[Sophie’s POV]

I had planned this night carefully, down to the minute, because planning is how I survive when my emotions are louder than my logic. Adrian’s house is quiet in the evenings, the kind of quiet that feels intentional, curated, like everything else about him.

When I arrive, he takes my coat without rushing, his fingers brushing my wrist in that familiar way that always makes me feel both grounded and exposed. He pours wine before I can ask, red and generous, and I watch his hands because watching them keeps me from thinking too far ahead.

“You’re tense,” he says as he hands me the glass, studying my face with that sharp attentiveness that used to scare me and now just makes me feel seen. “Did something happen at work?”

I shake my head too quickly, then force myself to slow down, to breathe like a normal person who isn’t carrying a secret that feels too big for her body. “Nothing new,” I say, which is technically true and morally exhausting. “I just wanted tonight to be… ours.”

His mouth softens at that, the corner of it lifting like I’ve given him something precious without realizing it. “I like the sound of that,” he says, and the way he says it makes it feel intentional instead of possessive. He doesn’t crowd me. He doesn’t test my boundaries. He just sits across from me, knee angled toward mine, close enough to feel but not close enough to overwhelm.

Dinner is easy, which feels like a trick. He cooks without ceremony, narrating what he’s doing like he always does when he’s trying to keep things light. I sit at the counter, answering when prompted, laughing when he makes a dry comment about the absurdity of reduction sauces.

This is the Adrian people don’t see, the one who can be warm without trying to dominate the room, the one who watches me like I’m something he wants to understand instead of something he wants to win.

We’re halfway through eating when he sets his fork down, his expression shifting in a way I recognize immediately. It’s the look he gets when he’s about to share something he’s been holding back, something that matters.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” he says, and my heart stutters.

I nod, gripping my glass a little tighter than necessary. “Okay.”

He doesn’t rush. He leans back slightly, exhales, then looks at me like he’s bracing for impact even though his voice is steady. “I heard back from a university today.”

I blink, not fully processing. “Heard back how?”

“They want to hire me,” he says, and this time he smiles, full and unguarded. “A visiting position to start, with a path to tenure if things go well. They’re aware of everything. The articles. The rumors. All of it.”

The room tilts, just a little. “Adrian,” I say, my voice soft with something like awe. “That’s incredible.”

“I know,” he replies, and there’s relief threaded through his excitement, something fragile and earned. “It’s a chance to start clean. To teach again without feeling like every lecture is an act of self-defense.”

He stands, restless with the energy of it, pacing a few steps before stopping in front of me. “I didn’t think it would happen this soon,” he admits. “I thought I’d have to fight harder. Prove myself longer.”

I force a smile that I hope looks real. “You deserve this,” I tell him, because that part is true without qualification. “You’ve always deserved this.”

He reaches for my hands then, holding them between his, warm and steady, and I feel the weight of what I came here to say press harder against my ribs. His thumbs brush over my knuckles, grounding, affectionate.

“This changes things,” he says quietly. “In a good way.”

I swallow, my throat tight. “It does.”

He looks at me more closely now, sensing the hesitation I’m failing to hide. “Hey,” he says gently. “What’s going on?”

This is the moment. The opening. The place where the truth should live. I can feel it pushing forward, demanding space, demanding honesty. My chest aches with the effort of holding it back.

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