After the Library

The air outside the library was cool, touched with the faint bite of early spring. Streetlamps hummed to life along the main walkway, casting soft pools of light across the cobblestone paths that wound through the campus. The day’s chatter had quieted, leaving only the distant thrum of traffic from the city beyond the gates and the occasional laughter spilling from a nearby dorm window.

Harry held the door open for Daisy without saying anything, letting her step out first. She didn’t thank him aloud—just gave a small, almost imperceptible nod—but he caught it anyway.

They walked side by side, neither rushing nor slowing, their pace falling...