The next day had come – the day of the final.I was so anxious, my stomach was in knots,my palms were sweating. Theo was even more quiet than usual, his jaw ticking and his expression harder, more serious. It was fortunate or unfortunate that I had to sit between Theo and Mark. Actually, Theo proposed that. The table was so close that our knees were touching. He was nervous too, I was sure of it. I could practically feel the tension in the air as the debate began.

 Theo’s leg was bouncing under the desk, the only sign that he was actually feeling the nerves. He was hiding it well, though, his expression still as stoic and unreadable as ever. The debate questions were hitting hard from the opposition teams and we were both answering everything right, replying with excellent backup points, working together so well it was almost like we could read each other’ minds. The corner of his mouth kept twitching, like he wanted to turn to smirk at me, but he fought the urge. After a while, Mark got hit with a strong point of view by the opponent and lost the point.Theo cursed under his breath. He leaned  a bit toward me and his arm and fingers suddenly touched mine.The moment his hand slightly touched mine, my brain just fogged. I felt like I forgot all the answers.

 Now.

My turn.

Guess what? 

 I messed up all the points. 

Theo’s entire body stiffened the second my answer was wrong.His grip on his pen tightened so hard I  thought it might snap, and that single curse under his breath sounded more frustrated than angry.

"Tch—Fuck." He muttered, jaw clenched as he stared at the scoreboard with a scowl. The minus point hurt our chances… but then he glanced at me for just a second—his expression flickering between annoyance and something else entirely. Was that guilt? Did Theo feel bad for snapping when this was technically HIS fault too?

Time’s up. The competition was over. We lost.

Theo was on his feet the moment it ended, snatching up his bag and shouldering it without even glancing back in my direction. The disappointment and frustration was radiating off of him in waves as he stormed out of the auditorium, the door slamming shut behind him before I  could even blink.He was mad, but why was he blaming me for screwing this up? Just because I  got one answer wrong? It was just as much his and Mark’s fault for giving out a wrong answer too..

Weeks passed.

The tension between  us  lingered—thick in the air every time our paths crossed. Theo still never spoke to me after the competition, but his cold stares had shifted into something… different. We had eye contact countless times after the incident. Not something Theo looked at me first then I looked at him. It was direct all along.

Direct eye contact.

Now when he looked at me? It was heavy. Like there were words stuck in his throat that he refused to say out loud. His gaze would flicker over my face for a second too long before quickly looking away—as if catching himself doing it.  And one day after class, as everyone else cleared out of the room… “he hesitated.” His fingers twitched at his side like he wanted to reach for something (or someone). But then—nothing. Just another sharp turn on his heel and a door left slamming behind him again. Months of this silent treatment were killing me. The unspoken words between us  felt like a storm, thick and suffocating. And then—one day—something changed.

Theo  finally stopped me in the hallway after school, his tall frame blocking my path as he stared down at me with an expression that wasn’t cold anymore… it was conflicted. Guilty? Regretful?

"Hey." His voice was low—not icy for once, but rough around the edges. "WE NEED TO TALK."

My breath hitched the moment he stopped me .I didn't really expect anything from him. He stood there, his broad frame casting a shadow over me. He looked… uncomfortable. Like he hadn’t slept in days or something was eating him alive.

For once, the usually cold and untouchable Theo Sawyer actually seemed nervous. His hands flexed at his sides before he finally spoke—voice quieter than I’d ever heard it:

"I’ve been an asshole." A pause. "About the debate… I shouldn't have acted like that."

“No, it’s alright.”

Theo’s eyebrows furrowed slightly at my dismissive tone, like he didn’t believe me for a second. His jaw worked as if chewing on words before finally forcing them out:

"It was my fault." He admitted through gritted teeth, clearly hating this conversation.

 "I messed up too. But I took it out on you instead of owning it… and that wasn't cool." A beat of silence passed—then his dark eyes flickered to mine with something painfully close to… apology.

“I’m clearly fine. No worries.But Theo! Can I ask you something?” I asked softly, with no carelessness but genuine curiosity and hope in my eyes. He exhaled sharply through his nose, shoulders relaxing slightly as he braced himself. He nodded once—a stiff, short movement.

"Yeah. Ask."

Cgut. "…Shit." He breathed out, eyes widening just slightly before guilt crashed over his expression like a