Chapter 4
1434 Words
Friday mornings always felt lighter.
Maybe it was because the weekend was finally within reach, or maybe it was because everyone on campus seemed to walk a little slower. Whatever the reason, Ava found herself smiling as she crossed the quad with a travel mug in one hand and her backpack slung over her shoulder.
The sky was bright blue, and the early autumn air carried just enough of a chill to make the sunshine feel welcome.
Her phone buzzed.
Mason: Dinner tonight? My treat.
She smiled before typing back.
Ava: You don’t have to treat me. You already took me out Wednesday.
Three dots appeared almost immediately.
Mason: I got the internship. I want to celebrate.
Ava: Then yes. Congratulations again.
She slipped her phone into her pocket, feeling a little guilty for doubting him the day before.
Maybe Chloe was wrong.
Maybe she had been reading too much into everything.
Relationships weren’t perfect.
People got stressed.
She needed to stop expecting every conversation to feel like a romantic movie.
“Morning!”
Emily caught up beside her, slightly out of breath.
“You walk so fast.”
“I really don’t.”
“You do when I’m carrying three textbooks.”
Ava laughed and reached for the top book.
“Here.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I know.”
Emily smiled.
“You’re impossible.”
“So I’ve been told.”
They walked together toward the nursing building, talking about an upcoming skills assessment. Ava loved these conversations. Nursing students had a strange way of making blood pressure readings and anatomy quizzes sound exciting.
By the time class ended, she had completely forgotten about the strange feeling she’d carried since Wednesday.
Professor Lewis stopped her before she reached the door.
“Ava.”
She turned.
“Yes?”
“I graded your care plan.”
He handed her the paper.
A bright red 98 sat neatly at the top.
“You continue to impress me.”
Ava’s cheeks warmed.
“Thank you.”
“I meant what I said the first week of class.”
She looked confused.
“You have excellent instincts.”
He folded his arms.
“You remember that patient simulation?”
She nodded.
“The mannequin with chest pain.”
“You were the only student who spoke to the patient before touching any equipment.”
Ava shrugged.
“I figured she’d be scared.”
Professor Lewis smiled.
“Exactly.”
He tapped the paper.
“Skills can be taught.”
“Compassion can’t.”
The words stayed with her as she left the classroom.
She wasn’t the smartest student in the program.
She wasn’t the fastest.
But maybe she belonged here after all.
Outside, students flooded the sidewalks between buildings.
Someone was playing guitar beneath a large oak tree.
A student organization had set up tables advertising volunteer opportunities.
Another booth was giving away free T-shirts.
Campus felt alive.
Ava loved days like this.
She stopped at one of the booths collecting donations for the local animal shelter.
“Would you like to help sponsor a pet?” a volunteer asked.
Ava glanced at the photos.
Most were dogs.
One picture caught her attention immediately.
A frightened gray kitten with enormous green eyes.
“What’s his name?”
“Oreo.”
“He was found behind a grocery store.”
Ava smiled sadly.
“How much?”
The volunteer pointed to the information sheet.
“Sponsorship starts at ten dollars.”
Ava hesitated.
Ten dollars wasn’t much.
Except it was.
It meant skipping lunch at work.
Or waiting another week before buying new nursing shoes she’d been saving for.
Still…
She reached for her wallet.
“I’ll sponsor him.”
The volunteer beamed.
“Thank you.”
As Ava signed the form, she didn’t notice someone watching from across the quad.
Ethan had just left his architecture lecture when he spotted her.
He watched as she knelt to pet a shelter dog someone had brought for the event before pulling money from her wallet.
Ben walked up beside him carrying a rolled-up blueprint.
“What are we looking at?”
Ethan nodded toward the booth.
Ben followed his gaze.
“The nursing student?”
Ethan didn’t answer.
Ben watched Ava laugh as the puppy climbed into her lap.
“She’s sponsoring an animal, isn’t she?”
“I think so.”
Ben looked sideways at his friend.
“You know, most guys would’ve introduced themselves by now.”
Ethan smiled faintly.
“Most guys.”
“So what’s your plan?”
“I don’t have one.”
“You’ve known who she is for three years.”
“I know.”
“And you’ve spoken to her exactly once.”
“The grocery store doesn’t count.”
Ben laughed.
“You remembered that?”
“She apologized three times because we reached for the same loaf of bread.”
“That’s kind of adorable.”
Ethan looked away before Ben could notice the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“She’s just… different.”
“In what way?”
Ethan watched Ava hand the volunteer another smile before walking away.
“Most people are kind when someone’s watching.”
He adjusted the strap of his backpack.
“She’s kind when she thinks no one notices.”
Ben looked back toward the quad.
“I can see why you like her.”
Ethan didn’t deny it.
He simply started walking toward the engineering building.
“There’ll be time.”
Ben shook his head.
“I hope so.”
⸻
That evening, Ava met Mason outside Romano’s, a small Italian restaurant downtown.
This time, he looked relaxed.
Really relaxed.
The tension she’d noticed earlier in the week seemed gone.
“There she is.”
He pulled her into a hug.
“I missed you.”
She smiled into his shoulder.
“I saw you yesterday.”
“I know.”
“But I still missed you.”
He held the restaurant door open.
Inside, the hostess recognized them immediately.
“Back again?”
Mason laughed.
“Guess so.”
During dinner, he talked excitedly about the internship.
The office.
The people he’d met.
The opportunities waiting after graduation.
Ava loved listening to him dream.
She always had.
“What about you?” he asked suddenly.
She blinked.
“What about me?”
“How was your day?”
She smiled.
It was such a simple question.
But she’d been waiting for it.
She told him about her exam grade.
About sponsoring the kitten.
About Professor Lewis telling her she’d make a good nurse.
Mason smiled politely.
“That’s great.”
Then his phone buzzed.
He looked down immediately.
His smile widened.
“It’s the internship coordinator.”
“Answer it.”
“You don’t mind?”
“Of course not.”
He stepped away from the table.
Ava watched him through the restaurant window as he paced outside talking animatedly.
Five minutes passed.
Then ten.
She stirred her pasta absentmindedly.
When he finally came back, he looked happier than she’d ever seen him.
“I’ve been invited to a networking gala next month.”
“That’s incredible!”
“I know.”
“They must really like you.”
He nodded enthusiastically.
“They said I should start meeting people in the industry.”
“I’m so happy for you.”
She truly was.
Even if a tiny part of her wished he’d looked that excited talking to her.
She pushed the thought away immediately.
Stop overthinking.
That’s what he’d said.
And he was right.
After dinner, they walked slowly back toward the parking lot.
Mason reached for her hand.
She squeezed his fingers.
“I’m proud of you,” she said.
He smiled.
“I couldn’t have done this without you.”
Her heart swelled.
“Yes, you could have.”
“No.”
He stopped walking.
“You’ve believed in me from the beginning.”
She felt tears prick her eyes.
“Always.”
He kissed her forehead.
“I know.”
For a brief moment, everything felt exactly the way it used to.
Neither of them noticed the black SUV waiting at the far end of the parking lot.
Inside, Ethan sat quietly, reviewing blueprints before heading home.
He looked up just long enough to see Ava laughing at something Mason had said.
He smiled to himself.
She looked happy.
That was enough.
He started the engine and drove away before either of them could ever realize he’d been there.
Sometimes loving someone meant hoping they never needed you at all.
- Writer
