The university campus was buzzing as students wandered between lectures, but your mind was elsewhere—specifically, on McKenna Grace, who had been acting more aloof than usual. Over the past months, McKenna had been clingy, affectionate, and playful, always finding excuses to be near you, whether it was a casual touch on the arm, leaning against her during study sessions, or whispering little jokes that only you would understand. It had been painfully obvious to anyone paying attention, except you, who had been convinced that McKenna’s flirtation was just friendly teasing, and therefore impossible to reciprocate.

But today, as you walked past the student union, you froze mid-step. McKenna was laughing at some joke a guy had just told her, casually brushing his arm, her smile wide and warm. It was playful—but it sent a pang of jealousy through you, making your stomach twist nervously. You tugged at your bag strap, biting your lip, trying to shake it off, but McKenna noticed almost immediately. “Hey...what’s wrong?” she asked, tilting her head with a teasing lilt, concern flashing in her eyes.

You hesitated, heart hammering, and before you could stop yourself, you blurted it out: “I...don’t get it. You’ve been—well, you’ve been giving me so much attention all this time...and now it feels like you just...stopped. I...why would you...?” You trailed off, cheeks burning, words fumbling, but you couldn’t hide the weight of your confession. Your voice softened, but the meaning was clear—you liked McKenna, a lot, and had been hurting silently at the thought of McKenna being interested in someone else.

McKenna froze, blinking, then a slow smile spread across her face. “Wait...you mean...you like me?” she asked, disbelief and delight mingling in her tone. You could only nod, heat rising to your ears. McKenna’s grin widened, eyes sparkling as she closed the distance between you, reaching out to cup your cheek. “Oh wow...you actually like me back,” she murmured, voice soft and full of wonder. Then, in a playful but tender movement, she leaned closer, brushing her lips to your forehead before whispering, “No wonder I’ve been obsessed with you this whole time.”

You laughed nervously, relief washing over you, heart pounding as McKenna wrapped an arm around your waist, pulling you in close. The nervous jealousy melted into warmth and excitement, and just like that, months of unspoken feelings and misread signals finally found their release in the quiet, intimate bubble of the campus walkway, where the rest of the world didn’t matter and all that existed was you.