As night deepened—
the world seemed to hold its breath.
The city lights dimmed just enough for the sky to take center stage.
And then—
the first burst exploded across the darkness.
Fireworks.
Bright.
Colorful.
Unrestrained.
The sky bloomed with light, each burst scattering across the night like fleeting stars coming to life.
Lina looked up, eyes widening in quiet awe.
"Wow…"
The word slipped out before she could stop it.
Without thinking—
without hesitation—
she stepped closer.
Closer to Adrian.
Not as an employee.
Not as someone maintaining distance.
But simply—
as someone who wanted to share the moment.
They stood side by side now.
Shoulder to shoulder.
Equal in that small, quiet space between them.
"They're beautiful," she said softly.
"Yeah."
Adrian responded, but his voice wasn't focused on the sky.
Because he wasn't looking at it.
He was looking at her.
At the way the bursts of light painted her face in shifting colors.
At the way her eyes reflected the sky—
wide, alive, full of something he couldn't quite name.
At the soft curve of her smile.
Gentle.
Unforced.
Real.
Something unfamiliar stirred in his chest.
Not sharp.
Not overwhelming.
But persistent.
Warm.
Unsettling.
"…Troublesome," he murmured under his breath.
Lina tilted her head slightly.
"Hm?"
"Nothing."
He looked away almost immediately.
But the feeling didn't go with it.
The fireworks continued above them—loud, brilliant, fading and returning in waves—
but for Adrian—
everything felt quieter.
Slower.
Sharper.
Every thought becoming harder to ignore.
Every instinct pointing toward something he had spent so long avoiding.
Something he didn't plan for.
Something he couldn't easily control.
His gaze flickered back to her, briefly.
And that was enough.
I like her.
The realization didn't come gradually.
It hit.
Sudden.
Clear.
Undeniable.
His jaw tightened slightly.
His expression shifted—subtle, but noticeable to someone who knew him well.
Or maybe—
someone who was beginning to know him well.
"…This is a problem," he said quietly.
Not because the feeling itself was wrong.
But because—
for someone like Adrian—
feelings were never simple.
They came with risks.
With consequences.
With complications he couldn't afford to ignore.
And standing beside Lina—
watching her smile under the glow of fireworks—
he realized something else.
This wasn't something he could distance himself from.
Not anymore.
Because for the first time—
what he felt wasn't just inconvenient.
It was real.