The rain started unexpectedly.
One minute, the sky was clear.
The next
It wasn't.
Students rushed out of classrooms, voices rising as they tried to avoid getting soaked.
Tessa stood near the hallway window, watching the downpour hit the ground in heavy sheets.
"…Great," she muttered under her breath.
She didn't have an umbrella.
Of course she didn't.
"You always this prepared?"
Her breath caught slightly.
She didn't need to turn.
Adrian.
"…I didn't know it was going to rain," she said, keeping her voice neutral.
"Weather app exists."
She glanced at him.
"…You're annoying."
That almost-smile again.
"You've said that before."
A pause.
Then
"I meant it."
This time
He actually smiled.
And that?
That threw her off more than it should have.
—
The hallway started emptying.
Students leaving in groups.
Laughing.
Running through the rain.
Tessa stayed where she was.
Waiting.
For Lily.
For the rain to stop.
For something.
She wasn't sure what.
"You're not leaving?" Adrian asked.
"I'm waiting."
"For?"
"…My ride."
A lie.
A weak one.
And he knew it.
"Right."
Silence settled between them.
But it didn't last long.
"Come on," he said suddenly.
Tessa frowned slightly.
"What?"
"I'll take you."
Her stomach tightened.
"…No, it's fine."
"It's raining."
"I can wait."
"For how long?"
She didn't answer.
Because she didn't know.
Adrian studied her for a second
Then stepped closer.
Not too close.
Just enough.
"Stop making things harder than they need to be."
Her eyes flickered to his.
That again.
That tone.
Not teasing.
Not careless.
Something else.
Something that made it harder to say no.
"…Fine," she said quietly.
—
His car was exactly what she expected.
Clean.
Expensive.
Too much.
Tessa hesitated slightly before getting in.
But once she did
The door closed.
And suddenly
It was just them.
Again.
Too close.
Too quiet.
The sound of rain hitting the car filled the silence.
Neither of them spoke at first.
Adrian started the engine.
Pulled out slowly.
Tessa stared out the window.
But she wasn't really looking at anything.
Because she was aware.
Of him.
Of the space.
Of how easily things kept becoming like this.
"You're quiet," Adrian said.
"I usually am."
"Not like this."
She glanced at him.
"…What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means you're thinking."
She looked away again.
"…I always think."
"Not this much."
A pause.
Then
"You're overthinking again."
That made her frown slightly.
"You don't know what I'm thinking."
"No," he said.
"But I know you."
That
That made something shift.
Because he wasn't supposed to say things like that.
Not after everything.
Not like it meant something.
"You don't," she said quietly.
Adrian didn't argue.
Didn't push.
He just drove.
But the silence that followed
Felt heavier.
—
When the car stopped
Tessa blinked.
"…This isn't my house."
"I know."
She turned to him.
"What?"
"I needed to grab something."
Her brows furrowed.
"From where?"
"Inside."
She followed his gaze.
A house.
Big.
Familiar.
His.
Her stomach tightened slightly.
"…Adrian—"
"It'll take five minutes."
A pause.
Then
"You can wait in the car."
Something about that
Made it worse.
Because now it felt like a choice.
And she didn't know why that mattered.
"…Fine," she said.
—
Five minutes turned into ten.
Then fifteen.
Tessa sighed softly, glancing at the house again.
She should've just stayed.
Waited.
Not gotten in the car.
Not
The door opened.
She turned.
Adrian walked out
But he wasn't alone.
A girl followed behind him.
Laughing.
Close.
Too close.
Tessa's chest tightened instantly.
Something sharp
Unwelcome
Cut through her.
She looked away quickly.
Told herself it didn't matter.
It shouldn't matter.
It didn't matter.
But it did.
And she hated that.
The passenger door opened.
Adrian got in like nothing happened.
Like that didn't just
"Sorry," he said casually.
"Took longer than I thought."
Tessa didn't look at him.
"Yeah."
Her voice was different now.
Quieter.
Colder.
And he noticed.
Of course he did.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"That didn't sound like nothing."
She let out a small breath.
"It's not my business."
Adrian's grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly.
"That's not what I asked."
Tessa turned to him.
Finally.
"Then what are you asking?"
Silence.
For a second
He didn't answer.
Because now
He understood.
Jealousy.
On her.
And that
That changed something.
"She's nothing," he said.
Too quickly.
Too easily.
Tessa looked away again.
"That's not the point."
"Then what is?"
Her chest tightened again.
Because she didn't have an answer she wanted to say out loud.
So instead
"It doesn't matter."
But this time
It sounded like a lie.
And Adrian knew it.
—
The rest of the drive was quiet.
But not the same kind of quiet.
This one
Was heavier.
Sharper.
More real.
—
When they finally stopped in front of her house
Tessa reached for the door.
But paused.
Just for a second.
Then
"Thanks for the ride."
Formal.
Distant.
Like she was pulling back again.
Like everything from before
Had shifted.
Again.
She stepped out
Closed the door
And walked away without looking back.
—
Adrian didn't move.
Didn't start the car.
Didn't leave.
He just sat there.
Thinking.
Because that
That reaction
Wasn't nothing.
It wasn't indifference.
It wasn't distance.
It was something else.
Something sharper.
Something he hadn't seen from her before.
And slowly
A realization settled in.
Heavy.
Clear.
Dangerous.
She cared.
Maybe not fully.
Maybe not enough.
But it was there.
And that changed everything.
Adrian leaned back in his seat, exhaling slowly.
Because now
This wasn't just about getting closer.
Now
It meant something.
To both of them.
And for the first time
That made things a lot more complicated.