CHAPTER 5: Closer Than Before

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Chapter 5: Closer Than Before

The presentation deadline was drawing near, and the project had become their shared rhythm—notes passed between classes, voice notes exchanged late at night, quiet smiles in hallways when no one was looking.

It was late evening when Daisy and Calvin sat in a quiet study room, alone with the hum of fluorescent lights and the scratch of pens on paper.

Daisy leaned over the desk, flipping through their case study binder. "This part on emotional regulation needs revising. We can't just state the obvious."

Calvin studied her, not the paper. "You ever apply all this to yourself?"

She didn't look up. "I try not to."

"Why?"

Daisy hesitated, then answered slowly. "Because knowing how emotions work doesn't mean you can control them. Sometimes it just makes them louder."

He nodded. "I get that."

She finally looked at him. "Do you?"

"Yeah. Especially with you."

The air in the room changed—so slightly, but it was there. Daisy's pen froze mid-word.

"You're pushing past boundaries," she said.

"I'm not trying to," he said softly. "I'm just... noticing things."

She leaned back in her chair, folding her arms. "Like what?"

"That you listen more than you speak. That your guard only drops when you're focused. And that maybe you want someone to see you, but only if they don't ask too many questions."

Daisy's breath caught.

"And you?" she asked after a beat. "What do you want?"

He paused.

"I want honesty. Even when it's messy. I want to be close to someone who isn't afraid to be real."

Silence stretched between them, but this time it was not awkward—it was alive.

Daisy stood, slowly collecting her things. "I should go."

Calvin nodded, not stopping her.

But as she reached the door, she turned back. "Same time tomorrow?"

A small smile tugged at his lips. "I'll be here."

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