The campus festival glowed under a canopy of lanterns. Strings of warm lights zigzagged between trees, casting soft halos across the crowded quad. Students drifted in groups, laughter spilling into the night air, blending with the faint notes of a live band playing on the makeshift stage. Stalls lined the walkways, selling everything from candied chestnuts to steaming bowls of ramen, their aromas mingling in a heady cocktail of comfort.
Jade stood near the edge of the festival grounds, bundled in a thick scarf, his breath visible in the crisp winter air. His notebook peeked out from the pocket of his coat a habit he couldn’t break even on nights like this. He had come with Danielle, though somehow, like always, Adrien had slipped into the picture.
Adrien moved with effortless confidence through the crowd, his presence commanding attention even when he wasn’t trying. His tailored coat fit perfectly, his dark hair catching the golden glow of the lanterns. He carried himself like he belonged everywhere and nowhere at once, an aura that drew eyes but kept people at a distance. Except Jade. Adrien’s gaze found him again and again, pulling him in with a magnetic inevitability.
Danielle lingered close, his tone unusually sharp as he noticed the way Jade’s attention drifted. “You’re staring again,” he muttered, biting into a skewer of grilled meat without looking at Jade directly.
Jade flushed, adjusting his glasses. “I’m not… I was just”
“You were just looking at him,” Danielle cut in, his voice softer now but edged with something unspoken. “Jade, you don’t see it, do you?”
Jade turned, confused. “See what?”
Before Danielle could answer, Adrien approached, two cups of steaming cocoa in hand. He held one out with a smile that looked practiced but somehow genuine. “Here. You looked cold.”
Jade hesitated, then accepted the cup. The warmth seeped into his fingers, and something fluttered in his chest at Adrien’s thoughtfulness. Danielle’s jaw tightened.
“Thanks,” Jade murmured.
Adrien’s smile widened just slightly as his eyes lingered on Jade before flicking to Danielle. “You didn’t want one?”
Danielle’s expression didn’t shift. “I didn’t ask for one.”
The tension between them hummed, sharp and almost tangible. Jade shifted uneasily, looking between them. Adrien seemed unfazed, but Danielle’s patience was thinning.
The night wore on. Jade found himself laughing at Adrien’s dry remarks, almost forgetting the unease simmering beneath Danielle’s silence. The festival was alive with energy sparks from a fire-breathing performance burst into the night sky, children raced with glowing sticks, and students leaned against railings with mugs of hot cider.
But the further Jade was pulled into Adrien’s orbit, the more Danielle’s distance became pronounced. He finally excused himself to “grab another drink,” though Jade caught the storm brewing in his eyes before he walked off.
Adrien watched him leave, then leaned in closer to Jade, his voice dropping just enough to feel private. “He doesn’t like me.”
Jade blinked. “Danielle? No, that’s not”
Adrien chuckled softly, sipping his cocoa. “It’s fine. I understand. He’s protective. But I can’t help wondering…” His gaze flicked to Jade’s face, sharp and lingering. “…does he dislike me because of who I am—or because he sees what’s happening between us?”
The words hung in the air, heavy and intimate. Jade’s heart skipped. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
Before he could respond, Danielle’s voice cut through the noise. “Adrien.”
Jade turned. Danielle stood a few feet away, the lantern light catching the tension in his clenched jaw. His hands were shoved into his coat pockets, his stance deceptively casual. But his eyes sharp, unyielding were fixed on Adrien.
Adrien’s smile flickered, as if amused. “Yes?”
“Can we talk?” Danielle’s tone left no room for argument.
Jade looked between them nervously. “What’s going on”
“It’s fine,” Adrien interrupted smoothly, rising to his feet. “Lead the way.”
They moved to the edge of the festival grounds, where the noise softened and the lantern glow faded into shadow. Jade followed a step behind, unsure if he should intervene. His pulse quickened as the two boys faced each other, tension crackling like static.
Danielle spoke first, his voice low but steady. “I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but stay away from him.”
Adrien raised a brow, a smirk tugging at his lips. “Ah. So it’s jealousy after all.”
“It’s not jealousy,” Danielle snapped, though his fists clenched at his sides. “I know your type. You’re charming, sure. Smooth. But people like you… you don’t care about the mess you leave behind.”
Adrien’s smile didn’t falter. If anything, it sharpened. “You think you know me? Interesting. I wonder if you’re upset because you truly believe I’ll hurt him—or because you can’t stand that he looks at me instead of you.”
Jade’s breath caught. The words sliced through the night, raw and dangerous. Danielle stiffened, his face flushing with anger and something else something unspoken.
“That’s not it,” Danielle said tightly. “I just don’t want him getting caught in something he doesn’t understand.”
Adrien stepped closer, his voice velvet-smooth, tinged with mockery. “And what exactly am I pulling him into? Friendship? Laughter? Warmth? Or is it just the kind of attention you can’t give him?”
Jade’s chest tightened painfully. He wanted to speak, to tell them to stop, but his voice lodged in his throat.
Danielle’s eyes burned, his voice dropping lower. “If you hurt him, Adrien, I swear”
“Swear what?” Adrien leaned in, smiling like a wolf. “That you’ll save him? Protect him from the big bad wolf? Please. He’s not a child, Danielle. He can make his own choices.”
His gaze slid to Jade, piercing. “Right, Jade?”
Jade flinched, caught between them. Both pairs of eyes pinned him in place. Danielle’s steady and pleading, Adrien’s sharp and intoxicating. His breath hitched. “I… I…”
The silence that followed was unbearable. Danielle finally turned away, frustration etched in every line of his posture. “Just think about what I said,” he muttered, walking off into the night.
Adrien watched him go, then turned back to Jade with a gentler smile, almost tender. He reached out, brushing Jade’s scarf lightly, his fingers grazing the fabric near his neck. “He doesn’t understand us.”
Jade’s pulse hammered. “Adrien…”
Adrien leaned closer, his breath warm against the winter air. “Don’t let him scare you. I like you, Jade. More than I should.” His voice softened to a whisper. “And I don’t want to stop.”
Jade’s cheeks burned, his heart caught between the sharp edges of Adrien’s confession and the echo of Danielle’s warning. The night around them sparkled with lantern light, but inside him, the storm had only just begun.
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and then Add to home screen.