—Logan—

Study hall. Less than a week ago, it had been a welcome breather from real classes. Now I dreaded it as much as I was excited for it. Because of him.

My stomach did a flip as Felix walked into the room, and I mentally chewed myself out for the reaction. I didn’t care what conclusion I might have come to after talking to Tobi; I was a straight guy. I had a girlfriend I liked a lot—to myself, I’d even tried out stronger words and hadn’t been put off by them. My life was actually good; I didn’t need these weird ass feelings over Felix.

Yeah, well, tell that to the telltale thump-thump of my heart.

Felix dropped down in the seat next to me with a wide smile. “So, I watched you practice yesterday.”

A red flush threatened to creep up my neck. “Really?” I played soccer—or football, as it was called there. Unlike a lot of guys, like Tobi, I hadn’t joined one of the professional clubs. It was just a hobby for me, not my future.

“Mmhmm. I had to leave before it was finished, but it looked like fun. I never really got into sports.”

“It’d probably be hard getting into clubs and teams when you move around all the time.”

He nodded. “Partly, yeah. I also just never had much interest. I don’t mind watching, though.”

“So I’ll see you at some of the games then?”

“I suppose I can go. As long as you’re not just going to sit on the bench or something.”

I laughed. I may not be the star player, but I was hardly a bench warmer. “I promise that I’ll be playing.”

Felix grinned and something shone in his eyes. It made my stomach twist. “Good. I mean, it’s not like I’ve lived here long enough to have school spirit. I’ll just be there to cheer for you.”

I felt a responding smile come to my face. Was I leaning closer to him? Was he leaning closer to me? “You’re gonna cheer for me?”

“What else would I be doing? I don’t even know anyone else on the team.”

My voice dropped to almost a whisper. “I’m nothing special.”

Felix’s head tilted slightly, reminding me of a puppy. “Liar.”

Just like that, I started to lean in. At some point I hadn’t realized, my eyes had dropped to his mouth, and I was moments away from throwing caution to the wind and just going for it.

I jumped to my feet, heart pounding in my ears. Behind me, my chair crashed to the ground. Every eye in the room turned to me; Felix stared up at me with surprised confusion. I opened my mouth to say something—what? What could I even say? So I didn’t say anything. I just ran out of the room.