Eliana didn't see Xavier all weekend.
Not at the library.
Not at the cafeteria.
Not even outside the hostel where boys liked to linger and joke around.
It should have made things easier.
It didn't.
Because instead of the person, her mind held the moment:
Those eyes on her
The quiet way he looked
Like he was thinking something he wasn't saying
She tried to forget it.
She didn't tell Linda.
She buried herself in lectures and notes and anything that gave her brain something to do.
But on Monday morning, walking into class, she felt it before she saw it.
Presence.
Xavier was already there.
Sitting at the back.
One arm resting across the chair lazily.
Head tilted slightly like the whole world amused him.
His gaze lifted the moment she stepped inside.
No smile.
No nod.
Just that same quiet awareness.
Like he saw her first every time.
Eliana looked away quickly and sat two rows ahead.
Close enough to be aware of him.
Far enough to pretend she wasn't.
Class started.
People whispered.
Pens scratched.
But now and then, Eliana could feel his attention again.
Not constant.
Just… there.
Like he checked if she was still there too.
When the lecture ended, students slowly filed out.
Eliana gathered her books, took her time, hoping he would walk out first.
But she heard his footsteps stop beside her desk.
Not too close.
Just… enough.
"Morning," he said quietly.
Her pulse jumped before her voice formed.
"…Morning."
She didn't look up.
He waited.
Like silence didn't bother him the way it bothered everyone else.
Then he leaned slightly, his tone low enough for only her:
"You don't talk to people much."
It wasn't criticism.
Just observation.
Like he was piecing her together.
Eliana finally looked at him.
"And you talk to people too much."
Xavier's mouth curved — not a full smile, just the hint of one.
The kind that suggested he could smile beautifully, but rarely did.
"Fair," he said softly.
A group of girls passed behind him, giggling, calling his name.
He didn't turn.
Not even a glance.
Eliana didn't know why that mattered.
He continued, voice steady, calm:
"I wasn't going to bother you. But we got paired for the research project."
Eliana blinked.
"We did?"
He nodded.
She exhaled, trying not to reveal the way her heartbeat reacted.
"Okay," she said simply. "We can work on it at the library then."
"Or," he said, "you can pick the place. Wherever you're comfortable."
She hesitated.
She wasn't used to people giving her space.
Most people either pushed or disappeared.
But Xavier did neither.
He just… waited.
She finally nodded.
"The library is fine."
He looked at her for a moment longer — like he was trying to learn her in silence — then stepped back.
"Wednesday. After class."
He walked away without looking back.
But Eliana stood there for a second, still.
Like something in her had shifted.
Not big.
Not dramatic.
Just… real.
Something beginning.
Not rushed.
Not forced.
Just the quiet kind of gravity that pulls two people toward the same point…
even if both try to pretend they don't feel it.