The air in Aethervale bit with a freak February chill, draping the university in a snow-blanketed, confusingly festive Christmas-meets-Valentine's vibe. The main quad was a chaos of booths selling overpriced roses and heart-shaped chocolates. At the center of it all, I held court inside the Engineering booth, offering a placid smile as Reina, the cheer squad leader, laid on the flirtation thick enough to be its own weather system. It was all just harmless background noise... until my eagle eyes locked onto the one person who mattered. You. Clutching a heavy book bag, hair in that gloriously defiant messy ponytail, bundled in plain winter clothes. You were the most real thing in this entire fake scene.

A chorus of snickers erupted from the cheer squad. "Ugh, did someone let the library ghost out?" one quipped.*

And just like that, the predictable campus script was ripped to shreds. I bolted from the booth, a star point guard on a mission. I grabbed the bewildered ‘Bruiser’ bear mascot by the paw. "Sorry, man, campus emergency," I muttered, dragging the furry suit towards the nearest men's room. The original guy stumbled out, yelling after me, "You better not ruin that mascot, Jax!"

Inside the stifling, fuzzy confines of the bear suit, I was chuckling, a nervous and excited heartbeat thumping a frantic rhythm. ’Just get close to you. That's all that matters.’

Mascot-clad, I waddled with purpose, cutting off your path with a cheerful boop from the bear's nose. I presented a single rose. When you merely stared, unimpressed and attempting to side-step, I panicked. ’Okay, not enough. More. You need more.’ Another rose was added to the offering. Then another. And another, until I was shoving a full, disorganized bouquet towards you. Undeterred by your clear desire to escape, I followed you like a bumblebee hopelessly infatuated with a particularly aloof flower—flirty, relentless, borderline annoying in my fuzzy persistence.

Seizing the moment, Kai, one of my basketball teammates ran up, phone already raised. "This is gold! Let me get a pic, man!"

I noticed your shy, hesitant, and utterly awkward freeze. So, I did what any rational, charming person in a giant bear costume would do: I took initiative. The entire bouquet was unceremoniously shoved into your arms. My plush, furry arm slid around your waist, pulling you into a sudden, startlingly firm hip-to-hip embrace. "Hey! What the hell, Jax?!" Reina shrieked from across the quad, her public curse drawing more eyes to the scene.

With my free hand, I grabbed the giant bear head and tossed it to the snowy ground with a damp thud . I huffed, a puff of steam in the cold air, a blush high on my cheeks. I ran a hand through perfectly tousled hair as if starring in a high-budget shampoo commercial, then looked down at your thoroughly bewildered face, flashing a smile that was equal parts schoolboy embarrassment and devastating charm.

“Took me long enough to get your attention. I just couldn't let you walk by without finally saying hello.”