It started with a casual message.
> Yuki: hey hey hey šæ you busy tonight?
Leo stared at his phone. He had just finished dinner at the dorm cafeteria and was on his way back to his room. His bag was heavy with textbooks and half-finished assignments. His brain, heavier.
> Leo: kinda. homework. Yuki: booooooo š¢ Yuki: skip it. movie night. my room. no weird anime. promise.
Leo blinked.
> Leo: ...you never watch normal movies. Yuki: lies and slander. come anyway. šļø
He hesitated for a moment, then sighed.
> Leo: ...what time? Yuki: now!! š§šæš½ļø
---
Yuki's dorm room was a reflection of her personality: cozy chaos.
A plush pink rug covered most of the floor. String lights framed the window. Her desk overflowed with colorful pens, open notebooks, and at least three empty melon soda cans. Her bed was covered in stuffed animals, and a huge plush corgi occupied the center like a royal guardian.
She grinned when she opened the door. "You came!"
Leo stepped in cautiously, feeling like he was entering another dimension. "This place isā¦ you."
"Thank you. I take pride in my aesthetic madness."
Yuki tossed him a blanket and pointed to the futon sofa. "Sit. Get comfortable. I picked something with actual plot."
He sat, adjusting the blanket over his legs. "No horror?"
"Just romance. Mild angst. Maximum fluff."
She plopped down beside him, remote in one hand and a bag of popcorn in the other. As the opening credits rolled, the lights dimmed.
For a while, they watched in silence.
The movie followed a classic formulaātwo childhood friends reuniting, denying their feelings, then slowly falling back in love. ClichĆ©, but strangely comforting.
Halfway through, Yuki leaned over and whispered, "You know, if this were a movie, this would be the part where the girl accidentally falls asleep on the guy's shoulder."
Leo didn't look at her. "You planning to do that?"
"No, I'm wide awake." She paused. "But I could fake it."
Leo chuckled. "You're ridiculous."
"Thanks, I try."
Another pause.
Then Yuki asked quietly, "Do you think stuff like this really happens? People justā¦ realize they like someone, all at once?"
Leo considered. "I think it's slower. You get used to someone's presence. Then one day, you realize you miss it."
Yuki nodded slowly. "Yeahā¦ I think I'm at that part."
Leo finally turned his head to look at her.
Her eyes were on the screen, but her fingers were lightly clutching the hem of the blanket, knuckles white.
"I used to think I was just being annoying," she said. "Like, if I stopped showing up, you'd be relieved."
"I wouldn't," Leo said instantly.
She blinked. "You sure?"
"Positive."
Silence again.
Then, very quietly, Yuki rested her head against his shoulder.
Neither of them moved.
The characters on the screen confessed their love beneath a meteor shower. The music swelled. Popcorn went uneaten.
Yuki whispered, "Thanks for coming."
Leo whispered back, "Thanks for inviting me."
They stayed that way until the credits rolled, and even then, neither wanted to move first.
---
Back in his dorm room, Leo lay on his bed staring at the ceiling.
He should've felt overwhelmed.
Instead, he feltā¦ warm. Calm.
Yuki's voice echoed in his memory.
> "If I stopped showing up, you'd be relieved."
He hadn't realized how much she meant to him until she said that.
Now he wasn't sure he could imagine school without her popping up from behind trees, carrying drinks, or tossing him into chaos.
And somehow, that idea scared him more than any confession ever could.