The campus quad was quiet now, bathed in the soft glow of lanterns hanging along the pathways. Most students had already left the fair, leaving behind scattered bits of confetti and the faint scent of popcorn and sugar. Leon walked beside Maya, feeling the exhaustion from the day but also an unfamiliar tension pressing in his chest.
Maya hummed a tune, bouncing slightly with her enthusiasm. "I can't believe you two survived all the challenges today. Honestly, it was hilarious watching you both compete."
Leon's cheeks burned. "We didn't 'compete.' It was… strategic."
Richard, who had fallen into step beside him again, tilted his head and smirked faintly. "Strategic?"
Leon huffed. "Yes! Strategic! Not… not like you're imagining."
Richard's eyes glimmered with amusement. "Maybe. But it looked like a competition to me."
Leon's stomach flipped, but before he could respond, Maya stopped in her tracks, pointing to a small stream running through the quad. "Oh no! Look at all this litter! We have to pick it up before anyone slips!"
Leon groaned. "Not again…"
Richard, however, moved forward calmly, picking up a stray wrapper. "It won't take long if we work together."
Leon glanced at him, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. "Together? Fine, but… don't get in my way!"
Richard smirked faintly. "I won't… intentionally."
Leon crouched to pick up a piece of litter, and Richard did the same nearby. Their hands brushed, sending a jolt of electricity up Leon's arm. He froze, heart hammering, and glanced up at Richard, whose calm gaze met his.
"Careful," Richard murmured, his voice low, almost teasing, "you almost knocked my hand."
Leon's face turned crimson. "I… I'm not… I didn't—"
Richard's smirk deepened slightly. "I know."
Leon's chest twisted painfully. Why does he make everything sound so… deliberate?
Maya, unaware of the silent tension, crouched nearby to pick up a small cup. "You two are impossible," she muttered with a grin, "and I love watching you act like this."
Leon wanted to argue, but the words caught in his throat. Every time Richard looked at him, every casual smirk, every soft word—it sent his thoughts spinning in ways he didn't understand.
Just as Leon was adjusting his stance to reach a stray napkin, a male student from another dorm approached, teasingly nudging Richard. "Hey! Didn't expect to see you cleaning up. Need some help?"
Richard's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, just enough that Leon noticed. He felt an unfamiliar pang of jealousy—sharp, uncomfortable, and thrilling all at once.
"I've got this," Richard said, voice calm but firm, as he turned back to the task.
Leon's chest tightened. Why does it bother me so much that he brushed someone else off?
Maya noticed the subtle tension and laughed softly. "Oh my gosh, Leon, you look like you just saw a ghost."
Leon turned sharply, flustered. "I… I'm not jealous!"
Richard's smirk was faint, almost imperceptible, but Leon caught it. "Sure you're not," he murmured softly.
As they continued picking up litter, the group slowly spread out. Leon and Richard found themselves side by side in a narrow pathway bordered by trees, shadows stretching across the ground. The proximity pressed the tension between them tighter, heavier.
Leon felt his chest hammering, every instinct screaming at him to look away, but he couldn't. Richard's calm gaze was locked on him, steady, intense, and frustratingly unreadable.
"You're quiet now," Richard observed softly. "Thinking about what to say?"
Leon's face burned. "No… I'm not thinking about anything."
Richard raised an eyebrow. "Of course not. You're probably thinking about me."
Leon froze. He knows? His heart thudded painfully, and his hands clenched the litter bag tighter than necessary.
Richard's lips curved into a faint, teasing smile. "I'm not asking you to admit it. Yet."
Leon's chest tightened, heat pooling in his cheeks. He wanted to respond, to yell, to run—but instead, he only looked away, gripping the bag like it could anchor him to sanity.
Maya's cheerful voice floated from the other end of the pathway. "Hey! You two, hurry up! We're almost done!"
Leon exhaled sharply, breaking the moment, but the tension lingered like static electricity in the air. He realized, with a shock, that the challenges, the competitions, and even the teasing had all led to this:
Every glance, every touch, every word from Richard had become a storm he couldn't escape.
And he didn't want to.