Finding light in the darkest places—through love

Evelyn was not a fan of crowds, loud places, or impulsive decisions that led to situations she couldn't control.

So why, exactly, was she standing in the middle of a bustling campus café, surrounded by half the student body, glaring at Adrian as if he had personally ruined her life?

Oh. Right.

Because he had.

"Tell me again why I agreed to this,"

she muttered under her breath.

Adrian leaned against the counter beside her, looking far too pleased with himself.

"Because you lost the bet."

She gritted her teeth.

"That wasn't a bet. That was entrapment."

He grinned. "Semantics."

Evelyn had made the grave mistake of underestimating Adrian's competitive streak.

The day before, he had challenged her to a simple game—spot the most grammatical errors in their professor's PowerPoint slides. S

he had been so sure she would win. After all, Adrian wasn't exactly the studious type.

And yet, somehow, she had lost.

Now, she owed him a favor.

And of course, because Adrian thrived on chaos, his request had to involve public humiliation.

She glanced at the long line of students waiting to order, then back at Adrian.

"This is stupid."

"You're just saying that because you don't want to do it."

"Yes, because it's stupid."

He gave her a charming smile.

"A bet's a bet, Evelyn."

She groaned, resisting the urge to throttle him.

"Fine."

With all the enthusiasm of someone walking to the gallows, she stepped forward and raised her voice just enough to be heard over the chatter.

"Excuse me, everyone!"

The café went eerily silent.

Evelyn immediately regretted every decision that had led her to this moment. Heat crept up her neck as dozens of eyes turned to her.

Oh god.

This was worse than she had imagined.

She cleared her throat and forced herself to speak.

"Adrian Miller is offering free coffee to the next five people who tell him he's an insufferable idiot."

A beat of silence.

Then—

"I KNEW IT!" a voice from the back shouted.

The room erupted.

Laughter and cheers filled the café as students scrambled to take advantage of the offer. Adrian barely had time to react before the first person clapped a hand on his shoulder, grinning.

"You, sir, are an insufferable idiot. I'll take a caramel macchiato."

"Same here!"

another student chimed in.

"You are, without a doubt, the most irritating person on campus. I'll have a black coffee."

Adrian shot Evelyn a look that was equal parts amused and betrayed.

"You enjoy this way too much."

She crossed her arms, smirking.

"A bet's a bet, Adrian."

By the time the fifth person claimed their free drink, Adrian was significantly poorer, and Evelyn felt a rare sense of triumph.

He exhaled dramatically as he pulled out his wallet.

"I can't believe you just made me pay people to insult me."

"I can."

"You're evil."

"You started it."

The barista, clearly entertained, handed over the last drink.

"This was the best thing I've seen all week."

Adrian sighed, grabbing his coffee before turning back to Evelyn.

"Alright, I'll admit it. That was impressive."

She tilted her head.

"Are you saying you underestimated me?"

"Maybe a little."

"Hm. Good."

For a second, he just watched her, the usual teasing edge in his gaze softening into something else.

Something almost… thoughtful.

Evelyn shifted, suddenly unsure of what to do with the silence.

"Well. This was fun. Let's never do it again."

Adrian chuckled.

"No promises."

She groaned, but there was no real annoyance behind it.

And as much as she hated to admit it, as she left the café that day, she realized something.

For the first time in a long time, she had actually enjoyed herself.