The bell rings, ending the heavy atmosphere of the lecture hall.

  Mira catches Iris's hand before she disappears, but Iris quickly pulls away to hide small scars on her inner wrist.

  Mira blinks, trying to ignore the sharp pang of alarm in her chest while she maintains a calm tone. "Iris, sorry about the library yesterday," Mira says. "You free tomorrow?"

  Iris hesitates, looking toward the exit before she gives a small nod. Mira studies her face, sensing the tension. "Are you okay? Do you need to talk?"

  Iris stammers, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Mira, actually..."

  Just as the words begin to form, Mira catches sight of a familiar figure standing right behind her friend. Her expression shifts instantly. "A... Adrian?"

  Mira turns back to Iris, but she is already moving. "Sorry Mira, I've got to go," Iris fumbles with her bag, and something slips from it. A tiny transparent plastic bag hit the floor with a soft sound. Adrian’s eyes sharpen instantly. White powder. Bending down, he picks it up between his fingers, subtly rubbing it.

  His grip tightened slightly around the bag. “Iris, you dropped this.”

  Iris flinches slightly, then quickly schools her expression into forced nonchalance. But there is a split second of hesitation in her eyes before she reaches out. “Oh… thanks.” Then, just as she takes it from his hand, she hesitates again, her gaze flickering up at him before quickening her pace to the classroom door.

  Mira looks up at Adrian in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

  "I'm here to walk you to our next class," Adrian says.

  He takes her hand and pulls her forward. Mira tries to slow him down. "Wait, Adrian. What about our promise?"

  "Which promise?" Adrian asks.

  "Not to make this public," Mira whispers, glancing at the other students.

  Adrian looks at her, his mouth curving up. "I didn't make any announcement. We are just walking."

  He stops, leans in closer, and whispers into her ear. "And are you still unsure? After kissing me this morning?"

  Mira’s heart skips a beat. She feels the heat rush to her cheeks as she quickly looks around to see if anyone overheard his whisper.

  They walk together through the crowded hallway toward their next class. Mira keeps her head down, avoiding the curious stares of their classmates. She leans toward him and mutters under her breath, "But my condition?"

  Adrian smiles, glancing at a chart on his phone. "The numbers increased slightly, but they are still in a safe zone."

  He tucks the phone back into his pocket, his eyes remaining on the path ahead. "Besides, we need a bit of a challenge for the training."

  Mira knows his logic is flawed, but she can’t put her finger on why. They head toward the middle of the classroom and settle into their seats. Camille is in the third row, already raising her phone as she captures a photo of their joined hands.

  A second later, Mira’s phone buzzes with a flurry of message notifications. Her screen lights up repeatedly, the vibrations rattling against the desk as the group chat explodes.

  Group Chat: Chaos Crew

  Camille: Guess who just went public? [Attached image: New lovey-dovey couple. Love is in the air.]

  Luca: which room??? Drop the number, I’m there in 5.

  Naomi: OMG congrats Mira!

  Elias: [Attached image: A shot from behind the couple]

  Elias: Wait, what did I miss? Since when is this a thing?

  Valeria: Are you serious, Mira? Leaving me with all the club work to go on a date???

  Elara: We need the full story! Details. Now.

  Mira watches the messages scroll past in a blur, her face heating up with every new alert, then flips her phone face down on the desk, trying to block out the noise. Her other hand is still joined with his on the surface.

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  "Adrian, I need to take notes," she exhales. "Could you please let go of my hand?"

  Adrian glances at her, but before he can respond, the door at the front of the hall swings open. The chatter in the room dies down instantly as the professor enters, accompanied by a guest. The professor pauses at the lectern and gestures toward the man standing beside him.

  “Today we’re joined by Ambassador Roland Ashcroft, former Secretary-General of the International Council for Global Cooperation, who spent over fifteen years leading multilateral negotiations between states on global development, environmental policy, and international cooperation.”

  Mira’s eyes widen at the announcement. She looks at Adrian, her expression turning suspicious as the pieces click together. It turns out the "deal" he mentioned yesterday is actually the guest speaker for their class, a coup that Professor Robert somehow managed to pull off at the very last minute. How dare he trick her like this and still pretend to be deeply focused on the Ambassador's speech. He successfully dragged her to the hospital, and now even this, something that should have been her default benefit anyway, has been rebranded as a concession in their negotiation.

  She leans closer while he’s focused ahead and writes neatly in the margin of his notebook:

  “Trickster!”

  Then draws a tiny angry mushroom beside it, round cap puffed up, little lines of outrage above its head.

  Just as she finishes the last stroke, Adrian is already holding her hand on the desk again, his sly smile telling her he’s been watching all along.

  ?

  The Terrace Bistro is a mess of noise as the Chaos Crew takes over the large window table. Mira leans her cheek on one palm, narrowing her eyes at Luca, who is practically vibrating with excitement while he points out the most expensive steak on the menu.

  "I’ll take this one. And an extra side of truffle fries. Since Adrian’s paying, I’m eating for two," Luca announces to the waiter.

  Across the table, Elara isn't even looking at the food. She is smirking at Mira, her chin resting on her hand in a perfect mirror of Mira’s frustrated pose. Beside her, Elias casually hands his menu back to the waiter, looking satisfied as he settles in next to Naomi. Valeria skids to a halt at the table a second later, panting and a bit wild-eyed, as she yanks a chair into the gap next to Elara and Camille.

  "I... didn't... miss it... did I?" Valeria wheezes, dropping her bag with a heavy thud.

  Mira watches the madness, then slowly turns her head to the guy sitting right next to her. How did she let this happen? By letting him treat the whole group to this fancy lunch, she has basically signed a public confession. Their relationship is now unannouncedly public to every single one of her friends, and there is no going back.

  Adrian isn't bothered by the shouting or the expensive orders. He just sits there, his mouth curving up as he soaks in the chaos. He looks over at Mira, looking far too pleased with himself.

  Camille leans over the table, her eyes glinting with mischief. "So, Adrian. Don't think an expensive steak buys our silence. We need the timeline. How did this even happen?"

  "Camille, please," Mira mutters, her face heating up.

  Adrian reaches out and casually drapes an arm over the back of Mira’s chair. "Ask away," he says, his tone infuriatingly smooth.

  "Okay, first," Camille says, pointing her fork at him. "Who made the first move? Because my money is on you, Adrian. You’ve got that 'calculated plan' look about you."

  Valeria, finally catching her breath, chimes in. "And the hand-holding in class? Was that a statement, or did you just forget where you were?"

  Luca looks up from his menu. "I just want to know if this means we get free lunches at the Bistro every week now that you’re 'official.'"

  Mira wants the floor to open up and swallow her. She looks at Adrian, waiting to see how he handles the heat.

  "Actually," Adrian says, his voice dropping as he looks Mira in the eyes. "She’s a lot harder to win over than she looks. I’m still working on it."

  The table erupts into a chorus of whistles and dramatic sighs. Elias leans over to Naomi and whispers, "He’s totally whipped."

  The arrival of the waiter is a lifesaver, momentarily stopping the teasing. A parade of plates lands on the table, filling the air with the scent of seared steak and truffle oil.

  Luca dives into his oversized meal, his curiosity successfully traded for a mouthful of high-end beef. "This," he mumbles around a bite, "is the best thing to happen to us since we formed this group."

  Elara looks at Mira over the rim of her glass, her smirk never fading. "So, Adrian, since you're 'still working on it,' does that mean you’re the one doing all the heavy lifting in this relationship?"

  Mira picks at her salad, her face warm. "There is no..."

  "She's just modest," Adrian says, stabbing a cherry tomato with poise. He leans closer to her, his shoulder brushing against hers. "She keeps me on my toes. It's part of her charm."

  Valeria, finally recovered from her sprint, is halfway through her pasta. "I don't care who’s doing the lifting as long as we get to keep this energy. Plus, watching Mira get this flustered is a top-tier lunch activity."

  Elias and Naomi exchange a laugh as they share a side dish, clearly enjoying the free show. Mira looks at her friends, noisy, chaotic and the man beside her. He looks back, his eyes dancing with private amusement.

  "Eat your lunch, Mira," he says, gesturing toward her own plate. "You'll need your energy for the workshop in the afternoon."

  Elias looks up from his meal, leaning toward Adrian with a casual look. "Speaking of energy, are you joining the group picnic and the Christmas market this weekend?"

  Mira pauses, her fork hovering mid-air. The noisy chatter of the bistro feels distant for a second. Adrian looks thoughtful for a moment. "When exactly?"

  "Saturday noon," Elias replies. "The weather is supposed to get better by then, so we’re heading to the park before the market opens."

  A beat passes. Mira glances at Adrian. He has his own schedule and doesn't seem like the type to spend a Saturday afternoon wandering through crowded stalls with a bunch of students.

  Instead, Adrian nods. "That's fine. I'll be there."

  Mira flusters, her heart giving a small, unexpected skip. She quickly pretends to focus on her steak, cutting into it with unnecessary concentration. These guys always act as they please, making plans and agreeing to things without checking with her first. She keeps her head down to hide her face, but a small smile forms at the fact that he will join the group.

  ?