Luna couldn't stay in the library any longer. Every time she heard Elena's happy laughter, it felt like a needle poking at her heart. She gathered her things with trembling hands, her only goal being to escape before they saw her.
But she wasn't fast enough.
As she tried to slip past the main desk toward the exit, Alex turned his head. His grey eyes locked onto hers instantly. Beside him, Elena followed his gaze, her bright smile never fading.
"Oh! Is this one of your students, Alex?" Elena asked, her voice sounding like a sweet melody.
Alex didn't answer immediately. He just looked at Luna, his face turning cold and professional again. The warmth he had just shown to Elena vanished. "Yes. This is Luna Jones."
"Hello, Luna! I'm Elena. I'm joining the faculty this week," the woman said kindly.
Luna couldn't even speak. She felt small, messy, and completely plain standing next to Elena. She muttered a quick "hello" and ran out of the library as fast as she could.
The image of Elena stayed burned into her mind like a photograph. As Luna walked home alone, she obsessed over every detail. Elena's perfume smelled like expensive roses and spring rain. Her eyes were a bright, confident hazel that sparkled when she talked. Her hair was perfectly styled, and her dress fit her like it was made by a famous designer.
I am not enough, Luna thought, the tears finally falling. I am just a girl in an oversized sweater. I don't wear perfume. I don't know how to look like that. No wonder Alex looks at her and not at me.
A false perspective took root in Luna's head. She decided right then that Alex could only love a "mature woman." Someone smart, someone dressed up, someone who looked like a partner and not a child.
The next morning, the "old" Luna was gone.
She woke up two hours early. She spent a long time on her hair, pinning it up in a sophisticated style she saw in a magazine. She found a pair of heels she had never worn and a dress that was much tighter and more "adult" than her usual clothes. She even tried to apply makeup, tracing her eyes to make them look sharper, just like Elena's.
When she walked into the kitchen for breakfast, she didn't rush. she walked with slow, calculated steps. She didn't bite her lip or look at the floor. She sat down and sipped her coffee with a serious face.
Alex was already there. He stopped mid-sip, his eyes narrowing as he took in her appearance. He saw the makeup. He saw the heels. He noticed the way she was acting—trying to be smart, trying to be mature, trying to be... someone else.
He didn't say anything at first. He just watched her. But Alex wasn't fooled. He realized exactly what was happening. He saw the way Luna was trying to mimic Elena. He saw the way she was hiding her sweet, innocent personality behind a mask of maturity.
A strange feeling hit him. It wasn't just attraction; it was a realization. She saw us yesterday, he thought. She's doing all of this because she thinks I like Elena.
Luna tried to be smart during the car ride. She talked about her studies with a deep, serious voice. She didn't act shy. She acted like a woman of the world. But every time she caught Alex's gaze in the rearview mirror, she felt like she was failing.
Alex noticed her sudden change in behavior. He saw how hard she was trying. And in a strange way, it made his own feelings grow stronger. If she was trying this hard to be like Elena, it meant she cared. It meant she was jealous.
"You look... different today, Luna," Alex said quietly as they reached the college.
"I decided it was time to grow up, Professor," Luna replied, trying to sound mature, though her heart was screaming with pain. "A student should look the part, don't you think?"
Alex didn't answer. He just watched her walk away, her heels clicking loudly on the pavement. He liked her before, but seeing her fight for his attention made him realize that he didn't just want to watch her anymore. He wanted to claim her.