Felicity's POV.
The silence after his words did not feel normal. It felt heavy.
"Just… remember who was here first, Fel."
It stayed in my chest like something sharp.
I pulled my hand back slowly, my heart beating faster than I wanted it to. "Christopher…"
He looked at me, his jaw tight, his eyes still intense. For a second, he looked like he wanted to say more. Like something bigger was sitting behind his words. But he didn't. Instead, he stepped back.
"Forget it," he muttered, running a hand through his hair. "That came out wrong."
I crossed my arms, trying to steady myself. "Did it?"
He exhaled slowly. "Yeah."
But it didn't feel wrong. It felt honest. And that was the problem.
"Why are you acting like that?" I asked quietly.
"Like what?"
I found myself thinking, 'like we didn't even share an intimate kiss?' But instead, I said, "as I belong to you."
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
"Didn't you belong to me?" he asked, his voice quiet, like he was stopping himself from saying more.
"Chris, I…"
His eyes snapped to mine. Something flickered there. Not anger. Something deeper.
"Relax. I don't," he said. "I just…" He stopped, like he didn't know how to finish that sentence.
I waited. He didn't continue.
My chest tightened. "You just what?"
He looked away for a second, then back at me. "I don't like the way he looks at you."
"Alex?"
"Yeah." His voice was low. "I don't like it."
I let out a small breath. "That's not my fault."
"I know," he said quickly. "I didn't say it was."
"Then why are you taking it out on me?"
"I'm not," he replied, but it sounded weaker this time.
I shook my head. "You are."
Silence fell again. It was different now. Not soft. Not warm. It felt sharp and careful.
"I'm not asking you to pick," he said after a moment. "I just…" He stopped again.
"Chris."
"I just need to know where I stand."
That made my heart drop. Because I didn't know how to answer that. Not yet.
"I told you," I said slowly, choosing my words carefully. "I'm not rushing anything."
"I'm not asking you to rush."
"It feels like you are."
His jaw tightened again. "That's not fair."
I let out a quiet laugh, but there was no humour in it. "Nothing about this is fair."
He looked at me like he wanted to argue. Like he wanted to say something bigger. But then he didn't. Instead, he stepped back again, putting space between us this time.
"Right," he said quietly. "Classes."
Just like that. Like the moment hadn't almost turned into something else.
I nodded, even though my chest still felt tight. "Yeah. Classes."
We moved around the room in silence, getting our things. No teasing. No soft touches. No quiet smiles. Just space. And it hurt more than I expected. As we stepped out into the hallway, the world felt too loud again. Students passed by. Voices echoed. Life went on as if nothing had changed. But something had. I could feel it. We walked side by side, but not close enough to touch. Not like before. And I hated it.
"Felicity!"
I turned. Penelope was waving from down the hall, completely unaware of the storm she had started.
"Come on, we're going to be late!" she called.
I forced a small smile and walked toward her. Chris followed, but I could feel the distance even without looking. Penelope glanced between us, her brows pulling together slightly.
"Uhmm…what did I miss?" she asked slowly.
"Nothing," I said too quickly.
Chris said nothing at all. And that said everything.
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Christopher's POV.
I messed that up. I knew it the second the words left my mouth.
"Just… remember who was here first."
What was that? I ran a hand through my hair as we walked down the corridor, trying to shake it off, but it stayed. The look on her face. The way she pulled her hand away.
Brilliant, Chris. That's exactly how to ruin a perfect morning. Penelope was talking about something beside us, but I wasn't listening. All I could think about was Alex. The way he looked at her. The way he stayed close. The way he asked about her. I didn't like it. Not even a little. And I hated that it got to me this much. I glanced at Felicity. She was walking beside Penelope now, nodding along, but she wasn't really there. I could tell. She felt it too. The shift. The distance. Good. No. Not good. I exhaled sharply.
This wasn't how I wanted this to go. I didn't want space. I didn't want tension. I didn't want to push her away. I just didn't want to lose her. That was it. Simple. Complicated. Annoying. Mine to deal with. I clenched my jaw. Fine. If this was how it was going to be, then I needed to get it together. No pressure. No pushing. No stupid comments. Just… be there. Because if I scared her off now, I wouldn't get another chance. And I was not about to lose her to a coffee date. Not a chance.
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Noah's POV.
I was going to tell her the truth. I could do this. I had loved her since the first day I saw her at the airport. I had made a stupid plan to fake being someone's boyfriend, but that only made things worse, and it was a stupid thing to do. The truth was simple. I cared about her. I loved her. Okay. Just say it. I saw her outside campus, walking fast like she was in a hurry. I stepped in front of her and stopped her.
"Hey, Felicity."
"Wow… oh my gosh, you scared me," she said softly, placing a hand over her chest, her voice still a little shaky. "What the heck?"
"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. Please forgive me."
"It's alright," she said gently, letting out a small breath. "What's up?"
"It's nothing serious. I just need you to know that I'm really sorry. For pushing you away when you did nothing wrong. For ignoring you. For being a coward when I wanted to tell you how I felt."
I took a breath.
"The truth is… I love you, Felicity. I've loved you since the first day we met at the airport. Since the moment you fell asleep on my shoulder. I didn't understand it at first, but now I do. I know how I feel. I tried to make you jealous by pretending to be someone's boyfriend, and it was stupid. It didn't work. It only made everything worse. It made me realise how much I want you more. I care about you. I really do. And I'm sorry for everything. Please… just give me another chance. Let me love you the right way."
She went very still and didn't answer right away. She stared at me, clearly overwhelmed, her eyes searching like she was trying to understand everything at once. Then they softened, just a little, and that almost made it harder.
"What? Oh, Noah…" she said softly. "I don't know what to say."
Her fingers curled slightly at her side, like she didn't know what to do with them. Her eyes dropped for a second, like she was somewhere else. Not here with me. I followed her gaze, even though there was nothing there. I didn't need her to say it. I already knew who she was thinking about. And it hit me harder than I expected. Because no matter what I said, no matter how honest I was, I was already too late.
"That's… a lot, even for me," she said gently, shaking her head a little, not at me, but at everything.
For a second, she looked away, like she needed space to think. When she looked back at me, there was something in her eyes. Something unsure. Something torn.
"I didn't know," she admitted softly. "I didn't know you felt like that."
She paused again, her lips parting like she wanted to say more, but the words didn't come.
"I just…" she exhaled, her voice barely above a whisper. "I need time, Noah."
"You don't have to say anything right now," I said quietly. "Just think about it. I won't rush you. Take your time. As long as I love you, that's enough."
She nodded, but it wasn't simple. I could see it on her face.
I gave her a small smile. "You were going somewhere, right? I'll let you go."
"Yeah… I was. Okay. I'll see you later. Bye for now."
She hesitated for a second, like she wanted to say more, then turned and walked away. I stood there, watching her go, my chest tight. She didn't say no. But she didn't say yes either. And somehow, that felt worse. But at least it wasn't the end. At least I still had a chance and somehow, that was enough to let my mind finally feel a little at ease, even if just a little.