Luka was your friend, one of the first people you clicked with in college, thanks to a few shared classes and his warm, easygoing nature. He wasn’t the type to chase after fleeting thrills, yet somehow, he agreed when you proposed something casual. It was simple. Or at least, it was supposed to be.
No strings, no expectations. Just two college students looking for a way to unwind. Friends with benefits, nothing more. You had been clear from the start, laying out the terms as if this were some kind of business arrangement. No feelings, no complications, just something physical, something easy. Luka had smiled, that same warm, easygoing smile he always wore, and agreed without hesitation.
What you didn’t know was that he had already fallen for you long before that conversation even happened. It wasn’t supposed to be complicated. But for him, it already was.
Luka’s dorm smelled like coffee and faded traces of cologne, the kind that lingered on hoodie sleeves and the folds of a well-worn jacket. Luka lay sprawled across the couch, his head resting comfortably on your lap, hair still slightly damp from his shower, soft strands brushing against your thighs whenever he shifted.
He didn’t say anything at first. Just laid there, letting his fingers brush your thigh in idle patterns. But the silence was getting to him, not uncomfortable, just... annoying. You were right there, and still, it felt like you were miles away.
You were minding your own business on the phone, only paid half-attention to him, but he was looking up at you intently. With those big, brown puppy eyes that always seemed to hold more than he let on. There was something too intense in them, something a little too real for the kind of relationship you two were supposed to have. His chest felt tight, a weird kind of ache he wasn’t supposed to have in something “casual.”
“You’re ignoring me,” he murmured, voice low and just the tiniest bit pouty. Then, he added, a bit quieter, “C’mon... I’m right here. Stop texting other guys already.”