The library smelled faintly of old books and polished wood normally a place where I felt calm, safe, and in control.
Today… it felt like a battlefield.
I had no idea how I was supposed to focus on our project with Adrian sitting across from me. The moment I stepped into the room, he gave that infuriating smirk, dark eyes scanning my face as if he were studying my every reaction.
I clenched my jaw and ignored him, flipping open my notebook.
"Ready?" he asked casually, leaning back, arms folded. The sunlight hit his dark skin in a way that made my pulse skip, though I refused to acknowledge it.
"I'm always ready," I said sharply.
Adrian raised an eyebrow. "Always so serious."
"Yes. Unlike you."
He smirked, leaning forward slightly, letting his hand brush mine when he reached for a pen. My fingers tingled despite my fury, and I yanked my hand back instinctively.
"You're jumpy," he said lightly, voice low, teasing. "I like it."
I glared at him. "You're impossible."
He leaned back again, just far enough to look casual, but close enough that I could feel the heat coming off him.
The irony of hating someone so much while secretly being affected by their presence wasn't lost on me.
We spent the next hour going through formulas, graphs, and diagrams.
Every time I looked up, Adrian was doing something to make me furious.
A casual smirk.
A brush of his hand across the desk near mine.
Leaning slightly closer under the pretense of pointing at the charts.
I kept telling myself: It's deliberate. He's trying to provoke me. Don't give him the satisfaction.
But even as my fingers scribbled notes, I couldn't stop noticing him. The way his jawline caught the light. The confident tilt of his head. The way he seemed to command the room without trying.
And then… she appeared.
A girl from our class, one I had already seen Adrian teasing before, walked past the open library door.
"Hey," Adrian called casually, without even looking up. "You forgot your notebook?"
She froze, cheeks flushing. He leaned toward her in that infuriatingly slow, calculated way so close she had to step forward to take the notebook from him.
I felt my chest tighten. My hands shook slightly on my notebook.
He let his fingers linger on hers just long enough to make her shiver. She bit her lip nervously, eyes darting to mine as if she was asking for permission… and I felt an overwhelming urge to scream.
"What the hell is he doing?" I whispered under my breath.
Adrian noticed me watching and smirked. Just a small tilt of his lips, but it sent a wave of irritation straight through me.
"You're jealous," he said casually.
"I am not," I snapped, though my heart raced like it betrayed me.
"You are," he said again, softer this time, teasing, almost amused.
I slammed my notebook shut. "You're impossible."
Adrian's smirk widened, his dark eyes gleaming with amusement. "Maybe. But you… are very interesting when you're mad."
I glared at him, wishing for a moment that the floor would swallow me whole.
The girl left, muttering a quiet "thank you," and Adrian turned back to me.
"You see," he said lightly, leaning forward again, "I told you — you can't stop noticing me."
I crossed my arms tightly. "You're unbelievable."
"And yet," he said, voice dropping slightly, "I enjoy watching you squirm."
I had no words. My face burned, my stomach fluttered in a way I hated, and my brain screamed at me to ignore him, push him away, do anything but give in to his teasing.
The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur.
Adrian kept leaning closer under the guise of pointing at the charts, whispering things like:
"That's wrong let me show you."
"You're missing a step here."
"I think you need to slow down… you're too tense."
Every word, every glance, felt deliberate. He knew exactly what he was doing. And I hated him for it.
And yet… I couldn't stop reacting.
Finally, the bell rang. I packed my books quickly, glaring at Adrian.
"You're impossible," I muttered again, my voice low but filled with venom.
He tilted his head, watching me pack. "And yet… here you are."
I wanted to shove him out the door. I wanted to scream. I wanted to run.
But I couldn't. Because even after everything, even after the way he teased, even after seeing him flirt with another girl again… part of me couldn't stop thinking about him.
I hated that I thought about him.
Outside, the courtyard was empty except for Adrian, leaning casually against the wall.
"You coming?" he asked.
I glared at him. "I'm coming."
He fell into step beside me, just close enough that our arms almost brushed.
"You know," he said softly, "this project… I think it's going to be fun."
"I think you're the problem," I spat.
He laughed, that dark, teasing laugh that made me want to both strangle him and melt at the same time.
"Maybe," he said lightly. "But you'll get used to it."
I felt my teeth grit. My cheeks burned. My pulse raced.
And I realized one terrifying fact: living with him, competing with him, and watching him flirt with everyone… this was only going to get worse.
Much worse.
Because Adrian wasn't just a problem at school anymore. He was everywhere.
And he was impossible to ignore.
To be continued… 🔥