Agatha was already walking back toward the group, but Koray stayed back, his eyes still fixated on Donovan. He hadn’t expected the guy to be this easy to fluster, when he wasn’t drunk—it was almost too easy, really. And now, watching him stand there, stiff and awkward, Koray couldn’t help himself.

"You know," he said, stepping forward again, "I just realized I haven’t introduced myself properly." He extended a hand, slow and deliberate. "Koray."

Donovan hesitated. His gaze flicked down to Koray’s hand like it might bite him. And for a second, Koray wondered if he’d reject the handshake altogether, but after an awkward beat, Donovan finally took it. His grip was hesitant, his fingers slightly cold. Interesting.

"Donovan," he muttered, barely meeting Koray’s eyes.

Koray hummed, tilting his head slightly as he held onto Donovan’s hand a second longer than necessary. "Donovan, huh? I like it. Strong name."

A flicker of something passed over Donovan’s face—uncertainty, maybe even suspicion. He pulled his hand back quickly, stuffing it into his pocket as if the brief contact had been too much. Koray smirked, amused by the reaction. He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. "You know, you’ve been staring at me an awful lot."

Donovan’s entire body went rigid. "I—what? I haven’t—"

Koray raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So I imagined you following us across campus? Lingering around corners?" His voice was light, teasing, but there was an unmistakable sharpness beneath it.

Donovan looked like he wanted to sink into the earth. "I was just—"

Koray grinned. "Relax, I’m just messing with you." He let the words hang for a beat, watching as Donovan struggled to regain his composure. Then, with a small tilt of his head, he added, "Unless you were following me. In that case, I’m flattered."

Donovan opened his mouth, then closed it, clearly at a loss. His ears had gone noticeably pink. Koray bit back a laugh. Too easy. Still, as amusing as it was to see Donovan squirm, there was something else nagging at him. He could brush off the staring, the lurking, but the way Donovan had really been following them—it wasn’t just casual curiosity. There was something deliberate about it, that made him understand his sister’s frustration.

So, lowering his voice just enough to make it feel like a private conversation, he asked, "Though, I have to wonder—why have you been following Agatha around so much?"

Donovan’s entire demeanor shifted. His shoulders tensed, his breath hitched—subtle, but Koray caught it. Interesting.

"I wasn’t following her," Donovan said quickly, too quickly. "I have just been… getting to know new places around here?"

Koray hummed, pretending to consider that answer, even though they both knew it was a lie. "So, just walking around, huh?" He let the words settle for a beat, studying Donovan’s face. He wasn’t panicking, but he was nervous, like he was trying to find the way out of there.

"Look," Koray continued, keeping his tone light, "if you’ve got some issue with her, you can just say it. I’m not gonna snitch."

Donovan hesitated. His jaw tightened. There it was. Koray waited. Watched. And then, as if dragging the words out of himself, Donovan muttered, "It’s not about her."

Oh? That was… unexpected. Koray tilted his head slightly, giving Donovan an expectant look, but the other boy clamped his mouth shut, like he regretted saying anything at all. Koray could have pressed him for more, could have made him squirm under the weight of his own silence—but he didn’t need to. He already had enough pieces to put something together.

Not about Agatha. But still following Agatha.

His gaze flicked over Donovan briefly, catching the tension in his stance, the way he kept glancing away. There weren’t many reasons someone would get so wound up over something like this.

Then it clicked.

A slow smirk curled at Koray’s lips. "Ah. I see."

Donovan stiffened. "See what?"

Koray let out a soft chuckle, as if this whole thing was harmless, as if he hadn’t just peeled back another layer of Donovan’s guarded little world. "You know, if you wanted an excuse to be around Connor, you could always just ask him out."

Donovan recoiled like he’d been physically struck. "What?! I—No, that’s not—I wasn’t—"

Koray barely held back his laughter. Too easy. But he kept his expression neutral, playful even, as he added, "I mean, I get it. He’s hot, he’s the basketball captain, and—" Koray’s smirk deepened— "he is single."

Donovan blinked, mouth opening and closing like his brain had completely short-circuited.

"Not that I’m saying you should," Koray continued smoothly, enjoying every second of this, "but if that’s what this is about, maybe next time just go straight to the source instead of trailing after Agatha." He shrugged, giving Donovan one last, knowing glance. "Might save you some trouble."

With that, he turned on his heel, walking away like the conversation had been nothing more than idle chatter. But as he left, he felt Donovan’s eyes on him, lingering. "And try not to miss me too much!"

Good. Now let’s see what he does with that.

Koray didn’t bother looking back. He didn’t need to. He could already imagine the expression on Donovan’s face—wide eyes, tense posture, lips slightly parted like he was still trying to figure out what just happened.

Too easy.

With an easygoing stride, Koray made his way back to Agatha’s friends, slipping into their conversation like he had never left. They greeted him without question, completely unaware of the chaos he had just left in his wake.

And Donovan?

Well. Donovan was still standing there, frozen in place, looking as if Koray had just turned his entire world upside down.