BETWEEN LOVE AND LOYALTY

COFFEE BETWEEN CLASSES

The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur, but Zara's mind remained fixed on one thing.

Vanessa.

She had replayed the scene at the campus café more times than she cared to admit. The hug, the smile, the familiarity between them—it all lingered in her thoughts.

She sighed as she closed her notebook.

"You're thinking about him again, aren't you?"

Amara asked, looking up from her bed.

Zara frowned. "Why does everyone assume that?"

"Because you've been staring at the same page for ten minutes."

Zara glanced at her notebook and realized Amara was right. She hadn't written a single word.

"I was just... distracted."

"Mmm-hmm." Amara smirked. "Distracted by a certain boy with a warm smile."

Zara picked up a pillow and tossed it at her roommate.

"You'll never stop teasing me, will you?"

"Not until you admit I'm right."

Before Zara could reply, her phone vibrated.

Her heart skipped a beat.

It was Ethan.

Ethan: Good evening, Zara. I hope you're not still angry that I had to leave earlier.

A smile crept onto her face despite herself.

She quickly typed a reply.

Zara: I'm not angry. Meetings are important.

His response came almost instantly.

Ethan: Good. I was worried.

She hesitated before asking the question that had been bothering her all afternoon.

Zara: Who was the girl with you?

Three dots appeared on the screen.

Then disappeared.

Then appeared again.

Finally, his message came.

Ethan: Vanessa? She's a departmental executive. We've known each other for a while.

Zara read the message twice.

Nothing more.

No long explanation.

No unnecessary details.

Strangely, that was enough.

She placed her phone on the bed and let out a quiet breath.

"See?" Amara said. "Your face has changed."

"What do you mean?"

"You look relieved."

Zara laughed softly.

"Maybe I am."

The next morning, Zara arrived at the lecture hall earlier than usual.

She found Ethan already seated, a notebook open in front of him.

He looked up as she approached.

"Good morning."

"Morning."

"I kept my promise again."

He pointed to the empty seat beside him.

"I noticed."

She sat down, placing her books on the desk.

"For someone who talks a lot, you're surprisingly punctual."

"I like making good first impressions."

"You've already made one."

He smiled.

"I was hoping you'd say that."

For a moment, they simply looked at each other before both laughing awkwardly.

"So," Ethan said, "are we friends now?"

"I thought we already agreed on that yesterday."

"True."

He reached into his backpack and pulled out a neatly wrapped meat pie.

"I bought this on my way here."

Zara looked at him in surprise.

"For me?"

"You skipped breakfast yesterday."

"How do you know that?"

"You told me at the café."

She blinked.

"You remembered."

"Of course I did."

A warmth spread through her chest.

It wasn't about the meat pie.

It was the fact that he had listened.

Really listened.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

"You're welcome."

Before either of them could say another word, the lecturer walked into the hall.

After class, students poured out into the bright afternoon sunshine.

Ethan caught up with Zara outside.

"Do you have another lecture now?"

She checked her timetable.

"Not for another hour."

"Perfect."

He pointed toward a small coffee stand beneath a large almond tree.

"Can I buy you coffee this time?"

Zara laughed.

"You seem determined to keep feeding me."

"I can't help it."

"And why is that?"

He scratched the back of his neck, suddenly looking less confident than usual.

"Because... I enjoy spending time with you."

Zara felt her heart beat just a little faster.

She lowered her eyes, trying to hide the smile that threatened to appear.

"Coffee sounds nice."

As they began walking together, neither of them noticed someone standing across the courtyard, watching them from a distance.

The young woman folded her arms tightly across her chest.

A faint smile crossed her lips.

"So," she whispered to herself, "this must be the new girl."

She turned and walked away before either of them saw her.

Neither Zara nor Ethan knew it yet...

But someone had just taken an interest in their growing friendship—and that interest would soon become a problem neither of them was prepared for.