Leon hated crowded spaces. Unfortunately, the cafeteria didn’t care. Tray in hand, he stepped away from the food counter, his eyes scanning the room—every table was packed. The sound of overpping conversations, the ctter of trays, and the occasional burst of ughter filled the air. He exhaled through his nose, already dreading the struggle of finding a seat.

  His gaze swept the room again until it nded on a table with only one occupant. Scattered books and notes covered one side, while the other remained retively clear. As he moved closer, recognition clicked. It wasn’t just any random person—it was Stel, deeply focused on her reading, seemingly oblivious to the noise around her. Relief washed over him. At least he wouldn’t have to sit with a total stranger. Adjusting his tray, he walked up to her and lightly tapped her shoulder.

  She turned around, her bright blue eyes meeting his. Before he could speak, she tilted her head slightly, a confused expression forming on her face.

  “Sorry, but who are you?” she asked.

  Leon froze.

  The words hit him like a sp. His grip on his tray tightened slightly as an icy wave of embarrassment crashed over him. He wanted to ugh it off, but his body refused to cooperate. His hands felt cold, his feet too heavy to lift. For a moment, he could only stare at her, his throat suddenly dry. Finally, after swallowing the lump that had formed, he managed to stammer out a response.

  “I—uh—I’m Leon. The guy you ran into in the hallway a few weeks back.”

  Stel furrowed her brows, tapping her chin as if trying to recall. “A couple of weeks back? Are you sure I ran into you?”

  Leon felt the heat rise to his face. This was bad. Really bad. Maybe he had mistaken her for someone else. Maybe he was making a fool of himself. Scrambling to save whatever dignity he had left, he let out a nervous chuckle and took a step back.

  “Uh… my bad. I think I mistook you for someone else,” he muttered, turning to leave.

  But before he could take another step, he heard it—the unmistakable sound of someone trying to stifle ughter. He paused, gncing back at Stel, only to see her biting her lip, her shoulders shaking ever so slightly. His eyes narrowed as realization dawned on him.

  “You—” he started, then exhaled sharply, shaking his head in disbelief. as he adjusts the tray in his grip. “Nice one, Stel. You got me there.”

  Stel grinned mischievously, finally letting out the ughter she had been holding back. “Consider this payback.”

  “Revenge for wha—” He stopped mid-sentence as the memory resurfaced—their first real conversation, when he had pretended not to remember her. He sighed, rubbing his temple. “Oh, right. So, was it worth it?”

  “Hell yeah, it was.” She smirked. “Now you know how I felt when you did it to me.”

  “Whatever,” he muttered, shaking his head as he pulled out the empty chair beside her and sat down. “So, what’s up?”

  “Not much, just surviving,” she said, stretching her arms above her head.

  “Csses, assignments… and a BULK load of stress. Who knew college would be this hard?”

  Leon chuckled. “Tell me about it.”

  She let out a dramatic sigh. “I thought college would be easier than high school. Turns out, I was so damn wrong.”

  Leon smirked. “Yeah, that’s the biggest scam they don’t warn you about.”

  They continued chatting, the conversation flowing effortlessly. Stel had a way of making things feel light, even when talking about the struggles of student life. And for once, Leon didn’t mind the noise of the cafeteria. He wasn’t lost in his usual bubble of music and solitude.

  Just when their conversation was picking up, the bell rang, signaling the start of the next lecture.

  Stel groaned, pushing back her chair. “Ugh, already?”

  “Looks like it,” Leon said, gncing at the clock on the cafeteria wall.

  “When’s your next free time?” she asked, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

  Leon thought for a moment before replying, “That’ll be around 2 PM.”

  Stel made a face. “Damn. I’ve got a lecture then. Guess this is where we stop for today.”

  “Yeah, seems like it.”

  She turned to leave, but Leon hesitated. His fingers tapped restlessly against the table as he wrestled with an idea in his head.

  Before she could walk away, he called out, “Ehmm… Stel?”

  She stopped and turned around, raising an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

  Leon inhaled sharply, trying to steady his nerves. His fingers curled slightly against his jeans. “Can I ask you for…” He hesitated for half a second, then forced himself to finish the sentence. “Your number?”

  Stel blinked, her expression unreadable. For a moment, she didn’t say anything, simply watching him. Leon felt his stomach twist. Maybe he had misread things. Maybe this was too sudden. He was about to backtrack when she suddenly smiled.

  “You asking for my number already?” she teased, crossing her arms. “Didn’t think you were the type.”

  Leon scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Don’t ftter yourself. It’s just so I don’t have to run around looking for you whenever I need revenge.”

  Stel ughed, then pretended to think about it, tapping her chin. “Hmm… I don’t know. I mean, I don’t just give my number to anyone.”

  Leon raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Then I guess I’m not just anyone, am I?”

  She smirked. “Cocky, aren’t we?”

  He shrugged. “Just stating facts.”

  Stel raised an eyebrow. “You want my number, huh?”

  Leon rubbed the back of his neck. “Only if you’re cool with it.”

  She pretended to think for a moment before finally sighing. “Alright, fine.” She took his phone from his hand, her fingers moving across the screen as she typed in her number. After saving it, she handed it back to him. “There. Now don’t go spamming me with memes at 2 AM.”

  Leon chuckled. “No promises.”

  Stel smirked. “We’ll see.”

  With that, she gave him a small wave before heading off to her next lecture. Leon watched her leave, exhaling as he leaned back in his chair.

  He hadn’t expected her to actually give him her number. And now that she had… he wasn’t sure what to do with it.

  A small smirk tugged at his lips as he picked up his tray.

  “Well… that went better than expected.”

  After returning his tray, Leon walked back to the table to grab his belongings. Just as he was about to leave, something caught his eye—Stel’s notebook, left behind in her rush to make it to her next lecture. He picked it up, slipping it into his bag before checking his watch. His eyes widened slightly—he was te too. Letting out a small sigh, he grabbed his headphones from the table, gave it one st gnce to make sure he wasn’t forgetting anything, then hurried out of the cafeteria toward his next css.