(Clara)
Ethan didn’t ask me like he usually did.
No teasing. No half-jokes. No pretending it was casual.
He just looked at me one afternoon after class and said,
“Go on a dinner date with me.”
I blinked at him. “That’s it?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Just us. Proper date. No distractions.”
I stared at him for a second longer than necessary.
It felt different. It was heavy or too much, it was simply………… intentional.
“You’re serious?” I asked with surprise written all over my face.
“Very,” he said.
That made me look away briefly.
Ethan wasn’t the type to push.
So when he did something like this, he meant it.
“Okay,” I said finally.
His shoulders loosened slightly like he’d been holding tension I didn’t notice before.
“Okay?” he repeated.
I nodded. “Okay.”
Anna found out five minutes
