The campus was hushed under the early evening sky. Faint traces of orange and lavender streaked the clouds as the sun dipped low, casting long shadows across the pavement. Students wandered in and out of buildings, some with coffees in hand, others with earbuds and tired eyes.
Liam walked beside Cara, a comfortable silence between them as they exited the library after another study session. This time, they'd actually managed to get work done—well, some work.
But the real progress hadn't been in the pages of their group paper.
It had been in the glances that lingered longer than before. In the way Cara had leaned in to read something off his laptop screen, her shoulder brushing against his just a second too long. In how she'd smiled—not the polite, public one—but a quiet, real one that softened her entire face.
"Wanna walk a bit?" Cara asked as they reached the fork that would usually lead them to their separate dorms.
Liam blinked. "Sure."
She turned left instead of right, leading them toward the garden courtyard behind the old science building. It was mostly empty at this hour—peaceful. The fairy lights strung along the trellises were starting to flicker on, casting soft, golden halos over the cobblestone path.
They found a bench beneath a tree, its branches fluttering lightly in the wind.
Cara sat down first, pulling her jacket tighter around her shoulders. "I always liked this spot."
"I didn't even know it existed," Liam admitted.
She chuckled. "That's because most people don't slow down enough to find it."
Liam looked around. The sounds of the world—cars, laughter, footsteps—faded here, leaving only the rustle of leaves and the occasional bird calling out from a tree.
It felt like a secret.
"Can I ask you something?" Cara said, voice soft.
"Yeah."
"What made you keep it to yourself... all this time?"
Liam didn't have to ask what she meant.
He looked down at his hands, then back at her. "Because I respected you. And I respected what you had. You were with Jared. And I told myself that if I really liked you—really liked you—I wouldn't be the guy who got in the way."
Cara was quiet.
Liam added, "I used to think maybe I was being a coward. But... I guess I just didn't want you to see me as someone who waited around, hoping for you to be single."
She let out a small breath. "That's exactly how I don't see you."
He looked up, meeting her gaze.
"I've been thinking about how I was in that relationship," Cara continued. "How much I gave, and how much of myself I lost just trying to keep things from falling apart. Jared wasn't a bad guy, he just... didn't really see me the way I wanted to be seen."
Liam didn't say anything, just listened.
Cara went on, "You're the first person I've been around where I don't feel like I need to impress or shrink or be anyone else."
A smile crept onto Liam's lips. "That means more than you know."
She nudged his shoulder. "Don't let it go to your head."
"Too late."
They laughed quietly.
Then, silence again—but the kind that held warmth.
Liam turned toward her, hesitant. "I know we're taking things slow. And I'm not trying to push anything. But... I think about you. A lot."
Cara glanced at him, then away, the tips of her ears turning pink.
"I think about you too," she whispered.
It was nothing dramatic—no fireworks, no kiss under the stars.
But Liam reached out, slowly, gently—and let his hand rest on top of hers on the bench.
Cara didn't move away.
She just smiled.
And rested her head against his shoulder.
They sat there for a long time, watching the fairy lights twinkle, listening to the breeze rustle through the leaves. The world felt quiet, but Liam's heart was loud—loud with the possibility of what this could become.
Not a crush.
Not a fantasy.
But something real.
Something that didn't need to be rushed.
Something worth waiting for.