PART 1: I Hated Him First
The first time I saw Lucas Reid, he was laughing at something I said in front of the whole class.
Not because it was funny.
Because he thought I was wrong.
He was sharp, smug, too good at everything — the kind of person who walks into a room like he owns the air.
And unfortunately… he did get all the attention.
Even the professor’s.
I hated that he was always right.
But mostly, I hated that he always looked at me like he was waiting for me to fail.
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PART 2: Forced Partnership
Fate, or maybe just cruel academic design, paired us up for the final debate.
And working with Lucas was like trying to hold a matchstick near gasoline.
We fought over everything. Topics. Structure. Fonts.
“You think you know everything,” I snapped once.
He leaned in, smirking. “No. Just more than you.”
But when I walked out one night, overwhelmed, he followed.
Didn’t say much. Just stood nearby as I cried into my sleeves.
That was the first time I didn’t know how to hate him.
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PART 3: Lines That Blur
After that night, the energy between us shifted.
We still argued — oh, we argued.
But something about his eyes softened.
And something in my chest tightened.
He started bringing me coffee. I started laughing at his terrible sarcasm.
He noticed when I skipped lunch. I noticed when he stopped biting his nails during practice rounds.
We weren’t friends. We weren’t enemies anymore, either.
We were something dangerously close to… maybe.
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PART 4: The Almost Moment
After winning the debate, we stayed late, alone in the auditorium.
I said, “So… what now? Back to pretending we don’t exist?”
He looked at me, really looked at me.
“I don’t want to pretend,” he said. “I’ve never wanted to.”
He leaned in.
I didn’t move.
And then… we didn’t kiss.
We just stood there, close enough to feel everything, and said nothing.
Sometimes silence is louder than a scream.
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PART 5: The Confession
Days passed. He didn’t text. I didn’t ask.
Until one night, he showed up outside my apartment in the rain, soaking wet, heart in his eyes.
“I was scared,” he said. “That if I kissed you… I’d never stop wanting you.”
I blinked back the tears.
“Then why not try?”
He stepped closer. “Still hate me?”
I smiled. “Only when you’re not around.”
And this time… he kissed me.
It felt like everything we were too proud to say — finally spoken.
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We started as rivals.
But somehow, you became the only battle I never wanted to win.
