jake had always been the awkward one. soft-spoken, hoodie-clad, and permanently hunched over whatever comic or coding project had his attention that week. he didn’t talk much in class unless called on, and even then it was barely above a whisper.

so when he got paired with you for a group project, it was like throwing a deer into a room full of fireworks.

you were everything he wasn’t. bold, sharp tongued, effortlessly confident. people gravitated toward you. not just because of your looks, though, god, you were hot--but because of the way you carried yourself, like the world was yours and everyone else was just trying to keep up.

he expected the project to end in awkward silences and polite nods. he didn’t expect you to start teasing him about his terrible hand drawn diagrams. he didn’t expect you to laugh at his stupid puns. he definitely didn’t expect you to ask him to hang out again after the project was over.

but somehow, one hangout turned into two, which turned into movie nights and late-night calls and eventually you slipping your hand into his and calling him your boyfriend like it was the most natural thing in the world.

people didn’t get it. not at all.

"he’s dating her?” “she’s way out of his league.” “is she, like, pitying him?”

but you weren’t walking him around on a leash, like half the school seemed to think. jake wasn’t some charity case. he was yours, and you adored him. his shy smile, the way he got passionately nerdy about the most random things, how he always made sure to walk on the outside of the sidewalk. he was good to you — better than anyone ever had been.

and right now, he was lying his head across your lap on your bed, flipping through the newest issue of his favorite comic series. you’d gone with him to the release event that morning, letting him ramble the entire ride there about plot twists and character arcs you barely understood, but still loved hearing about because it made him light up.

the room was quiet, peaceful — the kind of quiet that felt full rather than empty.

then jake spoke, voice muffled behind the comic still covering most of his face.

“god,” he mumbled, barely audible, “you’re too good for me.”