Zara never imagined she'd spend a Friday night sitting on a picnic table with a pop star pretending not to be famous. But here she was.
They were supposed to be studying, but somehow the conversation had drifted. The textbook lay forgotten between them as the golden-orange glow of sunset bathed the campus courtyard in soft light.
Ace picked at a packet of chin chin he'd bought from a kiosk, looking far more thoughtful than usual.
"Do you ever feel like people only see the version of you they want?" he asked suddenly.
Zara blinked. "Is that a real question, or another one of your dramatic lines?"
He gave a half-smile. "Real question."
She leaned back on her hands. "All the time. Especially here. Most people think I'm boring, uptight, or just… invisible."
"You?" Ace looked at her like she'd just told him the sky was purple. "Invisible? You have the sharpest tongue on this campus."
She laughed. "Only because I've had to sharpen it. I didn't always have one, you know."
He turned toward her, curiosity flickering in his eyes. "Go on."
Zara hesitated. She didn't talk about this—not to classmates, not even to Mimi.
"I lost my dad when I was ten," she said quietly. "It was just me and my mum after that. I became the responsible one. Grew up fast. I didn't have time to be carefree."
Ace's smile faded. "That must've been hard."
She shrugged, like it didn't still ache. "It was. But books helped. They gave me worlds where things made sense. Where the sad parts at least had a purpose."
He nodded slowly, absorbing her words like lyrics.
"What about you?" she asked, nudging him. "Any realness beneath all that fake swagger?"
He chuckled, but it sounded hollow.
"I've been in the spotlight since I was fifteen," he said, his voice unusually calm. "Trained, styled, taught how to smile, what to say, how to stand. Every move watched. Every word criticized. Even the people closest to me... they want Ace Ryder, not me."
Zara tilted her head. "So... who are you, really?"
He looked at her, serious and quiet.
"I'm still figuring that out."
For a moment, there was nothing but the gentle rustling of the trees, and the sound of distant laughter from another group across the lawn.
Zara looked down at the chin chin bag. "I didn't expect this when I agreed to tutor you."
"Expected what?"
She smiled softly. "That you'd be... real."
Ace bumped her shoulder. "Don't get used to it. I have a brand to protect."
She laughed, and he stared at her for a second too long.
"What?" she asked.
"Nothing," he said quickly. "Just... don't laugh like that when I'm trying to stay focused."
---
Later that night...
Zara entered the dorm and flopped on her bed with a sigh. Mimi looked up from where she was smearing lip gloss across her mouth.
"You're back late," Mimi said, squinting. "Were you... with him?"
Zara stared at the ceiling. "It wasn't like that."
Mimi smirked. "But you were with him."
"We talked," Zara said. "Like... properly."
Mimi set her lip gloss down. "And?"
"And he's... not what I thought. Or maybe he is, but there's more to it."
Mimi raised a brow. "Are you saying... you like him?"
Zara threw a pillow over her face. "I'm saying I might not hate him as much as I used to."
"Which is code for you're catching feelings."
Zara groaned. "I hate you."
Mimi squealed and jumped on the bed. "I need to start writing your love story now. Chapter one: The Tutor and the Tease."
---
Meanwhile...
Ace lay on his own bed, staring at the ceiling, earbuds in, music low.
Jake entered, carrying a takeout box. "You're quiet. That's suspicious."
Ace pulled out one earbud. "I think I'm in trouble."
Jake raised a brow. "With Zara?"
"With myself," Ace said. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I just... feel better when I'm around her."
Jake sat at the foot of the bed. "You knew this might happen."
"I thought I'd just lie low, pass some classes, disappear for a while. Not—" he paused "—catch feelings for the girl who couldn't care less about fame."
Jake nodded. "So what are you going to do?"
Ace didn't answer immediately.
"I'm going to be normal. As long as I can. Because for the first time, I actually want someone to like me. Not the brand. Not the stardom. Just... me."
---
The Next Day – Lecture Hall
They sat beside each other like usual—Zara focused, Ace doodling. But this time, there was a silence between them that wasn't awkward. It was... easy.
Like maybe something had shifted.
Maybe something was beginning.
Zara passed him a sticky note during class.
It read:
"Cool Pepperoni returns in chapter seven?"
He grinned and scribbled back:
"Cool Pepperoni is in love. But he doesn't know it yet."
Zara read it.
Paused.
And smiled.