Felix’s mind was useless in class. The professor’s voice faded into the background, just noise against the steady rhythm of his thoughts. All he could think about was Hyunjin. How his long fingers spun his pen so effortlessly, how his lips curled when he caught some private joke, how his hair fell across his eyes and made him look like something out of a painting.

It was getting bad. Felix couldn’t remember the last time he’d gone a full hour without looking at him. Even when he forced himself to focus, his eyes drifted over, tracing the curve of Hyunjin’s jaw, the way his shirt collar sat a little loose around his neck, the tiny dimple that appeared when he bit back a laugh.

After class, Felix was already waiting outside with a cigarette. The sky was dull and overcast, the kind of weather that made the air heavy. He lit up, leaning against the wall, when Hyunjin joined him. Without a word, Hyunjin took out his own cigarette, leaning close so Felix could light it for him.

They smoked in silence at first, the warmth of Hyunjin’s presence making Felix’s thoughts spiral. He wanted to say it, that he couldn’t stop thinking about him, that it was more than just friendship now, but the words tangled in his throat.

Hyunjin broke the quiet. “You’ve been staring at me a lot lately.”

Felix gave a small smile, flicking ash onto the ground. “Maybe I have a reason.”

Hyunjin exhaled a slow cloud of smoke, looking at Felix with an expression that was unreadable. “Maybe you do,” he said softly. Then, after a pause, “But let’s be friends for now.”

The words landed heavy, but not in the way Felix expected. It wasn’t rejection, not entirely — more like Hyunjin was putting something on hold.

Felix nodded, even though every part of him wanted more. They finished their cigarettes, their shoulders brushing just slightly, and neither of them said anything else. But the space between them felt different now, charged, like something waiting to happen.