The following day came with a strange, electric energy in the air—like something important was on the verge of happening, but no one had said it aloud yet. Evelyn could feel it in the way her chest tightened every time she thought about Adrian. In the way, her heart sped up every time her phone buzzed. Every message, every look, every accidental brush of hands felt like a silent countdown to something inevitable.
She just didn't know when.
Or how.
Evelyn's Secret List
Claire returned to the dorm after class to find Evelyn seated cross-legged on her bed, notebook open in front of her, brow furrowed in deep concentration.
"Are we writing a manifesto?" Claire asked, setting her bag down.
Evelyn jumped slightly. "It's… nothing."
Claire raised an eyebrow and walked over, peering at the open page. At the top, in Evelyn's neat handwriting, were the words:
"Things I Might Say to Adrian (If I Don't Chicken Out)"
Claire grinned. "Oh my god. Is this your confession list?"
Evelyn groaned, trying to snap the notebook shut, but Claire was quicker.
"Let's see—'I think I like you more than I should,'—ooh, dramatic. 'You make me feel safe'—adorable. And—'You've been my favorite part of this year.' I'm melting, Evelyn. MELTING."
"Give it back!" Evelyn reached over and finally snatched it out of her hands.
Claire was still grinning. "So you're going to do it, huh?"
Evelyn stared down at the notebook. "I think so. I want to. I just don't know how."
"You don't need fireworks or some grand speech," Claire said gently. "You just need to be honest. And present. Trust me, he'll feel it."
Evelyn nodded slowly. "I hope so."
Meanwhile, with Adrian…
Across campus, Adrian was having a conversation of his own—one he hadn't expected to have with Lucas, of all people.
They sat outside one of the smaller cafés, their laptops open but ignored.
Lucas sipped his iced coffee. "So. You and Evelyn."
Adrian blinked. "Is this a threat?"
Lucas smirked. "No. Surprisingly, it's not. I'm just… observing."
Adrian raised an eyebrow. "And what are you observing?"
"That you look like a man about to jump off a cliff—and also like you've already decided you're going to enjoy the fall."
Adrian leaned back in his chair. "You're annoyingly perceptive."
"I know. But seriously, dude. You've been mooning over her since—what—October?"
Adrian let out a short laugh. "Probably before that."
Lucas tilted his head. "So what's the holdup?"
Adrian's fingers tapped against the side of his cup. "I don't want to rush her. I want her to be ready."
Lucas looked at him for a long moment, then said, "What if she already is?"
Adrian was quiet for a beat, then muttered, "Then I guess I need to stop overthinking and just say it."
Lucas grinned. "There's hope for you yet."
An Almost-Confession
That evening, Evelyn found herself standing outside Adrian's building, her notebook tucked in her bag, heart thudding loudly in her chest.
She hadn't planned on coming here—not exactly. But when he had texted her, "Movie night? I'll let you pick the snacks," she hadn't said no.
And now here she was.
He opened the door before she even knocked like he had been waiting.
"You're early," he said, smiling as he stepped aside.
"I was in the area," she lied.
He didn't call her on it. Just smiled that soft, knowing smile that made her stomach flip.
They settled onto the couch in his apartment, a comedy playing in the background that neither of them was paying attention to. Evelyn's notebook felt like it was burning a hole in her bag, but she couldn't find the right moment.
They laughed at a scene, their shoulders brushing again. When she turned to look at him, he was already watching her.
The silence stretched.
And stretched.
And stretched.
"I need to tell you something," she said suddenly.
Adrian blinked. "Me too."
They both laughed nervously, the spell briefly broken.
"You go first," she said.
He hesitated. "Okay. I just… I've been thinking about this for a while, and I don't want to keep tiptoeing around it."
Her heart skipped.
"I like you, Evelyn. A lot. And I think I have for longer than I've let myself admit. But I didn't want to say it until I knew you felt the same."
Evelyn opened her mouth to speak, but something tightened in her throat. Her chest buzzed with emotion, words swelling up behind her teeth, yet she couldn't quite push them out. Not yet. It was too big. Too real.
Adrian noticed her pause. He leaned in just a little, giving her space. "You don't have to say anything right now. I just needed you to know."
She nodded slowly, swallowing past the lump in her throat. "Okay."
But as she looked at him—at the quiet sincerity in his eyes, the hope beneath it—she knew that the moment wasn't lost.
It had only just begun.
That Night
Evelyn lay in bed later, her phone on her chest, replaying his words repeatedly.
"I like you, Evelyn. A lot."
She whispered them aloud in the dark as if saying them made them more real.
She opened her notebook again, flipping past her awkward draft confessions until she reached a blank page.
And then she wrote:
"I love him."
No more maybe. No more pretending.
It was time.