Two days later and Ayan still felt like he had left a piece of his soul at Inali’s place. It took all his focus to memorize the way there as he left, his mind constantly flashing back to each smile he had seen. Inali had offered to let him stay the night but he didn’t believe in his ability to maintain his composure and politely declined. 

“I have to feed my cat,” he said, half as a reminder to himself that yes, he did have to go. 

He was surprised to see that the path out led directly back into town, a small alleyway nestled inconspicuously between two stores that he had passed in his search. He snapped a picture as a precautionary measure if he was lost once again. As he made his way home, he found it difficult to stop himself from grinning wildly, the excitement of the day finally settling in. 

 Lying on the floor in the middle of his workshop, he replayed the day's events as he stared at the ceiling above him. Scattered around him were multiple sketches of a familiar person. Some were simple outlines of his figure, others held more intricate details – his hand nestled against his jaw, the sight of his nape as he tied his hair back, the lines at his eyes when he smiled deeply. 

The sound of a knock on his front door caught his attention and he gradually moved to collect the pieces around him.  He had just managed to collect the last page when the knock came again. He secured the pages, placing the folder that held them in his desk drawer. 

Before he could make his way over to the entryway the rattling of keys from outside rang out. At the sound, he halted his gait to the door, opting instead to cross the threshold into his living and dining area. He plopped comfortably onto the sofa, awaiting their entrance. 

 There was only one person with access to his studio so he didn’t have to wonder who it was. Lyra had insisted on having the spare keys in their second year after he had mistakenly locked himself in for 3 days to work and had forgotten the world outside. Of course, the fact that maintenance had had to break his previous lock to get in because he had passed out from exhaustion, left him little room to oppose. Picking up his phone that he had neglected all day he noted 2 missed calls and a series of texts from Lyra.

 “Ayan!” Lyra’s voice sounded out from the entryway as he noted her most recent text – Be there soon. Scrolling up he finally recalled the one he had sent her – Food., with a time stamp of 5 hours ago. Glancing up as she entered the room, he saw that, sure enough, she held two bags with the logo of their preferred take-out restaurant.

The aroma of food ignited his senses and he could already envision some of the dishes – warm white rice, curried stir-fried noodles, and seafood rich with spice. Immediately he could feel his stomach protesting its need to be filled. Rising to his feet, he quickly found plates and cups for them both, setting them on the table alongside a tall jug of water. 

Lyra glanced suspiciously at his relatively neat work area and the already-made table, as she handed him the food. Usually, she would have met him busy at work at his desk, scraps of paper and loose rubble scattered across the ground. 

As final-year students, it was easy for their workload to overwhelm other aspects of their lives and Ayan’s previous incident had motivated her to check on him from time to time. 

Sometimes, she showed up unannounced, staying briefly before returning to her own projects. At least once a week, however, they would arrange to meet for a meal as they were currently. The venue was for most parts always either of their studios, but if they were feeling up to it, they would make the trek off campus. And though she had claimed it was for his sake, Ayan knew their time together was often a necessary break for them both.

He sensed her curiosity as to his seemingly empty work area, but he wasn’t ready to divulge his feelings towards Inali until he fully understood them himself. He had never held much interest in any romantic pursuit but he wasn’t ignorant, it was easy to acknowledge that his desires towards his mentor were beyond simply professional. And while he felt himself confused as to how suddenly these emotions had sprung up, when he recalled what it was like to be in Inali’s presence, he thought it impossible to feel otherwise.

Nevertheless, he wasn’t quite ready to face Lyra’s teasing if she found out. He pointedly asked instead about her progress with her work. It was an easy feat for her to ramble on endlessly about her many encounters with Adina. Her eyes lit up as she spoke, and he listened with a brand new understanding of how she must feel.   

It was beyond any resemblance of a reasonable hour by the time Lyra left, so Ayan opted to get to sleep instead of attempting to do any further work. He quickly washed up and retired to the loft.  And though it wasn’t as comfortable as his own bed, he looked forward to the dreams he would have. He felt as though he'd be able to see something important, he thought as he drifted into a deep sleep.