Until forever...

Chapter 5: Lines Blurred

Maya had always prided herself on keeping things compartmentalized—her studies, her friendships, her goals. Everything fit into neat little boxes, and she liked it that way. But now, with Ethan blurring the lines between group partner and... something else, she felt the steady unraveling of those clean categories.

It didn’t help that they kept crossing paths outside of their scheduled meetings. A casual nod in the hallway, an easy grin when they passed in the quad, or the time she caught him holding the door for her at the library, as if they were... friends? Whatever it was, it unsettled her.

They had wrapped up most of the psychology project, and for the first time, Maya found herself kind of enjoying their meetings. She’d come to expect his sharp comments and the way he made her laugh when she wasn’t trying to be serious. But that’s all it was, she reminded herself. Just a successful collaboration.

Still, as she walked to her next class, she couldn’t stop thinking about their last lunch together. They had laughed, talked about more than school, and for a brief moment, Maya had forgotten who Ethan was supposed to be in her mind—the laid-back bad boy who didn’t care about anything.

She was lost in thought when she felt someone fall into step beside her. She didn’t need to look to know it was him.

“Hey, stranger,” Ethan said, his voice light, but there was a glimmer in his eyes when she glanced up at him. “Heading to class?”

Maya nodded, clutching her bag a little tighter. “Yeah. You?”

“Nah, I’ve got some time to kill before my next class. Thought I’d walk with you.” He flashed her a grin, as if this was the most natural thing in the world.

Maya’s heart skipped a beat, and she hated it. She tried to keep her voice casual. “You don’t have anything better to do?”

He shrugged. “What can I say? You’re good company.”

Maya bit back a smile, determined not to let him see how much his easy charm was getting to her. They walked in companionable silence for a moment, the quiet hum of campus life around them—students chatting, bikes whizzing by, the occasional shout from across the quad.

Ethan broke the silence. “So, what’s the plan for the presentation? You still want to run through it this weekend?”

Maya nodded, keeping her gaze forward. “Yeah. We should practice at least once before Monday.”

“Cool,” he said, his tone relaxed. “But let’s not make it all business. We could grab lunch after or something.”

Maya hesitated, not sure how to respond. Part of her wanted to say yes—after all, they’d done it before, and it had been fine, more than fine, actually. But the other part of her—the logical part—knew that the more time she spent with Ethan outside of work, the more dangerous this was getting.

“I don’t know if we’ll have time,” she said finally, her voice more clipped than she intended.

Ethan glanced at her, his expression unreadable for a moment. “Right. You’re all about efficiency, huh?”

Maya stopped walking and turned to face him. “It’s not that. I just don’t want to—” She paused, searching for the right words. “I don’t want to mix things up.”

“Mix things up?” He raised an eyebrow, his tone curious but not mocking. “Like what?”

Maya felt heat rise in her cheeks. She had no idea how to explain what she was feeling without sounding ridiculous, so she went with her default defense: practicality. “We’re just working together on a project, Ethan. That’s it. I don’t want to complicate things.”

Ethan’s gaze softened, and for a moment, she thought he might press the issue. But instead, he smiled, though there was something different about it this time—less teasing, more understanding. “Fair enough,” he said quietly. “I get it.”

Maya exhaled, relieved and confused all at once. She nodded, eager to change the subject. “So, this weekend then? We’ll go over the slides?”

Ethan’s smirk returned, lighter this time. “Yeah, we’ll nail it. I’ll bring the coffee.”

---

When Saturday rolled around, Maya was sitting at the large table in the study lounge, her laptop open and a stack of index cards scattered in front of her. She had come early, as usual, to prep for their run-through of the presentation. Ethan was supposed to meet her in fifteen minutes, and she was already nervous, though she couldn’t pinpoint why.

The door to the lounge creaked open, and Ethan strolled in, carrying two large coffees and wearing that easygoing grin. “Told you I’d bring the coffee.”

Maya looked up, smiling despite herself. “Thanks. I could use it.”

Ethan set the cup down in front of her, then slid into the seat next to hers instead of across the table. She noticed, but didn’t comment. They spent the next hour going over the slides, rehearsing their parts and tweaking the transitions. To her surprise, they made a good team. Ethan was smooth and confident, while she was precise and thorough.

“Okay,” Maya said after their second run-through, closing her laptop. “I think we’re ready.”

Ethan leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms above his head. “Not bad, Maya. I think we’ve got this in the bag.”

Maya nodded, but her focus was distracted by the way Ethan’s fingers brushed against his hair as he stretched. She quickly looked away, mentally scolding herself for noticing.

“So,” Ethan said, glancing over at her with a playful glint in his eye, “since we’ve got the project down, you sure you don’t want to grab lunch? Celebrate a job well done?”

Maya hesitated again, her heart racing. She knew where this could lead—more time spent together, more moments that blurred the lines between their professional and personal lives. But the truth was, she didn’t really want to say no. Not this time.

“Okay,” she said softly, surprising herself as much as him. “But just lunch.”

Ethan’s smile widened, warm and genuine. “Just lunch,” he agreed, holding up his hands as if to prove he had no ulterior motives.

They packed up their things and headed out into the crisp autumn air, walking side by side toward a café just off campus. As they strolled, Maya felt a sense of ease settle between them, different from the nervous energy that usually buzzed in the air. It felt... nice.

As they sat down with their food, Ethan leaned forward, his expression unusually serious. “You know, Maya, I like this. Us, I mean. We’re good together.”

Maya blinked, caught off guard by his directness. “What do you mean?”

He shrugged, taking a sip of his drink. “I don’t know. We just... click. I wasn’t expecting it, but it works.”

Maya swallowed, unsure of how to respond. There it was again—this unexpected softness in Ethan that completely threw her off balance. She wasn’t sure what to do with it, or how to handle the way it made her feel.

“Well,” she said, clearing her throat, “let’s just focus on getting an A, okay?”

Ethan chuckled, but there was something in his eyes that told her he wasn’t just talking about the project. “Sure, Maya. Just an A.”

But as they continued talking, Maya couldn’t shake the feeling that the lines between them were only going to get blurrier.