(Elara's POV)
— Claudio
I never planned to notice Claudio.
He was just… there. Quiet. Calm. Always somewhere near a window or a corner, like the world was a little too loud and he had learned how to soften it.
That afternoon, I found him in the library again, sketchbook open, pencil moving slowly like he wasn't rushing anything—not even his thoughts.
"You're always here," I said, dropping my bag onto the chair across from him. "Do you live between these shelves?"He looked up, surprised, then smiled. "Only when I want to disappear."
I laughed softly. "Must be nice."
I watched his hand move as he sketched. He didn't erase much, like he trusted his mistakes. Like he trusted himself.
"You draw like you're thinking," I said.
"And you talk like you feel," he replied.
That caught me off guard.
My fingers brushed the book in my bag—the one I'd been reading over and over. The one that felt like someone had written my quiet thoughts for me.
"I love this book," I said without thinking. "It understands loneliness without making it loud."
Claudio went still for just a second. Then he nodded. "Some people don't want attention. They just want someone to get it."I don't know why, but my chest felt warm when he said that.
We talked about dance—how music lets me forget myself—and he listened like it mattered. Not once did he check his phone. Not once did he interrupt.
When I laughed at something stupid he said, his smile lingered longer than I expected.
And I didn't mean to notice that.
— Alex & Freya
Later that day, the four of us ended up together—me, Claudio, Alex, and Freya—sitting on the campus steps as the sun dipped low.
Alex was talking animatedly, hands moving, smile effortless. Everyone always listened when Alex spoke. It came naturally to him.
Freya sat beside him, knees pulled close, laughing at his jokes like they were private secrets. And maybe they were.
I noticed the way Alex leaned toward her when she spoke.
The way Freya's smile softened when he said her name.
It was subtle—but it was there.
Claudio sat beside me, quiet as usual. He didn't seem bothered. If anything, he looked… resigned. Like he'd already accepted something the rest of us hadn't caught up to yet.
Alex brushed his arm against Freya's, and neither of them pulled away.
Something shifted inside me.
Not jealousy.Not sadness.
Just… clarity.
I looked at Alex—the boy I thought I liked. He was warm, charming, easy to admire. But as I watched him with Freya, I realized something uncomfortable.
I didn't feel broken watching them.
I felt like I was witnessing something that already belonged together.
I glanced at Claudio.
He was staring at the ground, a small smile playing on his lips, like he was happy for his brother. Or pretending to be.
And for reasons I couldn't explain, my heart tugged toward him instead.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
Just enough for me to notice.
And maybe… not forget.