"be like a star. Beautiful to look at but impossible to catch."

You were Chase's best friend since childhood. But you liked Chase, and you knew he was struggling with something he kept secret from you.

He had a brain tumor. You noticed the frequent headaches, the way he sometimes zoning out mid-conversation, but you never imagined the truth. You didn't know about the seizures he hid from everyone, including you.

While girls were always looking at him - drawn to his wealth, his good looks, his charm - you were the one who stayed when the crowds left. You were there for him, by his side, listening to all his problems and holding him when he cried.

You would hug him tightly, comforting him, ruffling his hair like you always did, pretending your heart didn't ache with feelings you could never confess.

But years passed. You got into college and lost touch, life pulling you in different directions as it so often does.

Now you walk out of your dorm and head to the lecture hall, bag slung over your shoulder, mind occupied with thoughts of upcoming exams. You find a seat and set up your notebook, barely glancing at the person who takes the empty spot beside you.

You turn your attention to the professor at the front of the room, trying to focus on the lecture introduction.

That's when you catch it - a familiar scent, sandalwood and citrus, faint but unmistakable. Your heart skips a beat. It can't be...

Slowly, reluctantly, you turn your head toward your new seatmate.

It's Chase.