"Not like this," he says softly, and my heart stutters. "I want to kiss you. I've wanted to since our first seminar. Maybe before. But not like this. I want our first kiss to be about us, and it will be."
“I want to kiss you too.” So much it aches inside.
His smile is gentle. "I can wait. You’re worth waiting for, Elowen."
My throat is too tight to speak.
He leans in again and presses another kiss to my forehead, this one briefer but no less tender. "Okay?" he whispers.
"Okay," I manage.
He keeps one arm around my shoulders as we walk again, slower now.
"My parents wanted me to take over the family bookstore. Expected it, really. Coming here was my way of saying I need to figure out who I am first. Before I can be who they want me to be."
"Do they understand?"
"They're trying." As Hawthorn Hall comes into view, he says, "I'm glad you're here."
"So am I."
His smile when we part carries warmth and tenderness. "Tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow."
Watching him walk away, my heart feels fuller despite the tears.
The library is quiet that evening.
Study tables scattered with students, lamplight warm against the darkness outside. October sunset comes earlier now, the days shorteningvisibly.
Julian sits at a corner table, surrounded by books, taking notes in his precise handwriting. He looks up, sensing my presence. "I was hoping you'd come."
I sit with him, and we work in parallel silence. He reads, takes notes. Opening a textbook, reviewing material for tomorrow's class.
The quiet is comfortable. Productive.
After a while, he slides a book across the table.
The title catches attention immediately:Omega Autonomy in Historical Pack Structures.
"Why?" I arch an eyebrow.
"Because I want to understand what you might need." He meets my gaze directly. "What this could look like. If you want it to look like anything."
The thoughtfulness hits harder than expected. "May I?" I gesture to the book.
"Of course."
Passages have been highlighted, and there are notes in the margins. He's been working through this systematically, looking for frameworks that might apply.
I look up to find him watching. "You did all this research for me?"
"For us," he corrects gently. "Understanding what you need helps me understand what we're building. If we're building anything."
"We are." I’m firm.
"Then I want to do it right."
