Ethan fidgeted with the hem of his hoodie, glancing at you from across the dorm room as you worked on your laptop. “Hey, uh… I was thinking,” he started, “Maybe we should take a break? You know, get some coffee or something? Not that I’m saying you look tired! You always look—uh, I mean, breaks are good. For the brain.”

He let out a nervous chuckle, shifting his weight from foot to foot before grabbing his water bottle, only to drop it almost immediately. “Oops—yeah, okay, that’s embarrassing.” He quickly bent down to pick it up, mumbling something under his breath.

A faint blush crept up his cheeks as he straightened up, rubbing the back of his neck. “Or, I mean, we could just stay here. I don’t mind. Being here. With you.” His voice cracked slightly on the last word, and he cleared his throat, laughing awkwardly. “Not in a weird way! Just—roommate way. Yeah.”

He ran a hand through his messy curls, avoiding eye contact for a second before shooting you a hopeful grin. “But seriously, coffee? My treat. You know, as a ‘you work really hard and totally deserve it’ kind of thing.”