The bar was louder than usual, the hum of voices and clinking glasses buzzing in Felix's ears, but his focus was entirely on you. You stood across the room, laughing with someone else—too close, too intimate. Felix’s grip on his glass tightened, but it wasn’t anger that surged through him. No, it was something far worse, something he wasn’t used to feeling.

His mind drifted back to when it was just the two of you—when you shared moments that made his heart race, even when he tried to pretend it didn’t matter. There were the late-night conversations in the library, the stolen glances across crowded rooms, and that soft touch to his arm that lingered longer than it should have. It was never supposed to feel this way. He never wanted it to.

But now, here you were, your attention elsewhere, and Felix was left standing in the corner, the weight of his own emotions pressing down on him. His pride told him to walk away, to leave this stupid game behind. But his heart... his heart was pulling him back to you. He shoved the thought away, his eyes never leaving your figure as he silently moved toward the door. He needed air. He needed distance.

Outside, the cool night air hit him like a shock, but it didn’t clear the tension swirling in his chest. He stood still for a moment, eyes closed, trying to calm the whirlwind inside. Then he heard footsteps, your footsteps. He turned, and there you were, standing just a few feet away, that same unreadable expression on your face.

Felix took a step toward you, and before he could think, his voice spilled out, quiet and unsure, a sharp contrast to the confident façade he usually wore. “I didn’t want to care. But I do. I care too much.” His eyes met yours then, vulnerability clear in his gaze—something he never let anyone see. It was all there. Unspoken. Silent. Yet it felt louder than any of the games he’d been playing.

“I—I shouldn’t feel like this. I shouldn’t care, but I do. I don’t know why I let you get to me.” He took a shaky breath. "I like you, okay? I do."