Monday morning felt... different.
Not just because the sky was clearer than usual, or because Kai had mercifully forgotten to blast music from his dorm window. No, it was something deeper. Something that settled under Leo's skin like the first bloom of spring—hopeful, terrifying, and real.
They were a couple now.
They hadn't said the words. There was no label.
But the way Rin looked at him when they passed in the hallway—the way she lingered beside his desk during break—it all said enough.
So why was Leo nervous?
Because being with someone, truly being with them, meant showing more than just the good parts.
---
Their first unofficial date as a couple was a shared lunch behind the science building.
Rin brought bento again. Leo brought drinks.
It was quiet. Peaceful.
Until he spilled tea all over his pants.
Rin blinked, then burst into soft laughter.
Leo groaned, burying his face in his hands. "I'm literally the worst boyfriend."
"You're not," Rin said, offering a napkin. "You're just… very real."
Leo peeked through his fingers. "You sure?"
She nodded. "Besides, this just makes the moment ours."
He didn't know what to say to that.
So he smiled.
---
Later that afternoon, they went shopping for supplies at the convenience store.
It wasn't special. No big event.
But walking beside her, Leo felt strangely lighter.
Then it happened.
Her hand brushed his.
Once. Twice.
And then she gently slid her fingers between his.
Leo froze.
Not because he didn't like it—because he did. So much that it scared him.
Rin noticed.
"You okay?"
He nodded slowly. "Just… processing."
She smirked. "I give it a week before you stop overthinking everything."
Leo chuckled. "Optimistic."
"Mm. That's new for me."
---
That evening, Kai barged into Leo's room like a tornado of unsolicited wisdom.
"I heard you held hands today."
Leo blinked. "From who?!"
Kai shrugged. "Sources. Anyway, congrats! Big step. Huge, actually. You're basically married in high school terms."
Leo groaned.
Kai flopped on the bed. "Listen, holding hands is the easy part. The hard part is everything that comes after. Expectations. Misunderstandings. Compromises."
Leo stared. "You've never dated anyone."
"I read a lot of shojo manga."
"…Fair."
Kai sat up. "But seriously, Rin's a complex girl. You're gonna mess up sometimes. Just… don't let silence grow too long between you."
Leo nodded slowly. "I'll remember that."
---
Tuesday, they had their first disagreement.
It was small.
Leo forgot he promised to walk home with Rin after study group. She waited fifteen minutes before heading back alone.
By the time Leo realized, he sprinted through half the campus and nearly crashed into her at the gate.
She didn't yell.
She didn't cry.
She just said, "You forgot."
And Leo hated himself more than she ever could.
"I'm sorry," he said. "No excuses."
She nodded.
Then, after a pause, said, "I wasn't mad. Just… disappointed."
That hurt worse.
He walked her home. Quietly. Holding her bag instead of her hand.
---
Wednesday, they made up.
Not with big words or dramatic gestures.
But with a single note in her shoe locker.
"Let me try again today. Let me walk beside you properly this time." —Leo
She met him at the gates that afternoon.
Held out her hand.
Leo took it without hesitation.