In a Split Second || BOYxBOYxBOY ✔️

9

The campus café was bustling with stressed out students, the usual hum of conversations and clinking coffee cups filling the air. Alex shuffled up to the counter, his hands shoved deep into his black hoodie pockets as he scanned the menu, his mind still clouded by the stress of the week. He ordered a simple iced coffee and as he leaned against the counter waiting for his drink, he heard a familiar voice call his name.

"Alex!" Sam's cheerful voice sang through the noise.

He turned to see her approaching with a group of people in tow. His stomach twisted when he noticed Luke among them, his bright blonde hair standing out against the crowd. Alex's heart skipped a beat, but he forced a smile, trying to act casual.

Beside Luke was someone Alex had seen before. He couldn't place exactly where he had met this person before, not immediately anyway, but as the tall boy came closer, Alex's eyes flickered across his face and he started to remember. He had been one of Luke's friends at the cinema last week.

The boy had sharp features and a confident stride. He had a mischievous grin plastered on his face, like he was always in on some joke no one else knew. His green eyes shimmered with humour as he followed his friends, but as soon as he noticed Alex, his smile slowly faded. It was replaced with a blank look, causing Alex to internally freak out because maybe this was just another person who hated his mere existence. Sam waved happily as she stopped beside Alex, her eyes bright with excitement.

"Hey! Didn't expect to see you here," Sam said, bumping his shoulder lightly with hers. "Alex, this is Jake, a friend of Luke's. Jake, this is my flatmate, Alex. You might have met him before."

"Sup," Jake simply said with a nod, eyes sharp and attentive.

Alex returned the nod, feeling awkward under the guy's piercing gaze.

Luke, who had been standing a little behind Jake, shifted forward, giving Alex a small, private smile. "Hey," he said, his voice low.

"Hey," Alex replied quietly, his pulse quickening as he glanced between Luke and Sam, unsure of how to act.

"We were just talking about a party happening at one of the campus flats tonight," she said, her eyes flicking to Luke before back to Alex. "And guess what? Luke invited you!"

Alex blinked, his gaze snapping to Luke, who rubbed the back of his neck, looking slightly embarrassed but managing a small nod. "Yeah, figured you might want to come," Luke said. "It's not a huge thing, just a few people hanging out."

"He's lying," Sam chimed in, "it's a huge thing and everyone's gonna be there. You have to come. It's social suicide if you don't."

"Isn't this like... the third week of partying?" Alex asked with a frown.

Sam and Jake snorted at that, but Luke stepped forward. "You're a uni student. Chill out and have fun."

"I can have fun," he replied defensively.

"You sure about that?" Luke asked him in a low voice, raising an eyebrow.

Alex's immediate instinct was to decline the invite. After everything that had happened between himself and Luke, the last thing he wanted was to make things worse at another party. But Sam's hopeful grin and Luke's tentative olive branch made him pause. Maybe this was a chance to fix things, to at least smooth out the tension.

"Uh..." Alex hesitated, the apprehension building in his chest. But after a brief second, he nodded, forcing a smile. "Fine. Fine, whatever, I'll go."

Sam clapped her hands together, beaming brightly. "Great! It's gonna be fun, I promise."