A few girls clustered by the college entrance whispered to each other, eyes fixed on Avey. She stood near the gates, wearing a fitted, stylish outfit that should have made her look confident, but instead, she looked out of place, almost small under the weight of so many stares.
“Is she waiting for Lucian? Again?” one of the girls muttered to her friend, glancing from Avey back to the entrance, where Lucian would soon appear.
Next to Avey, her best friend Cassandra stood silently, eyes flickering with a mix of worry and skepticism. She had watched Avey struggle all morning, her discomfort painfully clear. Avey was used to attention, but this was different. Today, she could hear the whispers, and she couldn’t escape the subtle, judgmental glances people shot her way.
The memory of Lucian’s gentle rejection from the day before was still fresh in Avey’s mind. His words, his soft tone, even the kindness in his eyes it had been so different from how she’d treated him all those times he approached her. The way she had brushed him off, sometimes with barely concealed irritation or even mocking laughter, now echoed in her head, each memory more painful than the last. She felt a surge of guilt, an emotion so unfamiliar that it left her unsteady, like she was on the verge of tears. Just one rejection, and her heart ached. And yet, Lucian had taken hers so many times, only ever meeting her cruelty with an almost saintly patience.
For the first time, she felt shame in a way that went beyond her embarrassment over the public rejection. She felt humiliated for how she had treated him so harshly, without a thought to the effect it might have had on him. And now, she was here, standing by the college entrance, waiting for him, while strangers whispered and wondered why.
When she saw him finally approaching, her heart skipped a beat. Lucian looked effortlessly handsome as he walked, dressed in his classic jeans and a blue shirt that brought out his striking features even more than usual. She felt a blush creeping up her cheeks. It was almost ridiculous he looked even more handsome than she remembered, and she felt a pang of regret, sharper than she had expected.
Beside her, Cassandra noticed her friend’s reaction. Her own expression remained unreadable, though a flicker of doubt crossed her face. The Lucian she had known through Avey’s stories had been little more than a pest, someone Cassandra had silently disapproved of. But seeing him now, she found herself questioning things she’d always assumed about him. This was a different Lucian one who held himself with a calm, grounded presence that she hadn’t anticipated.
Lucian, meanwhile, kept his gaze steady, his expression unreadable as he spotted Avey at the entrance. His stomach tightened. The memories of his own endless proposals, his countless rejections, each one more humiliating than the last, were woven into the fabric of this place. He knew well how cruel the spotlight could be when it was on you for the wrong reasons, how heavy the shame could feel under the judgmental gazes of others. And despite it all, he had always put on a mask, smiling through the pain, determined not to show the hurt.
He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he made his way forward. He couldn’t help but wonder what Avey was doing here. She was trembling slightly, her gaze flitting anxiously through the crowd as if searching for reassurance. Her vulnerability, so stark and so raw, stirred something in him that he wished he could ignore.
“Not again,” he muttered to himself. The last thing he wanted was another public spectacle, especially not with Avey at the center of it. He could feel the weight of the crowd’s attention pressing down on them both, people slowing to watch, to whisper.
Despite himself, Lucian felt that familiar tug of compassion. He knew he could walk away, knew that most people would say he had every right to ignore her. But something deeper than pride held him back. He was a man who had loved deeply and unconditionally, who had weathered years of rejection, yet still found himself unable to despise the person who had turned him away. He knew Avey was uncomfortable, standing here under the scrutiny of so many eyes, and he knew, too, that her reputation would suffer for it. He sighed again, feeling the full weight of his own nature no matter how many times he’d been hurt, no matter how many times he had sworn to put himself first, he couldn’t turn off the part of him that wanted to protect her.
Why was she doing this? He couldn’t understand it. After all, she had rejected him for years, pushed him away each time he tried to get close. The idea that she could have had a change of heart felt impossible. For five years, she had treated him as nothing more than an annoyance, someone beneath her notice. It was hard to believe that feelings could just change.
“Hey, what do you think? Is Avey really planning to propose to Lucian again?” one girl whispered to her friend, glancing cautiously at Avey standing at the gates.
“I’m not sure,” her friend replied, her eyes widening. “But she’s been standing there for nearly two hours now. She must be planning something.”
“Yeah, but she just proposed yesterday and got turned down… It’s hard to imagine she’d try again so soon,” the first girl murmured, her brow creased in thought.
Her friend sighed, shaking her head. “Avey’s one of the smartest people here. She must know what she’s doing, but look at her she’s trembling. This must be so hard for her, with everyone watching and whispering. She’s not the type to handle this much attention, let alone the judgment that comes with it.”
“It really is cruel,” the other girl agreed softly, her gaze lingering on Avey. “To have everyone staring, after what happened yesterday… it must feel unbearable.”