CHAPTER 2: “He Noticed Everything”
1169 Words
“Why are they here?” I asked quietly, nodding toward Adrian’s group. “I thought this was supposed to be our private dinner.”
Ethan followed my gaze.
“Well…” He took a sip. “Mia invited them.”
Of course she did. His eyes drifted to the couch.
“Look at her.”
I didn’t need to ask. Mia was sitting beside Adrian, laughing too hard at something he said. Ethan looked away first.
“She can’t stay away from him for more than five minutes.”
I wasn’t surprised. What I noticed was Ethan. The way he looked away immediately. The way his grip tightened on his bottle.
He’s liked Mia since high school. Nothing changed. At this point, I wasn’t sure if he still hoped or just liked the ache.
I took a sip.
“Well, she’s the one who keeps bringing extra people to our dinners.” I nudged his shoulder. “How long are you going to do this to yourself?”
He laughed softly.
“As long as she needs me, I guess.”
His smile faded.
“But I don’t know how long I can keep it up.”
His eyes stayed on Mia.
“It hurts watching her look at someone else.”
For a second, I almost felt bad. Almost.
“Then find someone else.”
He looked at me.
“What?”
“Find another girl. See if she reacts.”
That made him laugh.
“You make it sound easy.”
“It is.”
“No, it isn’t.”
I shrugged.
“Seems easy to me.”
“That’s because you’re emotionally defective.”
“Rude.”
“Accurate.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Then suffer.”
“Thanks. Great friend.”
“I know.”
He shook his head.
“Anyway, enough about me.” He pointed at me. “Where’s your boyfriend? That guy followed you everywhere.”
I looked down at my glass.
“Ex-boyfriend.”
He froze.
“Wait.”
I took another sip.
“I broke up with him.”
His eyes widened.
“When?”
“A few hours ago.”
“What happened?”
“Nothing dramatic.” I swirled my drink. “I caught him cheating.”
Silence hit.
Then—
“That piece of trash.”
I laughed.
“Straight to violence?”
“Should I cripple him?”
“No.”
“One leg?”
“No.”
“A finger?”
“Ethan.”
“I’m brainstorming.”
“He’s not worth it.”
The look he gave me said he disagreed.
Before Ethan could say anything else, Marco just appeared and dropped two glasses into our hands.
“Anica, Ethan. Are you two hiding again? Come on, join the fun.”
Ethan barely looked at him.
“Marco, why are you giving her vodka again,” he said, already taking mine before I could even react. “You know she’s a lightweight.”
Marco laughed like that was the funniest thing in the room.
“Relax, I gave you one too. Why are you acting like I committed a crime?”
From the couch, Adrian spoke without looking up.
“Are you always like that?”
A pause.
“Or only when she’s around?”
The room didn’t go quiet. It adjusted. Like people subconsciously made space for what he said.
Jason smirked. “They actually look perfect together. The nerd and the girl who barely reacts to anything.”
The words lingered in the air. Ethan stiffened beside me.
“Shut up, Jason. Who gave you the right to talk about her like that?” Ethan snapped.
Jason only raised his hands slightly. “What? I’m just saying what everyone’s thinking. She barely reacts to anything anyway, right, Anica?”
All eyes turned to me. Waiting. I met his gaze calmly. Three seconds. Then I smiled faintly.
“Oh really?” I said evenly. “Interesting. Keep going.”
Jason scoffed. “You’re always like that. Like nothing ever gets to you.”
A few people laughed under their breath. Adrian didn’t join them. Didn’t lean in. Just looked at me once. Like he wasn’t participating—just confirming something for himself.
“Drop it,” he said to Jason.
No volume change. No emotion. But Jason stopped anyway.
Then Adrian stood. That was when the room shifted again. Not because he was loud. Because he moved like it mattered.
A few seconds later, he came back with a glass. Stopped in front of me.
“Here,” he said. “Peach soda. No alcohol.”
I hesitated. That wasn’t what I ordered. But it was what I used to drink when I wanted quiet. When no one was around to notice.
I looked up at him.
“You’re not exactly in my close circle,” I said. “How do you know that?”
He gave a small shrug.
“I notice people.”
Then, after a beat—
“Most of them just don’t realize it.”
Not explained. Not justified. Just stated like it was obvious.
“Should I have gotten something else?”
When I didn’t answer, his eyes flicked briefly to the glass.
“I can change it.”
No pressure in his voice. No hesitation either. Just adjustment. Like it didn’t matter which version I chose. That’s when I took it.
“No. It’s fine.”
Our fingers brushed briefly. He didn’t move away right away. Neither did I.
“Careful, Adrian,” Jason said from behind us, trying again to joke. “Special treatment’s gonna get you in trouble.”
A few people laughed. Adrian didn’t look back.
“Let them,” he said.
Simple. Unbothered. Not dismissive—just unconcerned. My grip tightened slightly on the glass. Not because of Jason. Because Adrian was still looking at me. Not intense. Not obvious. Just steady.
Like he was still deciding something.
“Anica,” he said after a moment, “you don’t really change, do you?”
I tilted my head slightly.
“Is that a problem?”
“No.” His gaze stayed on mine. “It’s rare.”
Rare. The word stayed longer than it should have.
“Most people become different depending on who’s watching.”
His eyes didn’t move.
“You don’t.”
For a second, I stopped noticing the room. The noise. The people. The music pretending to exist. Then I set the glass down.
“If you’re trying to figure me out,” I said, “don’t. I’m not something you study.”
Silence followed—clean, immediate. No one rushed to fill it. No one laughed. No one interrupted.
I turned away first. Walked off before the moment could stretch into something else.
Before I could start wondering why Adrian Vale seemed interested in a girl most people didn’t notice.
Back then, I told myself I was imagining it. Looking back?
That was probably my first mistake.
- Writer
