Chris noticed it immediately the next day. Taylor, who had been laughing at his jokes, teasing him back, and walking close without a second thought, now kept her shoulders stiff and her steps measured.
"Hey…" Chris said softly as they approached the classroom, trying to catch her attention.
Taylor glanced at him briefly, giving a small, polite nod. "Hi," she replied, her voice clipped.
Chris frowned. Something was off. Her usual warmth, the teasing glimmer in her eyes — all gone. "Taylor, what's going on? You're… different today."
"I'm fine," she said quickly, her eyes focused on the ground. "Just… tired, I guess."
Chris sighed. He didn't believe her. Something had changed overnight, and he felt the tension radiating from her like heat. "Taylor… you know you can tell me anything, right?"
She shook her head, stepping slightly ahead. "I don't need to tell you anything," she said, her tone sharper than she intended. Keep your distance, she told herself firmly.
Chris stopped, frowning. "Whoa… okay. I didn't do anything. Did I?"
Taylor didn't answer immediately, just kept walking. Her hands clutched her bag straps a little tighter, and she kept her gaze straight ahead, refusing to meet his eyes.
Chris ran a hand through his hair, frustration mixing with concern. He didn't understand what had changed so suddenly. "Taylor… if I did something wrong, I need you to tell me. I can't fix it if you don't."
Her lips pressed into a thin line. "You didn't do anything," she said finally, though her voice betrayed her uncertainty. "I… I just have a lot on my mind. Don't worry about me."
Chris frowned again, watching as she slipped into the classroom ahead of him. He could feel the distance growing between them, and it bothered him more than he expected.
Sitting at his desk, he couldn't help but glance at her every few seconds. The cheerful, playful girl from yesterday seemed like a memory, replaced by someone cautious, guarded, and rigid.
Taylor, meanwhile, kept her head down, pretending to focus on her notes. But in reality, her mind kept replaying every action of Chris's from the past days, twisting innocent gestures into something intentional. She didn't want to admit it, but the words she had overheard — that he was pretending, that he would destroy her — were clouding her judgment.
And as the lecture began, neither of them spoke. A quiet tension settled between them, heavier than any class assignment could ever be.