Until forever...

Chapter 4: Breaking Stereotypes

The following week, Maya found herself in a rhythm with the project, despite her initial reservations about Ethan. He showed up to each of their scheduled meetings, on time—well, close enough—and with actual contributions. Every time she expected him to flake or throw out some half-baked idea, he surprised her with insightful analysis or clever commentary on the case study.

Still, she wasn’t completely convinced.

Today, they were meeting at the campus café to work on the second half of the project. Maya sat at a small table near the window, sipping on her black coffee while she scanned through her notes. She was about to send Ethan a quick text to remind him about the meeting when, to her surprise, he walked through the door, pushing his dark hair out of his face and scanning the café for her.

Spotting her by the window, he smiled and made his way over.

“You’re early,” she remarked, unable to hide the hint of surprise in her voice.

Ethan grinned, setting his backpack down. “You’re acting like I never show up or something.”

Maya raised an eyebrow. “You’ve just been... unexpected lately.”

He shrugged, pulling out a chair and sitting down. “People are full of surprises, Maya.”

She didn’t respond to that, instead sliding her notes toward him. “We need to finalize the last section of our analysis today,” she said, keeping the conversation on track. “I’ve already outlined the potential solutions to the case, but I wanted your input on the psychological implications.”

Ethan leaned forward, scanning the notes with a thoughtful expression. “Okay, yeah. We can work with this. But I think there’s more to explore with how the subject’s upbringing played into their behavior. You mentioned the parental influence, but what about social expectations? That could’ve shaped their decisions too, especially in a high-pressure environment like the one we’re studying.”

Maya blinked, momentarily stunned by his response. She hadn’t thought of that angle, but it was... brilliant. For a guy who acted like he was above it all, Ethan had a surprisingly sharp mind when he chose to engage. And that only made him more confusing.

“You’re right,” she said slowly, reaching for her pen. “I didn’t think about the social expectations piece. It makes sense when you consider the subject’s peer group dynamics.”

Ethan smiled, looking almost pleased that she acknowledged his point. “Glad I could contribute.”

Maya nodded, making a note in the margin of her page. She wanted to keep the momentum going, but her curiosity got the better of her. She glanced up at Ethan, frowning slightly.

“Can I ask you something?”

Ethan leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. “Shoot.”

“You’re... a lot smarter than you let on,” she said carefully. “I mean, you don’t seem to care about school that much, but when it comes to this project, you’ve been on top of things. Why the sudden effort?”

Ethan looked at her for a long moment, the casual grin slipping from his face. For the first time, he seemed serious, thoughtful even.

“People assume a lot about me,” he said, his tone lower than usual. “They think just because I don’t fit the mold of the perfect student, I don’t care. But that’s not true. I just don’t see the point in stressing over every little assignment. But this project? It’s interesting. And I like proving people wrong.”

Maya wasn’t sure how to respond to that. She had assumed things about him too—probably unfairly. And now, she was starting to see that Ethan Walker was more complex than the easygoing, bad-boy persona he projected.

She took a sip of her coffee, letting his words settle. “I get that,” she said finally. “It’s just... surprising.”

Ethan’s grin returned, though it was softer now, less cocky. “You really didn’t expect me to pull my weight, did you?”

Maya gave him a half-smile. “Honestly? No. But I’m glad I was wrong.”

“Well, I’ll take that as a compliment,” he said, his tone teasing again. “So, what do we need to do to wrap this up?”

They spent the next hour working through the final section of their project, and, as usual, Ethan surprised her with his sharp observations and quick wit. Every time she started to doubt him, he threw out an idea that caught her off guard.

As they neared the end of their session, Maya felt something strange—a kind of ease between them that hadn’t been there before. She no longer felt the tension of having to babysit him through the work. Instead, they were partners, equals in this.

“Okay,” Maya said, leaning back in her chair. “I think we’re just about done. We’ll need to polish up the presentation part, but the bulk of the analysis is finished.”

Ethan stretched his arms over his head, letting out a satisfied sigh. “Good. I’m starving.”

Maya glanced at her watch. She hadn’t realized how long they’d been working. “Do you want to grab something to eat?”

Ethan’s eyebrows shot up, surprised by her suggestion. “Are you... asking me to lunch?”

Maya flushed, realizing how it sounded. “I just meant... we’ve been here for a while. It’s logical to get food now.”

Ethan chuckled. “Relax, Maya. I’m just messing with you. Sure, let’s grab something. My treat.”

They left the café and wandered over to a food truck parked near the quad. As they waited for their orders, the conversation shifted from the project to other, lighter topics—movies, favorite music, the quirks of their professors. Maya was surprised by how easy it was to talk to Ethan when they weren’t at odds.

“So,” Ethan said between bites of his sandwich, “what’s next for Maya Gupta? Straight A’s, world domination, or both?”

Maya laughed softly. “I’m working on it.”

“I have no doubt,” he said, his gaze lingering on her in a way that made her heart skip unexpectedly.

Maya quickly looked away, focusing on her food. She wasn’t sure what was happening between them, but she knew one thing for sure: the lines between how she thought she felt about Ethan and how she actually felt were starting to blur.

And that scared her more than anything.