บททั้งหมดของ Love and pain : บทที่ 91 - บทที่ 100

Ariana didn’t leave the lecture hall immediately after class.She stayed longer than usual.Not because she had work.Not because she was waiting for someone.But because leaving meant facing the hallway where Oliver might or might not be waiting.And she wasn’t ready for either possibility today.Students filtered out gradually.Noise faded in layers.Until the room felt almost too quiet for how many people had been inside minutes ago.Ariana closed her notebook slowly.Then finally stood up.Her movements were calm.But her mind wasn’t.When she stepped into the hallway, she immediately saw him.Oliver was there.Leaning slightly against the wall near the exit.Waiting.Or maybe just standing there like he used to.Ariana paused for half a second.Then continued walking toward him.Oliver noticed her and straightened.“Hey,” he said.“Hey,” she replied.That word used to feel light between them.Now it felt heavier.Like it carried things neither of them were saying.They started wa

The next day felt heavier than the conversation they had.Not because anything new happened.But because nothing had changed… and that was starting to feel like the problem.Ariana arrived on campus earlier than usual.Not out of discipline.Out of avoidance.She didn’t know if Oliver would be there waiting again.And she didn’t know how she would feel if he was.So she walked slowly through the campus paths, letting time pass around her instead of stepping fully into it.People greeted each other.Laughed.Talked.Everything looked normal.But Ariana felt slightly out of rhythm with it all.Like she was hearing life through a thin layer of glass.When she reached the lecture hall, she stopped at the entrance.Oliver was already inside.Sitting in his usual seat.Her seat.Or what used to feel like their shared space.He looked up when she entered.A pause.Then a small nod.“Ariana,” he said.“Oliver,” she replied.She sat down beside him.Carefully.Not too close.Not too far.Just…

The change didn’t happen all at once.Ariana didn’t wake up and decide to act differently.It came quietly.In small decisions.Moments where she would have spoken… and didn’t.Moments where she would have waited… and chose not to.That was what Oliver noticed first.Not distance.Not silence.But the absence of her effort to close it.The next morning, Ariana arrived at campus without checking if Oliver was already there.She didn’t slow her steps near the usual spot.Didn’t scan the area out of habit.She just walked straight toward the lecture hall.Simple.Normal.But unfamiliar.Oliver saw her before she saw him.He had been standing there longer than he expected.Waiting.Not fully admitting it to himself.But waiting.When he realized she wasn’t looking for him, something in his chest tightened slightly.Not pain.Just… awareness.He stepped forward.“Ariana.”She turned.A small pause.Then a nod.“Morning.”No hesitation.No extra warmth.Just steady.Oliver walked beside her

The next morning, Ariana noticed it immediately.Not because it was dramatic.But because it was different.Oliver was already there.Not just standing.Not just waiting.He was holding two cups of coffee.That alone would have meant nothing before.Now it meant something.“Ariana,” he said when he saw her.She slowed her steps slightly.Then stopped in front of him.“Morning.”Oliver held out one of the cups.“I remembered you like it without sugar.”Ariana looked at it for a moment.Then took it.“Thank you,” she said.A pause.Then she added:“You didn’t have to.”Oliver shook his head.“I know.”A small silence followed.Not uncomfortable.Just… new.They started walking toward the lecture hall together.This time, Oliver matched her pace without adjusting.It wasn’t forced.But it wasn’t unconscious either.Ariana noticed.She didn’t say anything.But she noticed.Inside the classroom, Oliver sat down beside her like usual.But this time, he didn’t drift.Didn’t stare at nothing.

The next day didn’t feel tense.That was what made it unexpected.Ariana didn’t wake up thinking about what might go wrong.She didn’t replay yesterday in her mind.She just… moved forward.And for the first time in a while, things felt almost normal again.Oliver was already outside when she arrived.Not waiting in the old way.Not overthinking.Just there.When he saw her, he smiled slightly.“Morning.”Ariana returned it.“Morning.”No hesitation.No careful tone.Just simple.They walked together.No forced conversation.No heavy silence either.Just something in between.Something easier.That alone made it feel like progress.During class, Oliver stayed focused again.Present.Consistent.Ariana noticed.And this time, she allowed herself to relax just a little.Not fully.But enough.After class ended, they stepped outside together.The campus felt alive.Voices overlapping.Movement everywhere.Normal life continuing.That was when it happened.“Hey, Ariana.”She turned.Danie