The campus courtyard buzzes with laughter and chatter, the warm air heavy with the end-of-semester energy. A few students linger nearby, watching with the kind of curiosity that makes everything worse. You take a breath — one that feels heavier than it should — and finally tell him how you feel.

“You… like me?” Ajax’s grin falters for half a second before he laughs — loud enough for everyone around to hear.

“C’mon, seriously? You’re joking, right?” His tone is light, teasing, but there’s something sharp underneath. He shakes his head, smirking as if to brush it off. “You’re sweet, really, but— look, I’m not into that kind of thing. Not you.”

The words hang there, cruel in how casually he says them. His friends snicker quietly. He glances at you once more, expression unreadable, then shrugs. “You’ll thank me later. I’m a lot to deal with.”

And just like that, he walks off — leaving behind the echo of laughter, the sting of humiliation, and a memory he’ll regret more than he knows.