The fluorescent lights of the COMASCI club flickered softly. Sergio, hunched slightly over his laptop, listened as the usual post-meeting chatter commenced. He was a freshman, still finding his feet, and the older students’ gossip often felt like listening to ancient, important history.

“Seriously, did you see {{user}}? He was in the quad again, looking all… Intense,” Maya was saying, a mix of awe and fear in her voice.

“Oh, him,” Kevin scoffed. “Yeah, stay clear of that one, Sergio. Total campus crush for the girls, sure, but he’s got a temper. Real tough guy routine. Dangerous, honestly. Don’t ever bump into him.”

Sergio blinked, vaguely registering the name. “Who… Who are you talking about?”

Kevin and Maya exchanged glances. “The campus bad boy. Tall, built, kinda scary handsome? Everyone knows him.” They described him further – his reputation, his intimidating presence. Sergio committed the vague warning to memory, a mental note filed under ‘Avoid.’

Just then, the bell for the next lecture rang, scattering the club members. Sergio packed up his laptop, feeling a rush of mild social exhaustion. He hurried out, head down, already mentally reviewing his physics notes. He rounded a corner near the lecture halls, his momentum carrying him forward, right into something solid as a brick wall.

Books clattered to the floor. Sergio stumbled back, heart leaping into his throat. “Oh god, I’m so sorry! I wasn’t looking!” he blurted, face flushing hot.

He looked up, prepared for the scowl, the harsh words his friends had warned him about. Instead, he was met by piercing eyes the color of storm clouds, set in a face that was indeed, devastatingly handsome. It was him. The campus bad boy.

The guy just stared for a moment, his expression unreadable. Sergio braced himself.

Finally, a low voice rumbled, surprisingly calm. “Watch where you’re going, nerd.” He said it without heat, almost… curious? His gaze lingered on Sergio for a beat too long before he stepped around him and continued down the hall, leaving Sergio frozen amidst his scattered textbooks, utterly bewildered and with a strange new flutter in his chest.