collision

Olivia dove back into debugging Cupid Connect, adding new features and making plenty of improvements. Hours flew by, and she barely noticed her iced latte running low.

Packing up her laptop and bag, she headed to the nearby cafe she usually visited, hoping for a refill—and maybe a tiny break from her chaotic brain.

As she walked in, she accidentally bumped into someone. She stepped back and looked up.

“Sorry for bumping into you…” Olivia said, realizing who it was.

“No, no, it’s my fault,” Adrian replied with a small smile.

“If you say so,” Olivia muttered.

“I didn’t know you knew my name,” Adrian said with a little laugh.

“Everyone knows Adrian Cross. Campus golden boy cliché,” Olivia replied, trying to keep it casual.

“Didn’t know I was that popular,” he said, smirking.

Olivia sighed inwardly. Why do I have to run into him when all I wanted was an iced latte?

“Would you kindly move?” she said flatly, tugging her hoodie a little lower.

“Manners,” Adrian said, smirking.

“Please spare me… the lecture, Mr. Cross,” Olivia shot back, rolling her eyes.

She took her order and found a seat, opening her laptop to start on her Computer Science: App Development project.

Just as she focused, she heard a chair scrape behind her. Someone had sat down.

“Sorry for abruptly interrupting, but may I sit here?” Adrian asked.

“You’re already sorted, so why ask?” Olivia replied, raising an eyebrow.

Adrian watched as she typed.

“What are you doing?” he asked, trying to make small talk.

“A project,” Olivia replied curtly.

Adrian said nothing, just studied her, perhaps more intently than he should.

“What do you think of the app, Cupid Connect?” he asked.

Olivia paused. “I think it’s pretty nice.”

“Yeah, it isn’t so bad,” Adrian agreed.

“What do you think about Cupid?” he asked, leaning just slightly closer.

“Cupid is very upfront — that’s all I can say,” Olivia replied.

“She sure is,” Adrian said with a small smile.

“How do you know Cupid is female?” Olivia asked, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s a hunch,” Adrian replied, smirking.

“A hunch?… Uh, I see,” Olivia said.

“Yes, a hunch. My intuition is never wrong,” Adrian added confidently.

“You seem to trust your gut a lot,” Olivia observed.

“I do,” Adrian said, smirking.

Just then, Stacy walked into the cafe and spotted them. She slid into the seat beside them.

“Hey, Adrian,” she said.

“Hey, Stacy,” Adrian replied casually.

“Hey, Olivia,” Stacy added, teasing.

“Hey, Stace,” Olivia said.

“So, is this the new friend you mentioned earlier?” Stacy asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

“No, it’s not,” Olivia said quickly.

“New friend?” Adrian asked, curious.

“Oh! Olivia was texting someone all through the night. She wouldn’t even tell me who it is,” Stacy said with a pout.

“As I said, Stace… a friend,” Olivia replied.

“Well, who’s this friend?” Adrian asked, leaning in slightly.

“None of your business,” Olivia said, flat but amused.

“Well, it is my business now,” Adrian said, smirking.

“Well, I do love my space,” Olivia replied, crossing her arms.

“Well, I also seem to love your space… that’s why I’m prying,” Adrian said, leaning just a bit closer.

“Wow, you two really get along,” Stacy said, butting in with a grin.

“No, we don’t,” Olivia said firmly.

“She just reminds me of someone,” Adrian said, a small smirk playing on his lips.

“And who’s this someone?” Stacy asked.

“Someone not so important,” Adrian replied casually.

“Not so important?” Those words rang in Olivia’s head. He might know she’s Cupid, but how dare he dismiss her other persona like that.

“Not so important? Is that how you dismiss a person I remind you of?” Olivia asked, eyes narrowing.

“Oh, my dearie, I’m sorry, your excellence,” Adrian replied with a sly grin.

“Hahaha, so funny, jester,” Olivia said mockingly, rolling her eyes.

“Looks like someone’s mad,” Stacy teased.

“I’m not mad,” Olivia said, packing her things.

Standing up abruptly, she headed back to the dorm, leaving Adrian with a small smirk and a glint of curiosity in his eyes.

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