The next morning, the rain had stopped, leaving Northfield University fresh and glistening beneath the early autumn sun.
Ariana walked across the courtyard with Maya, balancing a cup of coffee in one hand and her notebook in the other.
She felt…lighter.
Maybe it was because the project had gone well.
Maybe it was because Professor Hayes had believed in her.
Or maybe…
She quickly pushed away the thought.
It definitely wasn’t because of Ethan Carter.
“So,” Maya said with a teasing smile, “how was your romantic walk in the rain?”
“It wasn’t romantic.”
“No?”
“It was practical.”
“You shared an umbrella.”
“We didn’t have another choice.”
“You talked the whole way.”
“We discussed robotics.”
“You smiled.”
“…”
Ariana sighed dramatically.
“I knew I shouldn’t have told you.”
Maya laughed so hard she nearly spilled her drink.
“You like him.”
“I barely know him.”
“That’s not a denial.”
Before Ariana could reply, several girls walking past whispered to one another.
“That’s her…”
“The girl who walked home with Ethan yesterday.”
“I heard they were under one umbrella.”
“I’ve never seen him do that before.”
Ariana stopped walking.
“…They’re talking about me.”
Maya looked over her shoulder.
“They definitely are.”
Ariana groaned.
“It was just raining!”
“Tell that to the rumor mill.”
Meanwhile…
Inside the Student Council room…
Noah dropped into the chair beside Ethan with the biggest grin imaginable.
“So…”
Ethan looked up from his laptop.
“So?”
“You and Ariana.”
“There is no ‘me and Ariana.'”
“Oh really?”
Noah pulled out his phone.
“The campus confession page says otherwise.”
Ethan frowned.
“What confession page?”
Noah turned the screen around.
Anonymous Post #248
“Spotted Ethan Carter sharing an umbrella with a freshman yesterday.
Is Northfield’s Golden Boy finally interested in someone?”
Below the post were hundreds of comments.
I saw them too!
She’s pretty.
Wait…
isn’t that the engineering freshman?
Claire isn’t going to like this…
Ethan sighed.
“I walked her home because it was raining.”
“Uh-huh.”
“That’s all.”
Noah leaned closer.
“You know…you’ve never walked anyone else home.”
Ethan closed his laptop.
“I have work to do.”
“Running away won’t change the truth.”
“I’m not running away.”
“You definitely are.”
That afternoon…
Team Seven gathered in the engineering workshop.
The room buzzed with activity as students tested machines and discussed ideas.
Professor Hayes handed each group a workbench.
“This space is yours for the semester.”
Claire immediately began organizing the tools.
“We should divide responsibilities.”
Noah nodded.
“I’ll handle programming.”
“I’ll work on the mechanical design,” Ethan added.
Claire smiled.
“I can take care of documentation.”
Everyone looked toward Ariana.
She hesitated.
“I’ll design the medical system and the robot’s overall concept.”
Professor Hayes walked by just in time to hear.
“Excellent.”
She smiled proudly.
“I expect great things from your team.”
Claire forced a smile.
“So do I.”
But inside…
She hated hearing everyone praise Ariana.
Hours passed.
The team worked nonstop.
By evening, Noah was complaining dramatically.
“My brain has officially stopped functioning.”
Ethan chuckled.
“We’ve only been here four hours.”
“Exactly.”
“I’m exhausted.”
Claire checked her watch.
“I have another meeting.”
She packed her bag.
“I’ll finish my part tomorrow.”
She left without another word.
Noah stretched.
“My basketball practice starts in ten minutes.”
He looked at Ariana apologetically.
“Sorry.”
She smiled.
“It’s okay.”
Soon…
Only Ariana and Ethan remained.
The workshop had become almost silent.
The only sounds were keyboards clicking and the soft hum of machines.
Ariana was completely focused on her sketches.
Without realizing it…
Hours passed.
Around nine o’clock…
Ethan looked up from his computer.
“Ariana?”
No answer.
He stood and walked over.
She had fallen asleep at the workbench.
Her head rested on folded arms.
A pencil was still loosely held between her fingers.
Several pages of robot designs were spread around her.
Ethan smiled to himself.
“You really don’t know when to stop working…”
The room felt chilly.
He glanced at his navy hoodie lying across the chair.
After hesitating for a moment…
He gently placed it over Ariana’s shoulders.
Careful not to wake her.
Just then…
The workshop door opened.
Two engineering students walked in.
One gasped quietly.
“Is that…”
“Ethan?”
They quickly pulled out their phones.
One snapped a photo.
Not of Ariana sleeping.
Just of Ethan standing beside her after covering her with his hoodie.
Neither of them noticed.
The next morning…
Northfield’s unofficial campus social page exploded.
NEW CAMPUS UPDATE
“Golden Boy Ethan Carter gives his hoodie to a freshman after she falls asleep working on their engineering project.”
The comments poured in.
This is so cute.
I’ve never seen Ethan do anything like this.
She’s lucky.
Wait…isn’t this the same umbrella girl?
They’re definitely dating.
Ariana knew nothing about any of it.
She walked into the engineering building carrying Ethan’s neatly folded hoodie.
The moment she entered…
Everyone seemed to look at her.
She frowned.
“Why is everyone staring?”
Maya suddenly rushed toward her.
“Ariana!”
“What happened?”
“You seriously haven’t checked your phone?”
“No…”
Maya slowly covered her face.
“Oh…this is going to be interesting.”
Across the hallway…
Claire watched Ariana from a distance.
Her jaw tightened.
“So that’s how it’s going to be…”
she whispered.
“If everyone wants to make her the heroine…”
A cold smile slowly appeared on her face.
“Then I’ll become the villain.”
At that exact moment…
Ethan walked into the hallway.
His eyes met Ariana’s.
For a brief second…
Neither of them noticed the whispers surrounding them.
They only noticed each other.
But sometimes…
The sweetest moments become the beginning of the biggest misunderstanding