glasses

Close proximity

The classroom buzzed with the usual pre-class chatter, the low hum of students unpacking their notebooks and laughing with friends. Román sat stiffly in his usual seat by the window, staring at his desk like it might offer him an escape. 

The events of the weekend were still fresh in his mind, looping on repeat like a broken record. Nicolás's lips on his. The words *"Don't leave me"* whispered against his skin. And then... nothing. 

Nicolás didn't remember. And now, Román was stuck pretending it hadn't happened. 

"Alright, everyone, settle down," the teacher's voice called out, breaking through the noise. She shuffled some papers on her desk before looking up with a smile that sent a wave of unease through the room. 

"Before we begin, we're going to do a little seat shuffle today." 

Groans echoed around the room, but Román's heart sank. 

Not this. 

"Let's make this quick. I've already assigned your new spots," the teacher said, picking up a clipboard. 

Román barely registered the other names being called as he sat frozen in his seat. His name snapped him back to reality. 

"Román, you'll be sitting next to Nicolás." 

His stomach dropped. 

He glanced across the room just in time to see Nicolás give a casual shrug, grabbing his things and heading toward him. Meanwhile, Román's palms began to sweat. 

This wasn't fair. 

---

By the time Nicolás plopped down into the seat beside him, Román was already regretting showing up to class at all. 

"Guess we're seat buddies now," Nicolás said with a grin, dropping his bag onto the floor. 

Román couldn't bring himself to look at him. "Uh... yeah." 

Nicolás leaned back in his chair, completely at ease, while Román was practically sinking into his own. He kept his gaze firmly on the front of the room, hoping his teacher would start the lesson quickly and save him from this torture. 

But Nicolás wasn't one to let silence linger. 

"So, do you usually sit here? Nice spot by the window," he said, stretching a little. 

Román nodded stiffly, still not meeting his eyes. "I like it." 

"Cool," Nicolás said, tapping his pen against his notebook absentmindedly. "Oh, wait—can I borrow your notes for last week? I kind of zoned out during that whole thing about vectors or whatever." 

Román finally glanced at him, his face already heating up. "Y-yeah, sure," he mumbled, fumbling to pull out his notebook. 

Nicolás raised an eyebrow at his flustered movements but said nothing. Instead, he leaned closer, his arm brushing against Román's as he reached for the notebook. 

Román flinched, his heart racing. 

"You okay?" Nicolás asked, his brow furrowing. 

"Fine," Román blurted out, his voice slightly higher than usual. He turned his attention back to the front, his cheeks burning. 

Nicolás tilted his head, clearly confused but not pushing it. "Alright..." 

---

The rest of the class dragged on painfully slow for Román. Nicolás, meanwhile, acted like nothing had changed. He doodled in the margins of his notebook, asked random questions, and occasionally whispered sarcastic comments about the teacher's monotone voice, trying to make Román laugh. 

Román, for his part, barely managed a few awkward chuckles. 

It wasn't fair how casual Nicolás was, how easy it was for him to just *be*. Román, on the other hand, couldn't focus on anything. Every time Nicolás moved, every time he leaned a little too close or flashed one of his effortless smiles, Román felt like he was going to combust. 

At one point, Nicolás turned to him mid-lecture, his face way too close for comfort. 

"Hey, you spacing out too, or is it just me?" he asked, his voice low so the teacher wouldn't hear. 

Román stiffened, his eyes darting anywhere but Nicolás's face. "I'm... paying attention." 

Nicolás grinned. "Liar. You've been staring at the same page for ten minutes." 

Román snapped his notebook shut and muttered, "Leave me alone." 

"Touchy," Nicolás teased, leaning back in his chair. 

Román glared at him for half a second before turning away again. 

---

When the bell finally rang, Román bolted up from his seat, gathering his things with a speed that probably looked ridiculous. 

"Hey, wait up," Nicolás called after him, slinging his bag over his shoulder. He caught up easily, walking beside him as they exited the classroom. 

Román kept his eyes straight ahead, praying Nicolás wouldn't say anything that would make this more unbearable. 

"So, what's up with you today?" Nicolás asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "You've been acting weird since, like, forever." 

"I'm not acting weird," Román said quickly. Too quickly. 

"Yeah, you are. You're all... twitchy." 

Román stopped walking, turning to face Nicolás with a frustrated expression. "I'm not twitchy. Just drop it, okay?" 

Nicolás blinked, taken aback by the sudden outburst. "Alright, alright. Geez." 

Román sighed, his shoulders sagging. He hated this. The tension, the embarrassment, the constant worry that Nicolás might somehow remember. 

"Sorry," he muttered, avoiding Nicolás's gaze. 

Nicolás tilted his head, studying him. After a moment, he shrugged. "Whatever it is, you'll tell me when you're ready." 

Román's heart skipped at the casual sincerity in his voice. He nodded mutely, then turned and walked away before he could embarrass himself further. 

As he headed toward his next class, Román pressed a hand to his face, trying to will the heat from his cheeks to disappear. 

*Why does he have to make everything so complicated?*