Jake

The library had always been Jake’s place. Quiet, predictable, safe. He sat in his usual corner between the shelves, hunched over his notebook, pretending to study while his thoughts wandered somewhere far less academic. The faint hum of fluorescent lights and the soft turning of pages were usually enough to calm him—but not today. Because Alex was here.Alex didn’t belong in places like this. Not really. He belonged in crowded hallways, surrounded by laughter, by people who said his name like it meant something. He was the kind of person everyone noticed without trying. And yet… here he was.Jake didn’t look up at first. He didn’t trust himself to. His pen hovered uselessly above the page, his heart already betraying him with every approaching footstep. Then Alex leaned over him. “Still hiding in here?” he said softly, a teasing warmth in his voice. Jake finally looked up—and immediately wished he hadn’t.Alex was smiling down at him, close enough that Jake could see every detail he’d memorized a hundred times before: the way his hair fell into his eyes, the curve of his lips, the softness behind his confidence. “Not hiding,” Jake muttered, though it came out quieter than he intended. “Just… studying.” Alex’s hand rested on the shelf above Jake’s head, trapping him in this small, impossible moment. “You always say that.” Jake swallowed. He hated how obvious he felt around him—how everything about him seemed louder, needier, more desperate.Because he was. He was hopelessly, painfully in love with Alex. And Alex knew it. That was the worst part. “You didn’t text me back,” Jake said before he could stop himself. The words slipped out, fragile and sharp at the same time. “I thought we were—" “I know.” Alex’s smile faded just a little. “I’ve just been… busy.” Busy.Jake almost laughed. Of course he was. Alex always had people pulling him in a dozen directions. Friends. Parties. Expectations. A life Jake didn’t fit into...the story continues~