2: STRUGGLING TO TO SEE

Alex hadn't stopped thinking about Clara since she'd walked away. It wasn't the first time she'd made him feel like this—like there was something just beyond his reach, something he didn't know how to grab hold of.

His thoughts were interrupted when Dave slid into the seat next to him in the law lecture, grinning in his usual deadpan way.

"Thought you'd be late again," Dave muttered, throwing his bag on the floor. "You've got that look in your eyes. What's up?"

"Nothing," Alex replied quickly, though his voice betrayed him. Dave didn't press; instead, he just raised an eyebrow and focused on the professor, who was already rambling on about case law.

Meanwhile, Clara was across campus, laughing with Hayley again, their conversation a whirlwind of lighthearted jokes.

But in the back of Clara's mind, something nagged at her—something about Alex's quiet distance the night before. She couldn't quite place it, but it wasn't like him.

There was something unspoken between them, and it was beginning to weigh on her.

Later that day, Alex and Dave found themselves talking about their childhoods in a class break.

Dave's words were curt, but there was a bitterness in his voice as he talked about his strained relationship with his father.

Alex listened, knowing it wasn't the first time Dave had vented, but still, hearing it always made him feel more alone in his own uncertainties.

"I don't get it, man," Dave said, tossing his pen onto the desk. "Why bother trying to be something we're not?"

He stared at Alex for a while, who was totally lost. "Hey, what's up with you?"

Alex on the other hand thought about Clara, her energy, her effortless charm, and for the first time, he realized how different they were. It wasn't just her personality—it was everything.

What am I doing? he thought, but didn't voice it.

As the day ended, Alex found himself standing alone outside, the campus emptying around him.

He wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he knew it wasn't a simple answer. Not anymore.

Clara was already gone by the time he got back to the dorm. Her absence made everything feel more vivid, more real. He couldn't shake the thought that something had shifted—and that maybe, just maybe, he was starting to see her in a way he never had before.

The campus had quieted down by the time Alex reached the courtyard, the dim light casting long shadows over the benches and paths.

He walked with no real destination, the weight of his thoughts heavy on his chest.

The sound of footsteps behind him made him turn.

It was Dave, walking briskly with his usual detached expression.

"Where are you going?" Dave asked, catching up to him.

"I don't know," Alex muttered, his eyes scanning the empty paths. He wasn't sure what he was looking for, but walking felt better than standing still.

Dave's silence hung in the air, but after a moment, he spoke again. "You're thinking too much, man."

"I know," Alex admitted, but the words felt hollow. "It's just—"

"Just what?" Dave interrupted; his tone lighter than usual. "Clara?"

Alex froze. It wasn't like Dave to bring her up, not so directly.

But somehow, in that moment, it felt like Dave could see right through him.

"Maybe," Alex said quietly. He hadn't meant to say it, but it was out now.

Dave stopped walking and turned to face him. "Look, if you're waiting for some big realization or dramatic moment, it's not gonna happen.

You're overthinking it."

Alex sighed. "It's not that simple."

"Then make it simple." Dave shrugged, unbothered. "If you like her, then you like her. If you don't, then stop pretending you do. It's all in your head."

Alex felt the weight of those words. If you like her, then you like her. It sounded so simple, but the more he tried to understand it, the more complicated it seemed.

He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "It's not that easy."

"Nothing is." Dave gave a half-smile, but there was no humor in it. "You'll figure it out."

Alex nodded, but the uncertainty lingered.

Meanwhile, Clara found herself sitting at the small cafe on the edge of campus, staring at her phone screen. Hannah had texted her something absurd, and for a moment, Clara had to laugh. It was just like Hannah to make light of everything.

But even as she laughed, there was a part of her that couldn't stop thinking about Alex. Her mind kept drifting back to their conversation earlier, to the way he'd been so quiet, so distant. It wasn't like him.

She'd seen the way he looked at her, the way he avoided her gaze after that brief moment at the bookstore.

Is something wrong? she thought, biting her lip. Or is it just me?

Her phone buzzed again. A text from Hannah, again.

"Want to grab dinner? I need to talk to you about something."

Clara sighed and typed back. "Sure. See you in a bit".

As she walked toward the meeting spot with Hannah, Clara couldn't help but feel that there was something more to her and Alex's dynamic—something unspoken, something that was yet to be figured out.

But she wasn't ready to confront it, not just yet. Not when she had her own things to sort through.

Back in his dorm, Alex sat at his desk, staring blankly at his books.

His mind refused to settle, and he kept coming back to the same thought: Do I like her?

The answer didn't come easily. It wasn't the same as what he'd seen in movies or read in books.

This was messy, confusing, and so much harder than he'd expected.

But maybe that was how it was supposed to be.

The evening grew darker, and the campus lights flickered on one by one. Alex leaned back in his chair, eyes closed, trying to silence his thoughts.

But no matter how hard he tried, the image of Clara, laughing, her eyes catching his for that brief moment, kept coming back.

Maybe he wasn't ready to figure it out yet. But it was clear that something was changing between them, something that couldn't be ignored.