Ariana noticed him more and more;a flash of a med student's white coat in the cafeteria, a familiar voice calling her name across the library, a casual lean against the wall near her lecture hall. Leo was always there, his smiles a little too wide, his compliments a little too practiced. 🌪
He had begun framing his advances as "coincidental" help. He'd offer to carry her books, save her a seat, or explain a complex economic model, his tone dripping with a false, friendly concern she never asked for. Each interaction left her feeling uneasy, as if she were being slowly, patiently cornered. 🚀
She considered telling Kian. He would confront Leo, and the situation would explode. But she saw the weight he already carried;the grief for his father, the financial strain, the constant worry for Jessica. Adding the fuel of jealousy and a potential physical altercation to that burden felt selfish.
So, she chose silence. She perfected the art of the polite but firm dismissal, kept her routes across campus unpredictable, and never lingered alone. It was a quiet, exhausting vigilance, a shield she held up alone. Protecting Kian's peace, even from a distance, felt like its own form of love. She would handle her own shadows, so he could focus on bearing his visible loads. đźŽ