Chapter 513

Yuna’s eyes flickered with a flash of panic, then she shook her head again. Seemed like that was her go-to move. I raised an eyebrow. “If he didn’t touch you or kiss you, what makes you think he’s in love?”

Her cheeks flushed as she looked down. “He… well, there was one time he almost kissed me.”

“Almost?” I tried to picture Wade’s usual, reserved self. “Was he drinking?” Guys get weird when they’re tipsy, sometimes mixing up reality with whoever’s on their mind.

Yuna didn’t shake her head this time. Instead, she nodded slightly. “Yeah, last week he was kinda down and had a few drinks.”

“I asked what was wrong, and he said it’d been a hundred days since his advisor passed.”

“He said he missed her… then he looked at me and leaned in like he was going to kiss me.”

Right—exactly a hundred days since Narelle had passed. Hearing this, it hit me: Wade must’ve been seeing Narelle in Yuna’s place. My heart sank. Narelle and I had shared so much in common, but Yuna? She was nothing like her. How could he confuse the two? It had to be the alcohol.

“So why didn’t he go through with it?” I asked, watching her face. “Did you pull away, or did he stop himself?”

Yuna’s blush deepened. “He stopped himself. Then he apologized.”

“And that’s why you think he likes you?” I raised an eyebrow. “All those romance novels, and you still got it this wrong?”

“It’s not just that,” she shot back, sounding a little defensive. “It’s everything else. He’s been so sweet to me, and everyone at the library thinks we’re dating. Sometimes they even tease us, and he never says they’re wrong.”

She looked down, hurt flashing across her face. “And sometimes, when he shows up late and sees some other guy talking to me, he gets all annoyed—like, almost jealous.”

Listening to her, I could tell she wasn’t making it up. With all the signals Wade was throwing out, it was no wonder she’d misread things. It was clear Wade had his own stuff to work through, and I’d have to talk to him about it. But right now, Yuna needed someone to help her process this mess.

“You mentioned he talked about his advisor, right?” I asked carefully. “Did it ever cross your mind to wonder why he’s still mourning her so much?”

Yuna’s brow furrowed, and she hesitated. “Are you saying his advisor was… someone he cared about?”

I was about to nod when she quickly shook her head. No way! How could he be in love with his advisor? They’re usually, you know… older!

I couldn’t help but smile. Classic Yuna, still imagining all academic staff as gray-haired people in tweed jackets.

“KRA has plenty of young, attractive lecturers,” I told her, considering if I should tell her the whole story or let her figure it out slowly.

“You mean Wade’s advisor was a young, beautiful woman?” she asked, putting the pieces together.

Seeing her starting to understand, I decided it was best to tell her now—better a little hurt now than a lot more later.

“Yuna, I actually know Wade… and I know about his relationship with Narelle,” I said, gently explaining everything I knew about their past.

When I finished, Yuna’s eyes were glassy. “Their love story was that beautiful?”

“It was,” I said softly. “So even though Narelle’s gone, Wade’s heart… it’s not an open door.”

She was quiet, and I was about to say more when the loudspeaker suddenly crackled to life. “Attention, everyone. Due to the heavy rain, we have received notice to close early. Please exit the building promptly.”

An employee came by to remind us as well, so Yuna and I quickly gathered our things and headed out into the storm. Once we got outside, it was a madhouse trying to get a cab. We huddled under the awning, glancing around and wondering how we’d get home.

Suddenly, someone shouted, “The dam broke! Floodwaters are coming!”

Chapter 514