By the time my class ends, I'm drained out.
The assignment was simple: some preliminary sketches for our next project. But my mind kept drifting, pencil idle between my fingers, thinking of Theo. Thinking of the way he looked at me.
The way his words slid under my skin like warm, dangerous currents.
I pack my things slower than usual, trying to shake off the lingering heat curling low in my stomach. Students filter out around me, chattering about weekend plans and art supplies.
I step out into the late afternoon light, blinking against it.
"Hello, Stray Cat," a voice says, warm and familiar.
I look up. Felix. He wears striped jeans as usual and white shirt and black leather jacket. Whoa, he's like Harry Styles in 2014 era. Unless that he has shorter hair.
"Hey. You're stalking me too now?"
Felix raises an eyebrow. "Too? What do you mean? Who is stalking you?"
God damn. I really need to carefully choose my words before say it loudly. I cough to cover my sudden nervousness, then chuckle. "Well, nobody. I was just saying."
There's a beat of silence between us. Felix's eyes scan my face like he's checking for something he can't quite name. "You sure?"
"Yeah."
Felix's gaze narrows slightly, like he's not convinced. He falls into step beside me as I head down the stone steps, his hand brushing lightly against mine before he shoves it into his jacket pocket.
"You met Theo," he says after a moment, voice casual. Too casual for Felix.
I stiffen instinctively. "... yes. This morning."
Felix hums low in his throat, like he's chewing on some thought he doesn't quite want to say out loud. "Was he the one who was stalking you?"
"Of course not. It was just a harmful joke of mine," I say, "What about him?"
I glance sideways at him. He shrugs again, but this time it's sharper. "Be careful, Liora."
Felix with serious tone is scary. I never thought that I would see him like this. He also says my name, not a pet name like usual. My stomach twists a little. It's not the warning itself that unnerves me. It's the way he says it. Like he knows something I don't. Like it's personal.
"You know him?" I press, heart thudding a little faster.
His mouth twitches into something that's not quite a smile. "Yeah," he says simply. "We go back."
I wait for him to elaborate, but he doesn't. The air between us thickens, heavy with unspoken things. There must be something. About Felix. About Theo. About them.
I swallow, trying to ignore the sudden fluttering in my chest. "Is he ... dangerous?"
Felix laughs softly under his breath, a sound that's more bitter than amused. "Depends who you ask."
That doesn't exactly make me feel better. Felix must catch the uncertainty on my face because his hand finds my upper arms, a brief, grounding touch.
"I'm not saying you can't talk to him," he says, gentler now. "I'm just saying that he's not always what he seems."
"Neither are you," I blurt before I can stop myself.
Felix freezes for half a second, then laughs. A real laugh this time, low and rough and a little surprised. "Fair enough," he says, "you have a right to doubt so-called playboy like me."
We reach the edge of the quad, near the bike racks where a few students are lingering, smoking or checking their phones. The breeze tugs at the hem of Felix's jacket, and he steps a little closer to me, close enough that I can smell his cologne—warm, slightly spicy, familiar.
"I'm serious, though," he murmurs, tilting his head down so our faces are only inches apart.
"I'm not telling you what to do about Theo. I just ...."
His voice trails off, and for the first time since I met him, Felix actually looks unsure. Vulnerable, almost. "I don't want you getting hurt," he finishes, softer.
The words settle between us, heavy and warm. That's rich words coming from a playboy himself. But my heart stutters against my ribs. For a moment, the rest of the world blurs—just like it had earlier with Theo.
Only this time, it's Felix in front of me. Felix, with his easy smile and careful hands and eyes that always seem to see too much.
I bite the inside of my cheek, trying to steady myself. "I can handle myself," I say, but my voice is a little too breathless, a little too defensive. I can't let my guards down. Not again.
Felix smiles faintly. "I know."
He reaches out again—not to grab me this time,—brushes his fingers lightly over the edge of my sleeve, a touch so fleeting I almost wonder if I imagined it.
Then he steps back, shoving both hands deep into his pockets. There goes the charming wide smile. "Come on," he says, jerking his chin toward the coffee shop across the street. "Let me buy you something. You look like you could use a break."
I hesitate. I promised my afternoon to Theo. I feel bad for rejecting him, but I have to.
"Um," I say finally, letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "I'm sorry, I have to continue my commissions." Well, it's not fully lie, right? I really am going to continue the commissions when I'm with Theo. I'm just not telling the whole truth.
Felix raises an eyebrow, but says nothing. He gives me small smile—more like a smirk to me. "Okay, good luck with that. See you another time, then."
"Yeah, thank you. See you."
I watch Felix walk past me. There's a sting in my heart. Am I being bad person? He won't be too sad, right? He surely has other things to do anyway. Felix has many friends. Why am I worried about him when the friend I got myself with is only Julia?
But now I realize that I'm caught between them. Felix and Theo. They have beef. I'm pretty sure I'm going to find out sooner or later.