Aurora curled into herself, wrapping her arms around her knees. Tears soaked her cheeks.
Minutes…. or maybe hours passed just like that with her still in that state.
The room was dark except for the faint streetlight glow and the moonlight filtering through the curtains. The world outside continued as if nothing had changed. But inside Aurora's heart, a war was being waged….grief against anger, regret against resolve.
The buzzing started again. Texts this time.
She ignored them all.
She needed... something. Some kind of lifeline to cling to.
Something to remind her that she was still herself , not just Ethan's discarded, heartbroken ex-girlfriend.
Slowly, she forced herself to her feet and stumbled toward her bookshelf.
Her fingers skimmed the spines of her favorite novels. Worlds she used to lose herself in before Ethan came along and demanded all her time, all her energy, all her love.
Her gaze landed on a familiar name: "Eleanor Gray"— the mysterious author whose books had taught her to dream bigger, love harder, fight stronger.
Aurora pulled the worn copy off the shelf and collapsed onto her bed.
The pages smelled like ink and memory.
She clutched the book to her chest and closed her eyes.
Tomorrow, she promised herself.
Tomorrow, she would start over.
But tonight... tonight she would grieve.
And maybe …..just maybe …..she would start remembering who she was without him.
The next morning dawned gray and damp, matching her mood perfectly.
Aurora showered, dressed in her softest jeans and a baggy sweater, and tied her hair back in a messy bun. She avoided the mirror. She didn't want to see the red rims of her eyes, the swollen sadness in her face.
Mia burst in just as Aurora was shoving her phone into her bag.
"Girl, where were you last night?" Mia demanded, tossing her heels off and collapsing dramatically onto her bed. "I looked for you after the fireworks but you were gone! Wait... are you okay?"
Aurora forced a smile, but it wobbled at the corners.
"I broke up with Ethan," she said quietly.
Mia shot up like she'd been electrocuted. "*What?! Oh my God, are you serious?"
Aurora nodded, feeling strangely numb.
Mia scrambled across the room and pulled Aurora into a fierce hug. "I am sooo proud of you," she said, voice thick with emotion. "I know how hard that was. You deserve so much better, Rory."
The tears threatened again, but Aurora blinked them back. She hugged Mia tighter, grateful beyond words.
"I just... I….i need to clear my head today," Aurora whispered. "I'm going to the library for a bit."
Mia pulled back and studied her face. "Okay. Good. Space is good. Just text me if you need me, okay?"
"I will," Aurora promised.
Armed with nothing but her tote bag and Eleanor Gray's novel, Aurora headed across campus.
The library was blessedly quiet.
She chose a corner table by a window, surrounded by rows of worn books and the soft scratch of pens against paper. It was comforting… safe.
She opened her novel and tried to read, but her thoughts kept drifting.
Was Ethan still trying to call her? Was he angry? Sad? Furious?
Did she even care?
Aurora sighed and turned the page, looking up briefly…and that's when she noticed him.
The boy from the night before.
He sat a few tables away, half-hidden behind a stack of books. His hair was dark, messy in an artfully careless way. He wore a gray hoodie and jeans, and he was staring intently at a thick book bounded by a dark blue leather.
Except... every few minutes, his eyes flicked up , right at her.
Their gazes collided briefly.
Aurora's heart skipped, but not in the way it used to around Ethan.
This was different …sharp, unsettling, but also... curious.
He quickly looked away, pretending to be engrossed in his book.
Aurora frowned slightly.
Had she seen him before?
He looked... familiar.
And not just from last night.
Flashes filled her mind… a boy at the coffee shop by the philosophy building. A figure sitting three rows behind during her Creative Writing lecture. Someone strolling past her favorite bench near the garden courtyard.
"Was it him all along?"
The realization sent a strange shiver down her spine.
She turned back to her novel, pretending to read, but her mind raced.
Coincidence?
Or something more?
When she glanced up again, he was still there.
Watching.
Waiting.
Aurora's fingers tightened around the edge of her book.
Maybe she was being ridiculous. Maybe he was just another student who liked the library.
But a voice inside her , the one she usually ignored whispered, "Find out!."
Before she could overthink it, she pushed her chair back, gathered her courage like armor around her, and stood.
The sound seemed to echo in the quiet space. A few students looked up briefly, but she kept her eyes fixed on her goal.
The boy whose name was Lucas noticed her approach. His body stiffened slightly, his hands tightening on the book, but he didn't move. He watched her like a wary animal unsure if she was friend or predator.
Aurora stopped a few feet from his table.
"Hey," she said, voice soft but steady.
Lucas blinked up at her, feigning surprise. "Hey."
Up close, he was even more familiar , and even more handsome than she realized.
Dark, thoughtful eyes.
A jawline sharp enough to cut glass. Yet there was something almost... sad about him. Something he hid behind the crooked little smile he was offering her now.
"Um... sorry if this is weird," Aurora said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear nervously. "But... have we met before?"
Lucas tilted his head slightly, pretending to think. "I don't think so."
"But..." She laughed awkwardly, feeling foolish. "I swear I've seen you around a lot lately."
He shrugged, one shoulder lifting lazily. "Maybe we just hang out in the same places."
Aurora flushed. Maybe she was imagining everything.
Still, something made her stay rooted to the spot.