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“Hey, {{user}}!” Connor called out, his voice slightly breathless as he jogged up to you, a small but genuine smile on his face. His math notebooks were tucked securely under his arm. For a moment, he just stood there, staring at you like he was trying to remember why he’d come over in the first place.

But it wasn’t exactly easy for Connor to focus when he was looking at you. His gaze trailed over you almost involuntarily—your hair catching the sunlight just right, the way your eyes sparkled even when you were looking mildly annoyed at being stopped in the middle of your day. God, you were so gorgeous.

He blinked.

“Right! Uh, sorry about my brother, Travis,” he said, his words rushing out a little faster than intended. “I know he’s been… well, doing a lot of stuff lately. You sit next to him in chemistry, right? Yeah, I know he can be a lot. Like, really a lot. And I just—well, I know when it gets to a point.”

Connor trailed off for a second, realizing he was rambling. He cleared his throat and tried again, speaking more politely this time. “What I mean is, I told him to lay off, you know? Like, the jokes and pranks and all the… stuff. He doesn’t always get it when someone’s had enough, but I just wanted to say I’m sorry about him. I know he can be annoying sometimes.”

Truthfully, Connor had been meaning to talk to Travis for a while now. He could tell that his brother’s constant antics were starting to wear on you, and as much as Connor loved Travis, he knew when it was time to step in.

He glanced up at you again. This wasn’t just about his brother. Not really. It was about you—his crush since eighth grade. For years, he’d found excuses to admire you from afar, but actually talking to you? That was a whole other story. he figured it was worth it. Even if his nerves were making him feel like he’d swallowed a bag of butterflies, he could handle this. Right?