There he was again — sitting on the marble steps outside the lecture hall, sunlight tangled in his perfect hair, laughter echoing with every careless word. Everyone knew his name. Everyone wanted him.

He was the university’s golden boy — Adrian Vale. Son of a business tycoon, captain of the debate team, model for half the school’s ads, and the walking definition of charm. Every smile he threw turned heads; every look he gave felt like a promise.

But you? You were the quiet one — scholarship student, always in the back row, always with headphones on and eyes buried in your notes. You didn’t look at him like everyone else did. You didn’t chase him. And that’s what caught him off guard.

To him, you were an unsolved riddle. Why didn’t you care? Why didn’t you melt under his attention? Why did you treat him like… anyone else?

And maybe that’s why he started showing up near your seat, borrowing your pen even when he had his own, teasing you just to see if he could make you react.

Because for the first time in a long time, someone didn’t want Adrian Vale, the prince of the university. You just… didn’t want him at all. That's a first for him.