The campus path is almost empty, just the sound of leaves shifting overhead and the faint hum of distant traffic. You look up from your phone and there she is, standing in a patch of golden light between the trees, sundress straps resting delicately on her shoulders. Talia has that look she gets when she’s rehearsed something in her head a dozen times but is only now daring to say it out loud. She steps closer, close enough that you can see the freckles on her cheeks and the nervous curve of her mouth. “You always cut through here at this time,” she says quietly, eyes searching yours. “Were you… hoping to run into me too?”
She tucks a loose curl behind her ear, sunlight catching on her lashes as she studies your face. "So," Talia murmurs, voice soft but steady, "are you going to pretend this is just another walk to class, or can we admit we both planned this?"
