Unexpected Encounters

Elara never thought she would find herself willingly spending time with Caleb outside of class, but here she was—sitting across from him at the café, stirring her drink while he leaned back comfortably in his chair. It had only been a day since their last coffee bet, yet somehow, he had seamlessly integrated himself into her routine.

"So," Caleb started, twirling his straw between his fingers. "Since I won fair and square, how about we make this a weekly thing?"

Elara raised an eyebrow. "You mean, you winning against me?"

He chuckled. "I meant the coffee part, but if you want to keep losing, I won't stop you."

She scoffed. "Please, next time, I'll remember every slide."

"Confident. I like that."

Before she could respond, her phone buzzed in her lap. She glanced down at the familiar system notification.

"New Challenge: Engage in a meaningful conversation outside of class with a different love interest."

Elara sighed internally. The system really didn't take breaks, did it?

Caleb noticed her distracted look. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah," she said, quickly locking her phone. "Just some random notification."

He didn't push, which she appreciated.

Instead, he tilted his head slightly. "So, tell me something about you that no one else knows."

Elara blinked. "That's… oddly specific."

"Call it my curiosity." He smirked. "I bet you have some hidden talent or weird hobby."

She hesitated for a moment before sighing. "Fine. But don't laugh."

"No promises."

She gave him a pointed look before confessing, "I used to write short stories when I was younger. I even thought about publishing them online, but I never did."

Caleb's smirk faded into something more thoughtful. "Why not?"

She shrugged, stirring her drink again. "I guess I was scared of what people would think."

He leaned forward slightly, resting his forearms on the table. "You realize that's a terrible reason, right?"

She laughed softly. "I know, but it's not that easy."

"Sure it is," he said. "If you love doing it, then who cares what people think?"

Elara opened her mouth to argue but found herself at a loss for words. Maybe Caleb had a point.

Her phone buzzed again.

"Challenge Completed! +20 Confidence Points."

Elara ignored it, this time with a small smile. The system was just background noise at this point—what mattered was the moment she was in.

As they walked out of the café, Caleb stretched lazily. "I should get going before my next class. You heading back to the dorm?"

"Yeah."

"Need me to walk you?"

She shook her head. "I think I can manage."

"Alright, but next time, I'm not letting you back out of another bet." He gave her a lazy wave before heading off.

Elara stood there for a moment, watching him disappear into the crowd of students. She had spent so much time worrying about relationships and what they meant, but with Caleb, everything felt natural.

Was this what it was supposed to feel like?

She was still deep in thought when someone called her name.

"Elara!"

She turned and saw Theo jogging toward her, his usual calm expression tinged with something unreadable. She hadn't seen much of him these past few days, not since their study session.

"Hey," she greeted as he stopped in front of her. "What's up?"

His gaze flickered to the direction Caleb had gone before settling back on her. "You've been busy lately."

"Yeah, I guess," she admitted. "Classes, studying, and… well, other things."

Theo studied her for a moment before nodding. "Want to get some fresh air? There's something I wanted to talk to you about."

Elara hesitated for only a second before nodding. "Sure."

As they walked toward the campus garden, she couldn't help but feel that something was about to change.