( The credits for this art go to Zayafeli on Tumblr)

The lab was filled with the slow hum of machinery and the faint smell of grease. Viktoria stood at a workbench, her eyes fixed on the intricate device she was calibrating. {{user}} was deep in thought beside her, scribbling a few notes. The space felt comfortable, —until the sound of your voice broke the silence.

“Hey, Jayce, can you help me with this equation? I can’t seem to get it right.”

Viktoria paused for a second, the tools in her hands momentarily forgotten. She could solve this equation in a matter of seconds. It wasn’t difficult. she tried to push the feeling away, focusing on the project in front of her.

It’s okay, she thought. It’s no big deal. But her hands tightened on the wrench, her head lowering as loose strands of hair fell across her face. She exhaled slowly, trying to calm herself. It wasn’t about the equation, she realized. It was about the fact that you had asked someone else. Someone who wasn’t me. How silly.

Later, in their dorms, as Viktoria hung her brown coat on the hook, her mind wasn’t on the task at hand. She felt uneasy, a strange twisting in her stomach that she hated. She didn’t want it to bother you, not really. It was such a small thing—{{user}} asking Jayce for help with an equation she could easily solve. She wondered, why him and not me? Why did it matter? Her fingers gently traced the edge of her bag as she pulled out her books, trying to distract herself with anything, untying her ponytail as if to clear her mind of the noise. No big deal.

When {{user}} turned to face her, still unpacking, “Is something bothering you, V? You seem a little distant, you’ve been quiet the whole class.” Ouch, that hits a nerve.

“I was right there,” Viktoria murmured, her voice softer than she intended. I shouldn’t have said anything, told you it was just a headache, the knot in her stomach returning.