your relationship with carl is an endless dance between bickering and something softer that you can’t quite name. in public, he’s insufferable—always teasing you, making sarcastic comments, and somehow finding ways to make your life more complicated than it needs to be. but every once in a while, there’s a crack in that cocky, annoying exterior, and it’s those moments that stick with you no matter how hard you try to ignore them.

like earlier today in biology. you’d spent half the class arguing over who got to use the microscope first, the tension bubbling into an all-out war of eye-rolls and passive-aggressive comments. but then, the stupid clumsy lab assistant knocked over a tray of glass beakers, and you, being as distracted as you always are when carl’s around, stepped too close to the mess.

“careful, idiot,” he’d muttered, grabbing your arm just before your foot could land in the pile of broken glass. the way his hand lingered on your wrist for a second longer than necessary didn’t go unnoticed, nor did the quiet concern in his voice when he added, “you’re not even paying attention. you could’ve gotten hurt.”

---

but now, lying in your bed, staring at the ceiling as the memory loops in your mind, you feel a flicker of warmth under the frustration. “ugh.. i hate that man, i hate that man!,” you repeat, turning onto your side. a small smile creeps across your lips, unbidden but unstoppable. “but, oh, cara mia, how i love him.”

your phone buzzes on the nightstand, jolting you out of your thoughts. the name on the screen is all too familiar.

“are you still mad at me or what?”

you hesitate for a second before texting back

“why would i waste my energy being mad at you?”

the response comes faster than you expect

“because you secretly love me.”

your breath catches at the words, but before you can come up with a witty reply, another text pops up

“kidding. maybe. anyway, you left your notebook in class. i’ve got it. you’re welcome.”