Felicity's POV.
Day two. I woke up before my alarm. That alone told me something was wrong. I stared at the ceiling, my mind already racing before my body could catch up. Yesterday kept replaying in my head. The quiet walk. The soft conversations. The way Noah looked at me was like I wasn't complicated, just someone worth knowing. Chris's voice stayed with me. His words would not leave my mind.
"I want you. All of you."
My heart immediately started acting up again. I groaned and buried my face in my pillow.
"Not again," I mumbled.
"Too late," Penelope said.
Of course, she was awake. "Do you ever sleep?" I asked, my voice muffled.
"No," she replied proudly. "I thrive on drama and caffeine."
I rolled over to look at her. "I hate you."
"You love me," she corrected. "Now tell me everything. Did you dream about Mr Calm or Mr Chaos?"
I threw a pillow at her. "Neither," I lied.
She caught it easily. "Liar."
I sighed and sat up, running a hand through my hair. "It's just a lot."
"Good," she said. "It should be."
"That's not comforting."
"It's not supposed to be."
I groaned again and dragged myself out of bed. By the time I got ready, my heart had not calmed down at all. And the worst part? I didn't know why. Or maybe I did. I stepped outside. The morning air was cool and fresh. The trees nearby moved gently in the breeze, their leaves soft and green under the early light. Sunlight slipped through the branches and touched the ground in quiet patches. The path was still calm, not many people around yet. Everything felt slow. Peaceful. And there he was. Noah. Same spot. Same calm presence. He stood under the tree as he belonged there. Like he had been waiting, but not in a hurry. Just waiting.
"Good morning," he said, his voice soft.
"Morning," I replied.
And just like that, my heart slowed down a little.
"Did you sleep well?" he asked.
I hesitated. "Not really."
He nodded, as he understood without needing more explanation. "Too many thoughts?"
I blinked. "Is it that obvious?"
"A little," he said with a small smile.
I exhaled. "Yeah… something like that."
He didn't push or ask more. He just started walking, and I followed. It was quiet again, but not awkward. It felt comfortable.
"You don't have to figure everything out at once," he said after a while.
I looked at him. "Feels like I do."
"You don't," he said simply.
I swallowed. "Easy for you to say."
He glanced at me. "Not really."
That surprised me. "You seem… calm about everything."
"I am," he said. Then paused. "On the outside."
I raised an eyebrow. "And on the inside?"
He smiled faintly. "I'm trying."
That made sense. For some reason, it made me feel better. We ended up in a small café just off campus. It was quiet, warm, and not crowded. The kind of place people went when they wanted to think or hide.
"Sit," he said, pulling out a chair for me.
I blinked. "You don't have to…."
"I know," he said. "I want to."
My heart did a small flip again. I sat. He ordered coffee and warm croissants for both of us. No fuss. No drama. Just easy.
"So," he said, resting his arms lightly on the table. "What scares you the most about this?"
I paused. Straight to the point. I looked down at my hands. "Getting it wrong."
He didn't interrupt.
"Choosing the wrong person," I said softly. "Hurting someone. Or getting hurt."
For a moment, everything was quiet. Then he spoke. "That's valid."
I looked up, surprised. "No lecture?" I asked.
He shook his head. "No lecture."
"No 'everything will be fine' speech?"
"No."
I blinked. "Just… that's valid?"
"Yes."
Something in my heart loosened. "That's… new," I admitted.
He smiled a little. "You don't need someone to fix your feelings, Felicity. You just need someone who understands them."
That hit deeper than I expected. We talked more after that about fears, dreams, and small things that somehow felt important. The more we talked, the more I realised something. With Noah, I did not feel rushed. I did not feel pulled in different directions. I could breathe, and that scared me a little.
What if calm was not enough? What if my heart wanted something louder, more intense, more like Chris? I shook the thought away and focused. One day at a time. After we left the café, we walked back toward campus. That was when everything changed. Chris and Alex were standing near the entrance. Of course. Alex spotted us first.
"Well, well," he said, pushing off the wall. "Look who survived day one."
Chris didn't say anything. He just looked at me. His gaze was not calm or easy. It was intense, like he had been thinking too much, like he had something to say but was holding it back.
"Morning," Alex said, flashing me a smile. "Have fun?"
I hesitated. "Yeah… it was nice."
Chris's jaw tightened. Alex noticed. Of course he did.
"Nice?" he repeated. "That's it?"
I crossed my arms. "What do you want me to say?"
"I don't know," he shrugged. "Something more exciting?"
Noah stepped slightly closer to me. Not in a possessive way. Just… there.
"It doesn't have to be exciting," he said calmly.
Alex smirked. "Of course you'd say that."
Chris finally spoke. "Did he take care of you?" he asked, his voice low.
My heart skipped. "Yes," I said softly.
His eyes held mine for a second longer. Then he nodded once. "Good."
That was it. But it wasn't just that. It felt like something more. Something unspoken.
Alex clapped his hands lightly. "Alright, calm and collected wins round one. Impressive."
"This isn't a scoreboard," I said.
"Everything is a scoreboard," he replied.
I rolled my eyes. Noah stayed quiet. Chris stepped a little closer. "Don't get used to it," he said to Noah.
Noah didn't react. "I'm not."
The tension snapped back instantly.
I groaned. "Can we not do this right now?"
"Do what?" Alex asked innocently.
"This," I gestured between them. "Whatever this is."
Chris exhaled. "Fine."
Alex raised his hands. "Relax. I'm just observing."
Noah looked at me. "You okay?"
That question again. Simple. But it grounded me.
"Yeah," I said. "I'm okay."
In my mind, I thought, 'I'm not okay. I just want to disappear right now or somebody should kill me right now and bury my body in the backyard. But not literally.'
"Good," he said.
Chris glanced at me one more time. Then turned away slightly. Alex smirked like he was already planning something. And just like that, the calm was gone.
Later that night. I lay on my bed, staring at my phone. My mind replayed everything. Noah's calm voice. Chris's intense gaze. Alex's teasing smile. Three different feelings. Three different directions. My phone buzzed.
Noah: > Did you get back safely?
I smiled a little and replied. > Yes. Thank you for today.
Almost instantly, another message came in from Chris: > Make sure you eat something. You looked tired.
My heart skipped. Then another message from Alex: > Tomorrow's going to be more fun. Be ready.
I dropped my phone on my chest and groaned.
"This is too much," I whispered.
From across the room, Penelope stood there, watching me like she had been enjoying the whole thing.
"Read them out loud," she said.
"No."
"Do it."
"No."
She grinned. "You're smiling."
"I am not."
"You are."
I covered my face with a pillow.
"This is a disaster."
"No," she said. "This is a love story."
I peeked at her. "It feels like a war."
She smirked. "Same thing."
I laughed despite myself and groaned loudly. "This is my life now. There's no turning back. If I could do anything differently, I would."
But later, when everything got quiet, I stared at the ceiling again. My heart was not calm anymore. Because now I knew this was not just about getting to know them. It was not just about the challenge. It was about choosing. And the more time I spent with them, the harder that choice became. I closed my eyes.
"Week one," I whispered.
But deep down, I could already feel it. The calm was fading, and the storm was getting closer.
Week One. Gentle Hands, Loud Hearts. And I knew nothing would stay simple for long.