like that—he'd always seemed so self-assured, so confident in his actions. It was… nice, in a way.
Shaking my head, I pulled out my notebook, ready to dive into today's lecture. Whatever it was, it would have to wait.
The rest of the lecture passed by in a blur, my pen scratching across my notebook as I tried to stay focused. But my mind kept drifting back to the conversation with Aiden. His apology wasn't the part that bothered me—it was his tone last night, that strange offhand comment about me being "in good hands." What did he mean by that? I shook the thought away, realizing how silly it sounded to overthink something so small. Still, it lingered in the back of my mind, like an itch I couldn't scratch.
When class ended, I gathered my things quickly, not wanting to get caught up in the usual wave of post-lecture chatter. I made my way to the library instead, hoping to get a head start on revising some of my notes.
The library was quiet, the soft hum of the air conditioning and the occasional rustle of paper the only sounds. I found an empty corner by the window, dropped my bag onto the table, and pulled out my notebook again.
As I started jotting down key points from class, my phone buzzed with a text. I glanced at the screen.
Maya: Girl, you forgot your umbrella. It's gonna pour later.
I sighed. Maya always had a knack for knowing these things.
Me: Thanks, psychic weather lady. I'll survive.
Her reply came almost instantly.
Maya: Don't say I didn't warn you! Anyway, let's grab food tonight. My treat.
Me: Sounds good.
It was nice, having her around. After everything that had happened with Sophie, I realized how much I needed someone who actually… cared. Maya wasn't perfect—she had her quirks—but she wasn't afraid to call me out or drag me out of my own head when I got too wrapped up in my thoughts.
I put my phone down and returned to my notes, trying to piece together the last bit of the lecture when the sound of rain tapping against the window caught my attention. Great.
The rain streaked down the glass, blurring the world outside. It felt oddly fitting like the chaos in my head refusing to settle. As I stared out at the downpour, my thoughts wandered again. The past week had been overwhelming, to say the least. Between the tension with Aiden, my awkward encounters with Elias, and my own spiraling life, I felt like I was teetering on the edge of something I couldn't quite define.
I exhaled sharply, closing my notebook. Maybe I needed a break after all.
After what felt like hours in the library, my mind refused to cooperate. I packed my things and texted Maya to meet up early.
Later that evening, Maya and I sat in a corner booth of a small diner not far from campus. The rain had stopped, but the air was still damp, the streets glistening under the streetlights.
"Okay, so tell me," Maya said, leaning forward with a mischievous grin. "What's going on with you and Aiden?"
I nearly choked on my water. "What? Nothing!"
"Oh, come on. The way he looks at you? The way you don't see it? Girl, it's like watching one of those rom-coms where the audience is screaming at the lead to notice what's right in front of her."
I rolled my eyes, but the heat creeping up my neck betrayed me. "You're imagining things."
"Am I?" she teased, raising an eyebrow.
I shook my head, focusing on my plate. "We're just friends, Maya. Besides, I've got enough on my plate without adding… that into the mix."
Maya shrugged, but the smirk never left her face. "If you say so."
The conversation shifted after that, moving to lighter topics—classes, random campus gossip, Maya's ongoing feud with her biology professor.
As we left the diner, the cool night air hit my face, and I couldn't help but smile. I guess its been a while since we hung out.
The next morning, I woke up early, feeling oddly refreshed. My phone buzzed on the nightstand—a text from Aiden.
Aiden: Morning. Ready to crush this project next week?
I grinned.
Me: Always. Let's do this.
I had no idea what next week would bring, and neither did I want to know, with the project's final evaluation and also the case I had to start while I wasn't too sure why Mr. Farrow or Elias wanted to help me or why anything was happening, but something about it felt... heavy. Like a storm waiting to break., but I feel like I could maybe handle it. After all, I had two reasons keeping me tethered—two people who made the chaos worth it.