His name was Nathaniel

76

Adaliya had barely stepped onto campus before she felt the shift.

It wasn't immediate—no dramatic stares or whispers trailing behind her—but it was there. A subtle shift in the way people looked at her, the lingering glances, the too-curious expressions.

She adjusted the strap of her bag, forcing herself to keep walking toward her first lecture. Maybe she was imagining it. Maybe she was just being paranoid.

Then she overheard the first whisper.

"That's her, right? The one dating Nathaniel Donovan?"

"Yeah, I saw her pictures online. Who would've thought?"

"I heard she comes from a normal family. What does he even see in her?"

Adaliya's stomach twisted.

So much for paranoia.

She sighed, quickening her pace, but the conversations around her only grew more frequent the deeper she walked into campus.

Some people didn't even try to be discreet about it.

A group of students near the café blatantly turned to look at her as she passed, their voices hushed but their interest unmistakable.

A girl from one of her classes, someone she had only spoken to a handful of times, suddenly appeared at her side, smiling brightly.

"Hey, Adaliya! Wow, I had no idea you were dating the Nathaniel Donovan."

Adaliya forced a small smile. "Yeah, well... surprise."

The girl giggled. "That's insane. How did that even happen? I mean, no offense, but you guys seem like total opposites."

No offense? Adaliya barely kept herself from rolling her eyes. "It just happened," she said, keeping her answer vague.

The girl nodded enthusiastically, as if she hadn't just implied Adaliya wasn't worthy of dating Nathaniel. "You have to tell me what it's like. Is he as intense as he looks? Does he spoil you? Do you guys, you know... travel everywhere in private jets and—"

"I really have to get to class," Adaliya interrupted, walking faster.

She barely made it a few steps before someone else stopped her—this time, a guy she vaguely recognized from a study group last semester.

"So, is it true?" he asked, grinning. "You and Donovan?"

Adaliya exhaled through her nose, gripping the strap of her bag. "If you already know, why are you asking?"

The guy chuckled. "Just didn't think you were into guys like him. You must be real special to get him to settle down."

Adaliya bit her tongue before she could snap back. She was starting to get really tired of everyone acting like Nathaniel dating her was some unbelievable miracle.

The comments didn't stop, though.

Throughout the day, people she barely spoke to suddenly wanted to be her best friend. Some asked outright personal questions, while others were more subtle, slipping in little comments about how she had "leveled up" or how crazy it was that someone like her was dating someone like him.

By the time her last class ended, she was exhausted—not from school, but from the people.

She had expected some curiosity after the tabloids, but this? This was too much.

She just wanted to go back to being Adaliya, not Nathaniel Donovan's girlfriend.

After college, Adaliya headed straight to work, hoping for some sense of normalcy. The small café where she worked had always been a familiar, safe space—one where she could just focus on getting orders right and keeping customers happy.

But the moment she stepped inside, she was met with knowing smirks from her co-workers.

"Well, look who it is," one of them, Mia, said with a teasing grin. "Our very own celebrity girlfriend."

Adaliya groaned as she tied her apron around her waist. "Not you guys too."

"Are you kidding?" Another co-worker, Jordan, laughed. "You're literally all over the internet. We had customers talking about you this morning."

Adaliya's eyes widened. "Customers?"

Mia smirked. "Oh, yeah. A couple of them were showing off your pictures like they were analyzing a crime scene."

Jordan leaned against the counter, arms crossed. "So... are you gonna give us the inside scoop, or do we have to read the tabloids like everyone else?"

Adaliya sighed, rubbing her temples. "There's no 'inside scoop.' Nathaniel and I are just... dating. That's it."

Mia scoffed playfully. "That's it? Girl, you're dating Nathaniel Donovan. You know how many people would kill to be in your position?"

"Exactly," Jordan added. "And yet, here you are, acting like it's no big deal."

Adaliya rolled her eyes, grabbing a cloth and pretending to focus on wiping down the counter. "Because it isn't a big deal. At least, it shouldn't be."

Mia shot her a look. "Oh, come on. Tell me he at least treats you like a queen. Private jets? Expensive gifts? Fancy dinners?"

Adaliya hesitated. "He's... thoughtful," she said vaguely.

Mia gasped. "So that's a yes."

Adaliya shook her head, refusing to feed into the conversation any further. "I'm not talking about my relationship at work."

Jordan chuckled. "Fair enough. But you can't blame us for being curious."

"Yeah," Mia added. "You're basically our claim to fame now."

Adaliya groaned, throwing her cloth down. "I hate all of you."

They just laughed, completely unfazed.

By the time her shift ended, Adaliya felt even more drained than before. It was like she couldn't escape it—everywhere she went, someone had something to say.

With an irritated sigh, she pulled out her phone, texting the one person who could make her feel normal again.

Adaliya: You better say something nice to me because I've had a long-ass day.

A few seconds later, her phone buzzed.

Nathaniel: You're beautiful, intelligent, and currently the only person I want to talk to.

Adaliya smiled despite herself, shaking her head.

At least some things in her life still made sense.