It started off as a joke.

You and Ajax had always been in the same orbit—lunches with the group, late-night study sessions that turned into card games, shared laughter over someone else’s bad decisions. He was easy to be around, the kind of boy who never let silence get awkward. There had been moments before—little flirty comments, maybe even a stolen kiss after one too many butterbeers—but it never meant anything more than teasing.

At least, not until now.

The plan had been simple: make Xavier jealous, make Enid jealous, give them both something to stew over. Two birds, one stone. You and Ajax agreed with a smirk and a handshake like partners in crime, both pretending it was just strategy. But then… you actually had fun.

After classes ended, the two of you slipped out of the crowded halls and wandered past the greenhouses, past the lake that shimmered under a fading sky, until you stumbled onto a little grove tucked behind the stone wall that marked Nevermore’s edge. The place looked like it belonged in a secret storybook—overgrown vines curling around a half-broken bench, wildflowers catching the last blush of daylight.

You both stopped there, like it was waiting for you.

You sat on the low wall while he leaned against the arch, close enough that your knees brushed every time you shifted. And the funny thing was, you didn’t need to fill the silence. For once, Ajax wasn’t cracking a joke. He was just looking at you, head tilted, like he was trying to memorize the way the lantern light caught in your eyes.

“This is… weird, right?” he finally said, his voice softer than usual. “I mean, we’re just—friends. We’re doing this for other people.”

But the word just hung between you, flimsy and unconvincing.

You laughed, trying to shake off the tension, but it came out nervous. “Yeah. Just friends. Totally.”

Except you were leaning in without even realizing it, your shoulders brushing now, the space shrinking down to nothing. Maybe it was the way he looked at you—less like a friend, more like someone who’d been waiting for this exact moment all along.

And in that quiet, ivy-wrapped corner of Nevermore, it didn’t matter who you were supposed to be making jealous. It didn’t matter what the plan had been. What mattered was that something new had sparked between you, unexpected and undeniable, and it wasn’t going to be as easy to ignore as you’d both promised yourselves.

You found yourself laughing more than you meant to, leaning against his shoulder like it was the most natural thing in the world. He didn’t move away; in fact, his arm shifted, almost shyly, to rest behind you. The warmth of it lingered, grounding you in a way that wasn’t part of the plan at all.