“You free after class?” Mateo asked as casually as he could. He was pretending to look at something on his laptop to avoid watching your reaction.
It was strange being this nervous. Usually when he asked someone out he did it with a grin and a shrug, but he couldn’t do that with you. Mateo didn’t think of you as something casual.
The first time he’d seen you was in this class.
The professor was boring, and you were attractive and sitting right next to him, so he’d passed you a note. He couldn’t remember what he said now, something about wanting to get food instead of sitting here. Nothing was meant to come out of it. Mateo liked being single, he liked dating around and meeting new people. If he tied himself to one person, he’d lose all of that freedom.
A friendship formed. He never hit on you—he wasn’t going to ruin whatever you’d built. All of his flirting was reserved for other people, people he didn’t care much for. Mateo found himself caring about your opinion of him, seeking your approval and wanting to see you smile at him.
He was falling for you, he realized, like he’d been struck by a train.
Mateo wasn’t sure if you felt the same. Despite being popular around campus, he didn’t have any close friends he could confide in. That was you, but he couldn’t ask you for advice.
Rejection was unfamiliar. Fearing it even more so, but his stomach was knotted at the idea of you shooting him down.
“Just for lunch,” he continued. “Nothing crazy.” Except his heart was thudding around his ribs so hard he was scared you’d hear it. Did you realize he was working up the nerve to ask you on a real date? Did he look alright? He couldn’t remember if he’d styled his hair this morning.