C15 : A Name in the Dark
265 Words
The morning after their kiss, Mia expected awkwardness. Instead, Adrian walked in with the same quiet confidence as always — but when his eyes found hers, something softer flickered between them.
She felt it too. The surrounding air had changed, as though the bookstore itself now carried their secret.
They spent the afternoon side by side, sorting a new box of donated books. Every brush of his hand against hers made her pulse leap, every shared glance lingered a moment too long.
But when Adrian picked up a worn novel — its spine cracked, its cover faded — Mia noticed his expression shift.
He froze, staring at the author's name on the page.
Mia tilted her head. "You know it?"
Adrian hesitated, thumb grazing the printed words. "Yeah," he said finally, voice quieter than usual. "I know it too well."
Something in his tone was different. Not just familiarity, but... recognition. Personal. Intimate.
Before Mia could ask, he shut the book firmly and set it aside. "Just an old memory," he said quickly, offering a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
Late, as he left for the night, a gust of wind caught the book he'd put aside, flipping it open on the counter. Mia glanced down, curious.
Her breath caught.
On the dedication page, written in neat black ink, was a line:
For Adrian, who believed when no one else would.
Her heart pounded. She looked toward the door he had just walked through, the question burning on her tongue but swelled in silence.
Adrian wasn't just hiding something. He was hiding himself.
- Writer
