TOO TAKEN TO LET GO

Chapter 2: Small Things That Shouldn’t Matter

The black Audi was already parked outside the faculty gates when Ella and Brian left class. Its engine purred like it didn’t belong there, like it was waiting to be admired.

Ella barely gave it a second glance — until the window rolled down.

Leila grinned from the front seat. “Hurry, we’re dropping you off!”

Brian blinked. “We?”

That’s when Ella saw him.

Roman.

He sat behind the wheel, sunglasses pushed up into his short-cropped hair, one hand casually draped over the steering wheel, the other tapping against the console like he owned time itself. He looked... polished. Calm. Unbothered. A contrast to everything that felt chaotic in Ella’s life.

Leila rolled her eyes. “He insisted on giving you guys a lift.”

“I’m good,” Brian said quickly. “Need to pass by the cyber anyway.”

Ella hesitated.

It was just a ride.

She nodded and opened the back door.

Roman didn’t speak much on the drive. Music hummed low — something smooth and jazzy, the kind of background sound that made silence feel intentional. Ella stared out the window, arms folded. But she could feel his eyes flick to the rearview mirror more than once.

He dropped her just a few steps from her gate, the car’s tires crunching gently on gravel.

“Thanks,” she mumbled, opening the door.

“Anytime,” Roman replied, voice low.

He didn’t smile.

Didn’t flirt.

Didn’t linger.

And yet… Ella felt like something had been left in the car with her — like the air clung to her skin longer than it should’ve.

The next time she saw him, it wasn’t planned.

She had come to Leila’s estate to pick up notes. Roman was leaving for a jog, earbuds in, shirt clinging to his chest in a way that made it impossible not to notice he still worked out.

Ella’s eyes dipped. Just for a second.

Then she looked away.

But not before she caught him watching her.

A few days later, Leila handed her a small package at school. “From my uncle. Said you looked cold last time you visited.”

Inside was a simple grey hoodie. Soft. Expensive. Still new.

Ella blinked. “Why would he—?”

Leila shrugged. “He gives me random stuff all the time. Now you’re included.”

Ella forced a smile, but something twisted inside her.

She wore the hoodie once.

Then buried it deep in her laundry pile.