The next day, Lina woke up feeling a little… frazzled. The memory of confessing to Jessie last night kept replaying in her mind, and suddenly Evan didn't feel like "just a friend" anymore.
She got dressed carefully, opting for something simple but not too attention-grabbing. Maybe if she kept a low profile today, she could avoid Evan entirely.
As she stepped onto the campus green, she mentally reviewed all the lecture halls and café routes. "Stay focused, Lina," she muttered under her breath. "Avoid Evan. Avoid Evan. Avoid… Evan."
Her plan immediately ran into a roadblock. She rounded the corner toward the library and, boom, Evan was standing there, leaning against a lamppost, headphones in, scrolling through his phone. He looked casual, relaxed, and absolutely effortless, which made her stomach do somersaults.
She ducked behind a bush. "Nope, he didn't see me. Perfect."
She tried another route. Cafeteria. Maybe she could grab breakfast without running into him. No luck. Evan was already at the salad bar, tossing lettuce like he was auditioning for a cooking show. She sighed dramatically and backed into the hall, trying to disappear behind a group of students.
By mid-morning, Lina was practically tiptoeing across campus like a secret agent. Every time she thought she had lost him, he appeared: in the courtyard, outside the lecture hall, even by the vending machines. She began muttering to herself. "How is this possible? He's everywhere!"
Finally, she made it to her psychology lecture, slipping quietly into the last row, hoping to blend in with the wallflowers. She exhaled, triumphant… until Evan plopped down two seats away.
"Hey," he whispered, leaning slightly toward her with a grin.
Lina froze. "Uh, hey," she mumbled, trying not to turn beet-red in front of thirty other students.
He nudged her shoulder lightly. "Long time no see," he teased, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Uh, yeah… sure," Lina said, fumbling with her notebook. Her pencil rolled onto the floor, and she bent down to pick it up, right in front of him. Evan's gaze followed her every move, and she could feel the heat rising to her cheeks.
After the lecture, she tried to sneak out through the side exit. Predictably, Evan appeared again, walking with his backpack slung lazily over one shoulder. "Hey, Lina! Going somewhere?"
"I… uh… yeah, you?," she stammered, glancing around for an escape.
He smirked, clearly enjoying her flustered state. "Just heading to the café? I was thinking of grabbing some coffee. Wanna join?."
Lina froze. She could either run, which would look suspicious, or… accept her fate. She sighed. "Fine. Coffee it is."
As they walked together, Lina couldn't help but notice how easy it was to talk to him. She tried to remind herself that she was "avoiding him," but every smile, every joke, every little teasing comment made that plan impossible.
By the time they reached the café, Lina admitted silently that avoiding Evan was hopeless. And honestly… part of her didn't want to.
They both grabbed a table near the window, the late afternoon sunlight casting a warm glow over the café. Lina tried to act casual, fiddling with the sugar packets on the table like it was the most important thing in the world.
Evan leaned back in his chair, smirking, and said playfully, "I don't know… but it feels like you've been avoiding me all day."
Lina froze mid-twist of a sugar packet, nearly dropping it. "No, no, what? Nah, it's just…" She hesitated, panicking slightly as she scrambled for an excuse. "You… you look like my cat who died."
Evan nearly choked on his coffee. "Whhaaat?"
"Yeah," Lina said quickly, trying to keep a straight face, though a nervous chuckle escaped her lips. "My cat died yesterday, and… you kinda remind me of him."
Evan blinked at her, processing this for a moment before shaking his head and laughing. "Oh, Lina… I'm so sorry about your cat dying."
Lina shrugged, her cheeks flushing a little. "It's fine. He was old… and kind of annoying anyway."
Evan leaned forward, grinning, and said teasingly, "Well, if you're saying that means I hold a special place in your heart…"
Lina raised an eyebrow, a half-smile tugging at her lips. "As my dead cat?"
Evan laughed, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "Well… yeah. I guess that's a start."
Lina rolled her eyes but couldn't hide the small smile that threatened to break through. "You're impossible," she muttered.
"Impossible?" Evan repeated, feigning offense. "Me? I'm practically perfect. Except, of course, when I remind you of your late cat."
She chuckled, shaking her head. "You're lucky you're cute, Evan."
Evan's eyes widened slightly, a teasing smirk tugging at his lips. "What did you just say?"
Lina's face turned red, and she quickly waved her hand. "What? Nothing! I didn't say anything!"
Evan raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced, but before he could push further, Lina stood up abruptly. "Um, I have to get to debate practice. I'll… see you later."
She grabbed her bag and practically dashed out of the café, leaving Evan sitting there, frozen, his coffee half-forgotten in front of him.
He ran a hand through his hair, a slow smile creeping onto his face, his cheeks still flushed. "She… she's ridiculous," he muttered to himself.
But the truth was, he couldn't stop smiling.
Lina burst into the debate hall, her bag bouncing against her hip as she tried to catch her breath. She scanned the room, spotting her teammates already setting up notes and laptops. She muttered under her breath, "Focus, Lina. Debate practice, not Evan."
Still, her mind refused to cooperate. The memory of the café, Evan's teasing smirk, and the way he'd looked at her had her cheeks warming all over again.
"Lina! You're late!" her teammate called, waving a notebook.
"I know, I know," Lina said quickly, shoving her bag under the table. She fumbled with her notes, dropping a few papers in the process. As she bent down to pick them up, she realized she had a view of the entrance… and there was Evan, just standing outside the hall, looking like he wanted to wave but was holding himself back.
Lina's heart skipped a beat. She straightened up quickly, hoping he wouldn't notice her blush, but of course, he did. His lips twitched in a barely-there smile, and he quickly looked down at the floor, pretending to focus on something else.
She groaned silently. What is he doing here?
The debate coach blew her whistle, snapping Lina out of her thoughts. "Alright, everyone! Let's get started. Lina, why don't you go first with the opening arguments?"
Lina tried to focus, reading her notes aloud, but her words stumbled over themselves as her mind kept flashing back to Evan's teasing in the café. The butterflies in her stomach refused to leave, fluttering like they were rehearsing for their own debate.
Across the room, Evan's eyes flicked toward her a few times, and every time, he felt that strange warmth creeping up his neck. He clenched his fists on the table to stop his hands from shaking slightly. She's… she's adorable when she's flustered.
By the time Lina finished her argument, she was internally kicking herself. Focus, Lina! Debate, not Evan!
Her teammate whispered, "You okay? You're a little… distracted."
Lina just nodded, trying to look serious, but her smile betrayed her. Meanwhile, Evan watched silently, a faint blush still lingering.
When debate practice finally ended, Lina quickly gathered her notes, trying to look composed despite the lingering flutter in her chest.
She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "What are you doing here?"
Evan looked up with a mischievous grin. "I wanted to hear the points you made. Even though… mine was better, obviously."
Lina snorted. "Yeah, right. Sure, Evan. Totally better."
He shrugged, clearly unbothered. "I mean, facts don't lie."
Rolling her eyes, Lina fell into step beside him as they walked along the tree-lined paths of campus. "You know, it's dangerous to be this confident. Some people might take it the wrong way."
Evan laughed, bumping her lightly with his shoulder. "I dare them. But speaking of dangerous, you won't believe what happened to me this morning."
Lina tilted her head, curious. "Oh really? Do tell."
He leaned closer, lowering his voice as if sharing a top-secret scandal. "So, I was on my way to class, right? And some guy was chasing his runaway dog. The dog ran straight into my backpack, almost knocked me over, and then, get this, the guy started telling me to apologize to him and his dog, as if I had done something wrong."
Lina burst out laughing, nearly doubling over. "Wait… what? He asked you apologize to him? How does that even make sense?"
Evan grinned, clearly enjoying her reaction. "Exactly! And to make it even crazier, the dog somehow ended up following me for like… ten minutes. People probably thought I was some kind of dog whisperer."
Lina wiped a tear from her eye, laughing so hard she had to grab his arm for support. "Oh my goodness, Evan. That is… insane. Only you could have a morning like that."
He chuckled, a playful glint in his eyes. "Hey, you should see it as a warning. Life around me is chaotic, but also fun. You're lucky you get to witness it firsthand."
Lina shook her head, still smiling. "Lucky or cursed… I'm not sure yet."
Evan smirked and nudged her again. "Come on, admit it. You enjoy it. And don't think I didn't notice you trying to avoid me all day."
Lina froze, her cheeks warming. "I… what? No… I mean—"
He raised his hands in mock surrender, clearly amused. "Relax. I'm just messing with you. But seriously, that cat excuse? Priceless."
Lina groaned but couldn't stop smiling. "You're impossible."
Evan laughed, shaking his head. "Yeah, but you like it."
She rolled her eyes, trying to hide the truth, but the warmth in her chest betrayed her.