Falling for the Goddess

Adrian Is Comforting Her

Sara Hart first noticed Adrian Blake's hand. His skin was cool and fair, his fingers long and well-defined, and his nails neatly trimmed - like a work of art. She seemed to be in a daze, and seeing this, Adrian pushed the tissue a little closer. Sara looked up, her dark, clear eyes filled with confusion.

"Your lip," Adrian Blake reminded her gently.

"Oh," Sara Hart snapped back to reality, quickly taking the tissue and wiping her mouth, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Thank you."

Adrian retracted his hand and resumed eating, his expression as calm as ever.

Sitting across from them, Ella Duvall raised her eyebrows in mild surprise. It seemed their relationship wasn't as distant or cold as she had imagined.

Lucas Graves was even more astonished. Since when did Adrian Blake ever offer a tissue to a girl? He kept all women at arm's length, making sure no one got close. He glanced at Sara, who sat quietly with a serene demeanor. His gaze shifted back and forth between the two, and just as he was about to pull his thoughts together, his eyes met Ella's. Both could see the surprise reflected in each other's expressions.

Ella quickly looked away, refocusing on Sara. She scooped some seafood rice into a bowl for her, smiling warmly. "Sara, try this. Their Paella is really good."

"Thanks," Sara smiled back at her with a gentle warmth in her eyes.

Lucas Graves had been holding back for a while but couldn't resist anymore. "Hey, Sara, I think I saw you last Friday near the school gates..."

Sara Hart raised her eyes to meet his.

For a moment, the table fell silent.

Sara looked steadily at Lucas Graves, waiting. "And then?"

Her calm and collected expression, combined with her questioning tone, made it clear that she expected Lucas Graves to continue.

"I saw you with some silver-haired guy. Is he a friend of yours?" Lucas Graves asked, clearly fishing for details.

Sara Hart thought for a moment. "You could say that."

"'Could say that'?"

She had only met Ethan Brown twice, and though both times he had helped her, they weren't exactly close friends yet. But calling him a stranger didn't seem right either.

Wait a second. last Friday?

A thought flashed through her mind. If Lucas Graves had been with Adrian Blake when they went back to the Villa, then Adrian Blake must have seen it too.

"That day, I wasn't in a good mood and almost walked into his car. He ended up driving me around for a bit to clear my mind," Sara Hart explained plainly.

"Walked into his car? Are you okay? Did you get hurt anywhere?" Ella asked immediately, pulling Sara closer and looking her over, worried.

"I'm fine. I didn't actually get hit."

Adrian Blake suddenly raised his head, his gaze falling on Sara's right hand. The skin on her palm was still faintly marked with red from the scrape. Was that how she had gotten injured last Friday?

Ella Duvall thought for a moment and then asked, "Last Friday... were you upset because of James Hill?"

"Who's James Hill?" Lucas Graves asked, looking confused.

"He's a friend of Sara. Remember that news about the Lab Explosion at NCIT Chemical? James Hill was in that lab."

Sara Hart's expression dimmed slightly.

She didn't really want to discuss this topic.

The dots started connecting in Lucas Graves's mind. Sara Hart studied chemical engineering, and her friend had been involved in the explosion. The pieces fell into place: she was upset about the lab accident and her friend's injury, and she had crossed paths with Ethan Brown by chance, leading him to take her for a drive to help her clear her head.

And there they had been, jumping to conclusions, making assumptions about her.

Lucas snuck a glance at Adrian. They had totally misunderstood Sara Hart...

Adrian's body tensed. He had realized earlier that he had misjudged Sara, but hearing the full story now, he knew he had been overly harsh. He hadn't been home in a week...

The atmosphere in the car noticeably chilled.

---

On the way back, Lucas Graves offered to drive Ella Duvall home, leaving Adrian Blake and Sara Hart to head back together.

As Adrian drove, he glanced at Sara, noticing that her mood had dimmed after they discussed the lab incident.

"Sorry..."

"Huh?" Sara looked at him in surprise, not understanding why he was apologizing.

Adrian didn't elaborate. Instead, he asked, "Are you still worried about your friend?"

Sara turned slightly toward him and softly explained, "My friend feels really guilty about what happened. He thinks that if he had been there to supervise the student in the lab, the accident wouldn't have occurred. He's decided to stop doing experiments altogether."

"But he's really talented and skilled at what he does... and now he's giving it all up," she continued, her voice tinged with sadness. The investigation into the explosion at the NCIT Chemical lab had concluded that improper procedures had caused the accident. While James Hill wasn't held directly responsible, his absence from the lab that day left him feeling guilty. He had planned to drop out, but his advisor wouldn't let him. Instead, he was granted a year's leave of absence to recover and reconsider.

However, from what James had told her, he didn't seem inclined to return.

Seeing the subtle furrow in Sara's brow, Adrian asked, "You tried to convince him otherwise?"

"I did, but it didn't help."

Adrian thought for a moment before offering his perspective. "If he can't overcome his internal guilt, no one's words will change his mind. He's blaming himself because he feels guilty."

"He hasn't officially dropped out yet. Taking a year off might be the best thing for him. A lot can change in a year," Adrian continued. As the traffic light turned red, he stopped the car and turned to look at her. "If he truly loves what he does, he won't give up so easily."

Adrian's words were like a breath of fresh air for Sara. She had witnessed James Hill's unwavering dedication to his studies and his resilience, much like a wild weed growing persistently through cracks in stone. He wasn't the type to give up easily.

Letting out a relieved sigh, Sara realized Adrian was comforting her. She turned to him, her smile brightening her face, and said earnestly, "thank you."

Adrian was taken aback for a moment. Looking at her, he saw her clear, dark eyes sparkling, as if filled with tiny stars, shining brightly.

The traffic light turned green, and the sound of a car horn behind them broke the moment. Adrian returned his focus to the road, but a tiny smile tugged at the corner of his lips - so faint it was barely noticeable.

When they arrived and got out of the car, Adrian's eyes fell on the two tickets he had left in the car earlier. Without much thought, he picked them up and handed them to Sara. "Here, you can take these and go with your friend."

Sara Hart paused in the middle of opening the car door. "But these were for you."

"I won't have time to go."

Even if he had time, he wouldn't go.

"Okay," Sara said, taking the tickets from him.

Even though she knew Adrian wasn't interested in Rachael Hall, she couldn't help feeling a bit down when he had accepted the tickets earlier. But now, looking at the beautifully designed tickets in her hands, that feeling seemed to fade away.