Danna stood near the cafeteria counter, eyes fixed on her phone screen, scrolling through a message half-heartedly. Her thoughts were still tangled in what she saw earlier.
Then… that voice.
Low. Familiar. And way too calm for her current chaos.
"Miss Coffee," said Garson, standing behind her with his signature smirk.
She turned slowly, raising a brow.
"Well, if it isn't Mr. Dramatic Fever," she replied, trying to act unbothered.
Garson chuckled lightly, eyes scanning her face.
"It's been a week. I thought you might've started missing my voice."
"I forgot what peace sounded like," Danna shot back, sipping her drink to hide the tiny smile threatening her lips.
Garson tilted his head. "Liar. You're not that lucky."
Before Danna could throw another witty remark, a pair of arms wrapped tightly around Garson from the side.
"Oh, I missed you, babe!" came Grace's overly sweet voice as she hugged him, resting her head on his shoulder.
Danna blinked.
Garson froze for a second.
Danna's fingers tightened slightly around her cup, her lips parting as if to speak—but nothing came out.
Grace glanced at Danna with a smirk. "Oh hi… you're still around?"
Garson stepped slightly back from Grace. "Grace, what are you doing here?" His tone wasn't matching hers.
"I was on campus and thought, why not see my favorite person?" she said, curling her fingers into his sleeve.
Danna rolled her eyes and turned, ready to leave the awkward circus behind, but Grace's voice stopped her mid-step.
"Danna," Grace called out with a smirk, "I wanted to inform you of something."
Danna turned halfway, eyes cold. "I'm not interested in any trash you say, Grace."
Grace's smile only widened. "Well, maybe let me tell you anyway—so you can get some peace of mind."
She stepped closer to Garson and boldly grabbed his hand.
"Garson is going to be my fiancé," she said, loud enough for the few lingering students to hear. "Thought you should know."
Garson's jaw tensed. "Grace—"
But before he could finish, Danna was already walking away, head high, back straight… but her heart felt like it had just shattered inside her chest.
Garson pulled his hand away sharply, his eyes cold.
"Didn't we already have this discussion, Grace?" he said, voice low but firm.
Grace stepped closer again, ignoring the distance he tried to put.
"Babe," she purred with a dangerous smile, "if you even think of walking away from me... I won't let you."
She glanced toward the direction Danna walked off in.
"And I won't let her have you either."
Garson's expression darkened. He'd had enough of threats disguised as love.
Garson stared at her, disgust and disbelief flashing in his eyes.
"You're insane," he said, voice flat.
Then he turned his back on her and walked away, not giving her another glance.
Grace stood frozen, her smirk fading just for a second… but something darker stirred in her eyes.
Danna stood in the quiet library, scanning the tall shelves after the lecture. She stretched to reach a book from the top row but it was just out of reach.
Suddenly, an arm reached over her shoulder and grabbed it with ease.
"Thank—" she began, turning — then froze.
Garson was standing there, holding the book with that same crooked smile. His eyes locked on hers.
"Still too short for your ambitions, Miss Coffee," he said, smirking.
Danna stepped back the moment she saw him, her expression turning blank.
"Keep it," she said flatly, not taking the book.
Then turned away, walking toward another aisle without waiting for a reply.
"You don't have to study or something?" Danna said without turning around, her tone cutting.
"Or are you just following your enemy around for sport now?"
Garson leaned on the bookshelf beside her, unfazed.
"Guess I missed the thrill of being insulted in between textbooks."
She shot him a glare. "Glad I could keep your day entertaining."
Then turned back to scanning the shelf, pretending he wasn't making her heart race.
Garson kept looking at her, that smirk still playing on his lips like he knew a secret she didn't.
"Please leave," Danna said, her voice low but firm, not meeting his gaze.
"You have people to worry about."
"Yeah," Garson said with a low chuckle, turning back halfway to glance at her,
"I do have 'people' to worry about."
The way he said people made Danna's jaw tighten.
He was teasing her—knowing exactly what she meant.
She rolled her eyes and reached for another book, pretending his words didn't land like a dart in her chest.
"Good. Then worry about them, and not me," she said, not even sparing him a glance.
But Garson just smirked again and walked away—
leaving behind a silence that somehow echoed louder than any argument.
Garson saw Aiden and Natalia under a tree in the small garden of the university . Hey man Said Grson looking at Aiden and Hi natalia
Garson sat down beside them. Natalia's voice was tinged with worry as she said, "Garson, you met Danna, right?"
"Yeah, Miss Coffee is in the library," Garson replied.
"You seem upset. Did Aiden say something to you?" Garson asked gently.
"No, man, I didn't say anything," Aiden replied quickly.
Danna's been ignoring me for a whole week now—I don't even know why," Natalia added, her voice soft and worried.
"Could you talk to her for me?" Natalia asked, hopeful.
Garson chuckled softly. "Not right now—she's like a volcano ready to pop! But I'll check on her later, don't worry."
Garson grinned mischievously, eyes flicking between Aiden and Natalia.
"So, spill it—what's really going on between you two, huh? Don't try to hide it!"
"Garson, actually, we both like each other," Aiden said quietly, a shy smile tugging at his lips. Natalia smiled too.
"Oh, so I'm the third wheel here?" Garson said with a smirk,
his voice low but dripping with playful sarcasm.
Aiden laughed nervously,
while Natalia's smile grew even brighter,
as if she loved this unexpected twist.
"Nice. You seem more calm than your best friend — she's fire," Garson said, eyes flicking to Natalia.
Natalia smiled faintly, her gaze steady. "She's seen a lot of hurt. Lost her father when she was nine."
"Oh," Garson said quietly, his voice low and unreadable.
"So, you've gone through the same pain, Miss Coffee."
Inside, his mind raced — surprised to find a flicker of understanding for her,
a connection in their shared scars he hadn't expected.
But his face remained calm, careful not to let his thoughts show.
Sometimes, the same pain is the quiet thread that ties two souls together —
making them care without even realizing why.
And maybe, just maybe, that was exactly what was happening between Danna and Garson,
their hearts slowly recognizing a familiar ache in the other.