We Were Never Strangers

CHAPTER 7

ISLA

The hour before their next lecture passed surprisingly quickly.

Mostly because Daniel somehow managed to turn even the most boring classes into actual conversations.

At the moment, he and Isla sat outside the Humanities Building, occupying one of the shaded benches while waiting for Chloe.

Students moved around them in steady streams, heading between lectures and grabbing coffees before their next classes.

"So Marketing Principles wasn't as terrible as I expected," Daniel admitted.

"Give it a week."

He laughed.

"You really have no faith in education."

"I have plenty of faith."

"That's not convincing."

"I have faith in passing."

"Ah. That's different."

A grin tugged at Daniel's mouth.

Before Isla could reply, her phone buzzed.

Then buzzed again.

She glanced down.

A new message.

From Adrian.

Immediately suspicious.

Opening it, she found exactly what she expected.

Adrian:

We need to discuss the project.

Adrian:

Library. 4 PM.

Isla stared at the screen.

No greeting.

No introduction.

Not even a question mark.

Typical.

Her fingers moved quickly.

Isla:

Good afternoon to you too.

Three dots appeared instantly.

Adrian:

4 PM.

Isla:

You know normal people usually start conversations with hello.

Adrian:

Not relevant.

Isla:

You're impossible.

Adrian:

4 PM.

Isla rolled her eyes.

Isla:

Fine.

A second later another message arrived.

Adrian:

Bring your ideas.

Isla:

I have ideas.

Adrian:

That's concerning.

Isla:

I hate you.

Adrian:

Noted.

Isla snorted.

Across from her, Daniel looked curious.

"What's funny?"

She slipped her phone back into her bag.

"Nothing."

"Liar."

"Project work."

"Your partner?"

She nodded.

"Adrian?"

A simple hum escaped her.

Daniel leaned back slightly.

"So when are you guys starting?"

"Today."

"Already?"

"Apparently."

"He seems enthusiastic."

"That's one word for it."

Daniel laughed.

"You have ideas?"

"A few."

She shrugged.

"Nothing finalized yet."

"What's the project even about again?"

For the next few minutes, they discussed possible topics and presentation formats until a familiar voice interrupted.

"There you are."

Chloe appeared out of nowhere.

Coffee in one hand.

Notebook in the other.

Looking mildly offended.

"I've been looking for both of you."

"You found us."

"Unfortunately."

Daniel stood.

"Ready?"

"No."

"Class starts in six minutes."

"Then absolutely not."

Chloe grabbed Isla's arm.

"Move."

And just like that, the three of them joined the crowd heading toward their lecture hall.

---

The lecture ended almost two hours later.

Students immediately began packing their bags.

Conversations restarted.

Chairs scraped against the floor.

Isla shoved her notebook into her backpack and stood.

"See you later," Chloe said.

"Bye."

Daniel stood too.

"See you in Business Foundations tomorrow."

"Hopefully."

"Hopefully?"

"You ask too many questions."

Daniel looked offended.

Before he could reply, Isla adjusted her bag and turned toward the aisle.

She had barely taken two steps when something stopped her.

A hand around her wrist.

Not tight.

Not painful.

Just unexpected.

Isla froze.

So did Chloe.

Several nearby students glanced over automatically.

Daniel seemed to realize what he'd done at exactly the same moment.

His expression shifted immediately.

"Oh—sorry."

Isla smoothly slipped her hand free before the situation became any more awkward.

"What happened?"

Daniel rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

For a second, he looked genuinely embarrassed.

"I just wanted to ask where you're going."

Chloe's eyes widened slightly.

Then she looked between them.

Then a very familiar teasing expression appeared on her face.

Dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Isla ignored it completely.

"The library."

Daniel nodded.

"Oh."

A pause.

Then—

"Project meeting?"

"Unfortunately."

That earned a laugh.

"Good luck."

"I'll need it."

"That bad?"

"It's Adrian."

"Fair point."

Chloe nearly choked trying not to laugh.

Daniel shook his head with a grin.

"Okay. I'll stop bothering you."

"Appreciated."

He placed a hand over his heart dramatically.

"You're cruel."

"I've been told."

A smile tugged at Daniel's mouth.

"See you later, Isla."

"See you."

With that, he headed toward the opposite exit.

The moment he disappeared into the hallway crowd, Chloe turned.

Slowly.

Suspiciously.

Isla immediately knew that look.

"No."

"I didn't say anything."

"You were about to."

"I was."

"Don't."

Chloe grinned.

Far too innocently.

Unfortunately, Isla wasn't buying it.

Ignoring her completely, she adjusted her bag and continued toward the library.

But as she walked across campus, one thought lingered in the back of her mind.

The wrist grab.

It hadn't bothered her.

Not really.

Just...

Surprised her.

And for some reason—

it felt strange enough that she kept thinking about it all the way to the library.

The library was enormous.

Which was currently a problem.

A very annoying problem.

Isla stood near the entrance, slowly turning in a circle while scanning the rows of bookshelves and study tables.

Nothing.

No Adrian.

No sign of him anywhere.

Students occupied almost every corner of the building. Some studied. Some slept on open textbooks. Others pretended to study while scrolling through their phones.

Yet somehow Adrian Blake was nowhere to be found.

Typical.

After another three minutes of searching, Isla gave up.

Pulling out her phone, she opened their chat.

Isla:

Where are you?

The reply arrived immediately.

Almost suspiciously fast.

Adrian:

Back corner.

Isla:

That narrows it down to approximately twenty locations.

Adrian:

Near the business archives.

A second later another message appeared.

Adrian:

The table beside the window.

Finally.

Following the directions, Isla made her way deeper into the library.

Past study rooms.

Past bookshelves.

Past a section she was fairly certain nobody had visited in years.

Then she spotted him.

Of course.

He had somehow found the most isolated corner in the entire building.

Hidden behind shelves and tucked beside a large window overlooking the campus.

No wonder she couldn't find him.

Adrian glanced up as she approached.

Then looked at the time.

A mistake.

A huge mistake.

Because Isla already knew what was coming.

"You're late."

She dropped into the chair opposite him dramatically.

"You're impossible to find."

"You still managed."

"Barely."

Adrian returned his attention to his laptop.

"You took twelve minutes."

"You chose the shadiest location in the library."

"It's quiet."

"It's hidden."

"It's strategic."

"It's suspicious."

Adrian looked up.

"I didn't want another rumor."

Fair.

Unfortunately.

"There are enough of those to last until graduation."

"Exactly."

For a second neither spoke.

Then Isla opened her laptop.

"Fine."

Adrian nodded once.

"Project."

"Project."

The mutual suffering began immediately.

---

For the next hour they argued.

Professionally.

Mostly.

Professor Carter had assigned every pair a semester-long business strategy project.

The objective was to analyze a real-world business problem and propose practical solutions backed by research and data.

Simple.

In theory.

In reality—

"That topic is boring."

"It is realistic."

"It is boring and realistic."

"Those aren't mutually exclusive."

"They should be."

Adrian sighed.

"We are not analyzing coffee shop branding."

"People love coffee."

"People love oxygen too. We're not doing a project on breathing."

Isla looked offended.

"That's not the same thing."

"It is."

"It isn't."

"It is."

"It isn't."

Three tables away, a student slowly packed his belongings and left.

Probably frightened.

Reasonable.

Eventually they settled into a rhythm.

Arguing.

Brainstorming.

Rejecting ideas.

Creating new ones.

By the second hour they had narrowed their options to three possible topics.

Business expansion strategies.

Digital consumer behavior.

Or improving customer retention through brand loyalty programs.

To Isla's annoyance—

Adrian's suggestions were actually good.

To Adrian's annoyance—

so were hers.

Neither admitted it.

Obviously.

---

Then a familiar voice interrupted.

"Well this is unexpected."

Both looked up.

Daniel.

Of course.

A backpack hung over one shoulder.

A coffee rested in his hand.

And judging by his expression, he looked entirely too pleased to have found them.

"Hey," Isla greeted.

Daniel smiled and pulled out the chair beside her.

"Didn't expect to see you here."

Isla pointed toward the mountain of notes spread across the table.

"Project."

"Oh right."

Adrian's jaw tightened slightly.

Interesting.

Because Daniel already knew that.

He had literally asked her about it earlier.

Apparently Isla noticed too.

A small crease appeared between her brows.

But before she could question it, Daniel continued talking.

"How's it going?"

"Terribly."

"It's not terrible."

Isla pointed at Adrian.

"See?"

Daniel laughed.

"Yeah, I'd probably say the same thing."

Another laugh escaped her.

Something Adrian noticed immediately.

Again.

Why did she laugh so much around him?

Every conversation.

Every joke.

Every stupid comment.

Daniel says something.

Isla laughs.

Meanwhile—

Adrian spent most of their conversations arguing with her.

A strange realization hit him.

One that immediately annoyed him.

Because why exactly was he thinking about that?

He wasn't.

He refused to.

The thought was promptly shoved into the furthest corner of his brain.

Where it belonged.

Daniel remained blissfully unaware.

For another ten minutes he chatted with Isla before checking his watch.

"I should go."

"Probably."

He placed a hand over his heart.

"That hurt."

"You'll survive."

"Barely."

Daniel grinned.

Then looked at both of them.

"Good luck with the project."

"We need it," Isla muttered.

A laugh escaped him before he finally left.

The moment he disappeared around the bookshelf—

the table felt quieter.

Strangely quieter.

---

The next three hours were surprisingly productive.

Eventually they settled on a topic.

How Digital Brand Loyalty Programs Influence Consumer Retention Among University Students.

Practical.

Relevant.

Researchable.

And apparently acceptable to both of them.

Which felt like a miracle.

Now came the next battle.

Dividing the work.

"You'll do the survey design."

Adrian looked up.

"No."

"Why?"

"You talk to people."

"So?"

"You should collect responses."

"That's punishment."

"It's efficiency."

"That's the same thing."

Adrian ignored her.

"We need literature review, data collection, competitor analysis, survey design, and presentation slides."

Isla groaned.

"This project is worth twenty-five percent."

"Exactly."

"Professor Carter needs hobbies."

For another thirty minutes they divided responsibilities.

Both would work together on the final presentation and conclusions.

When they finally looked up—

the library was almost empty.

The sky outside had turned dark.

Hours had vanished without either of them noticing.

Isla stretched.

Her back immediately protested.

"Ouch."

Adrian closed his laptop.

"We're done for today."

"Thank God."

They packed their bags and headed toward the exit.

Outside, the evening air was cool.

Campus lights illuminated the pathways.

Students wandered between dorms and buildings.

For the first time all day, Isla noticed how exhausted she felt.

Then she remembered something.

Her dorm.

On the opposite side of campus.

A ten-minute walk during the day.

Much longer when tired.

She groaned dramatically.

"What?"

"My dorm."

Adrian glanced toward the distant residence buildings.

"Oh."

"I have to walk all the way there."

"Tragic."

"It is tragic."

Without another word, they headed in opposite directions.

Or so Isla thought.

A minute later—

HONK.

She jumped.

Spinning around immediately.

A black car sat beside the curb.

The driver's window rolled down.

Adrian looked entirely too calm.

"What is wrong with you?"

"You saw me."

"You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Get in."

"No."

"Isla."

"No."

Adrian looked unimpressed.

The kind of unimpressed that suggested his patience was rapidly disappearing.

"I am perfectly capable of walking."

"It's dark."

"It's campus."

"It's a ten-minute drive."

"It's a fifteen-minute walk."

"Get in."

"No."

A pause.

Then Adrian pinched the bridge of his nose.

Already annoyed.

"Would you stop arguing for five seconds and sit in the car?"

"I'm not arguing."

"You've said no four times."

"I had reasons."

"You had opinions."

"I had valid opinions."

Adrian opened the passenger door.

"Sit."

Something about the tone made Isla roll her eyes.

But after an entire afternoon of project work—

she was too tired to continue fighting.

"You're annoying."

"So I've been told."

Still muttering complaints under her breath, Isla walked toward the car and climbed inside.

A second later the door shut.

And Adrian drove away from campus.