Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Way She Holds Herself

Aaron’s POV

Aaron liked patterns.

He noticed how most people repeated themselves without realizing. Like how the girl in front of him in the café line always laughed before saying her order, or how the finance major two tables over blinked five times when he lied.

It wasn’t judgment. Just… observation.

People were easy to figure out.

Until her.

Riri Winters.

She was chaos and sunshine and brutal honesty in a small, curvy frame. And she wasn’t easy to figure out.

She said she didn’t care what people thought, but the way her shoulders tensed slightly when someone stared too long — he noticed.

She made fun of herself first in every conversation.

He noticed that, too.

But she wasn’t insecure. That’s what confused him.

She knew she was different. And still walked into every room like she owned it. Like anyone who didn’t get it wasn’t worth her time.

He didn’t know how to react to that kind of self-assurance.

Because it made him question his own.

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They were meeting again for their project — same library corner, same energy: her making jokes, him pretending not to smile.

Today she was wearing a soft pink hoodie that said “Main Character” in bold white text.

He didn’t laugh. But inside?

He agreed.

She was the main character.

Not in a loud, look-at-me way — but in a way that made the room bend slightly around her, like gravity shifted just a little when she walked by.

She was explaining her idea for the project, waving her pen around like a sword, when two girls walked past.

They were whispering. Not loudly. But just enough.

Aaron didn’t catch the words — only the glance.

And Riri’s smile didn’t falter.

But her eyes did something.

A flicker. A shift.

She turned slightly away and kept talking.

Like nothing happened.

Like she didn’t hear it.

But she did.

And so did he.

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After the girls left, she kept going. Didn’t bring it up. Didn’t break.

He watched her closely. Every inch of her was soft and confident and controlled.

She held herself like she was fine.

And maybe she was.

But still…

“I liked your idea,” he said, interrupting her mid-rant about “symbolism being the most overused word in English lit.”

She paused. “Huh?”

“Your breakdown of character contrast. It was smart.”

She blinked, caught off guard. “Oh. Uh… thanks.”

“You don’t let stuff get to you, do you?”

She tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

He gave her a look — subtle, but not empty.

The corners of her mouth twitched.

“Nah,” she said, softer now. “People say crap all the time. I just… stopped listening.”

“You still hear it, though.”

“Yeah,” she said. “But I don’t let them live in my head rent-free. My brain is expensive real estate.”

He smiled — openly this time.

She grinned back. “Wow. Was that a full smile from the mysterious Aaron Thorne?”

“Don’t get used to it.”

She leaned back, arms crossed. “Too late.”

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When they finished for the day, she stood up and adjusted her hoodie.

Aaron stood too. Looked at her.

Not just her face.

Not just her body.

But how she stood. Like she wasn’t afraid to take up space.

She wasn’t small — and she didn’t try to be.

And somehow… that was the most magnetic thing he’d ever seen.

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End of Chapter 5

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