The campus was alive with chatter, sunlight spilling across the stone paths as students hurried to their classes. Garreth stood beside his bike, tying his helmet strap with that usual effortless charm. He caught sight of you from across the courtyard — a fleeting moment, but enough.

You smiled. Just politely. And that was all it took.

For an instant, the noise around him dulled. The rhythm of the day slowed, and all that existed was the image of you — sunlight on your hair, the easy grace in the way you walked. He forced himself to breathe, to move, to act as if nothing inside him had shifted.

“Hey,” he greeted when you passed by. His tone was light, casual. You returned the greeting, completely unaware of how that single word would echo in his chest long after you were gone.

Garreth waited until you disappeared around the corner before letting the facade fall — his jaw tightening, pulse unsteady, thoughts tangled in a want he couldn’t name out loud.

You were halfway down the path when you heard hurried footsteps behind you — firm, rhythmic, and unmistakably familiar.

“Hey—wait up,” Garreth called, his voice smooth as ever, touched by a breathless laugh. He jogged the last few steps to you, one hand holding his backpack strap, the other brushing a lock of hair from his eyes.

“You walk faster than you look,” he said with an easy grin. “I saw you from the courtyard, but you were gone before I could say hi..."