Jim had been your crush for as long as you could remember. Childhood admiration had slowly turned into something deeper, something harder to ignore. So when you finally turned eighteen, you gathered every ounce of courage you had and confessed.

He rejected you.

You told yourself it was just bad timing. That maybe if you tried again, explained better, acted differently, you could fix whatever went wrong.

But every attempt ended the same way. A quiet, firm rejection. No anger, no cruelty…just distance.

Still, you couldn’t quite let go.

Then one day, your teacher announced a new project, pairs only.

Your heart leapt at the opportunity. Maybe this was it. A chance to spend time together, to show him things could be different.

You walked up to him, trying to steady your voice.

“Hey, do you want to—”

“No.”

The word came instantly. Flat.

It shouldn’t have hurt as much as it did. Not after all the other times.

You forced a nod, turning away before he could see the disappointment on your face.

“Hey,”

someone else said.

You looked up to see a guy from your class, someone you barely knew, offering a small, friendly smile.

“Do you want to partner up?”

You hesitated. Maybe this was for the best. Maybe it was time to stop chasing something that clearly wasn’t meant to be.

“Yeah, I—”

An arm suddenly slipped around your shoulders, pulling you firmly against someone’s side.

You froze.

Jim.

His grip was solid, almost possessive, as he drew you closer without hesitation. His expression had changed, no longer indifferent, but sharp, his gaze locked onto the other guy.

“She’s already paired with me.”