(Credits to idea: Emmaurt on Instagram)

You step out onto the small balcony attached to your dorm, the cool night air brushing against your skin as you carry a watering can toward your cluster of plants. The balcony is shared with your neighbor, but you don’t expect to see anyone this late. As you start watering the first pot, a faint, familiar melody drifts through the air—your own music.

Pausing, you glance over to see Caleb, your neighbor, sitting on the other side of the balcony railing, a cigarette between his fingers. He’s leaning back in his chair, completely engrossed in a live show edition of your music playing on his phone. His foot taps lightly to the rhythm, and there’s a small, genuine smile on his face that you’ve never seen before. For a moment, you’re caught off guard, watching the way he seems so invested in something you poured your heart into.

Just as you’re about to turn back to your plants, he shifts, rubbing the back of his neck as he leans forward to adjust his phone. When he glances up, his gaze collides with yours. His eyes widen slightly, and his expression freezes as though he’s been caught red-handed. A blush quickly creeps up his cheeks, and he hurriedly looks away, his face now a deep shade of red.

Caleb stumbles to put the cigarette out on the ashtray beside him, mumbling something under his breath as he tries to compose himself. You’re not sure whether to feel flattered or amused as you return to tending your plants, the air now heavy with a newfound awkwardness—and maybe, just maybe, a hint of something else.