The crisp air outside wafted across her face as Ella and Connor stepped into the fading sunlight. It was a lot colder now that the sun had settled behind the looming oak trees that littered across campus. Ella glanced at Connor, who appeared to be lost in thought. His eyes were slightly narrowed as he continued staring straight ahead. The bustling sounds of the school gradually faded into the background, leaving a quiet space for the unspoken tension to weave its way between them.

As they walked side by side, Ella couldn't shake the feeling that this conversation was about to be more than just a baseball game. The weight of Connor's gaze from before lingered in her mind and his earlier request to accompany her seemed to carry a depth she couldn't quite grasp.

Connor cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "I've been meaning to talk to you, Tucker."

Ella felt a slight pang of nervousness. It sat heavy in her stomach as she tightened her hand across the strap of her bag.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," Connor confirmed. "But it seems like you've been busy." He paused, kicking a stray bottle cap that littered the ground. "Or at least I thought you were busy."

Ella winced. She knew it was wrong to avoid Connor for no reason, other than her being immensely uncomfortable with a slight interaction she saw, but she couldn't help it. Being around Connor made her so...

So...

So what?

"Tucker!" Connor said, stepping in front of her vision. "Are you listening?"

"Oh, um, yeah I am." She shook her head slightly, attempting to clear away her quizzical thoughts.

Connor eyed her, disapprovingly. "Okay, so what did I say?"

Ella blinked, racking her brain for an answer. She sighed. It was quite obvious she had no idea what he had been saying, too busy lost in her thoughts.

Connor mimicked her sigh. "Okay, so what I'm getting from this is that maybe you don't want me around anymore?" He removed his baseball cap and ruffled his light brown, tousled hair. "I know I came off a bit strong in the beginning but I never meant to annoy you to the point of ignoring me. I thought you were warming up to me after the party but then after I walked you to the library you completely started ignoring me," He groaned and scrubbed a hand across his face. "Is it because I asked about that book and your work? If that bothers you I'll never ask about it again. Promise. Just, please don't ignore me."

Ella's mouth slackened in awe. It probably wasn't lady-like to stare with her mouth open in complete surprise this long, but in her defense it probably wasn't very masculine of Connor to be staring at her with wide, watery puppy eyes.

"Holmes," she started, finally finding her voice, "it's not about that. It's just..." She hesitated, searching for the right words. "Things have been complicated, and I didn't mean to ignore you. I appreciate your company, really. It's just—"

"Just what?" He said, fully gazing into her eyes now. It was...weirdly intimate. It made her want to squirm. She probably was.

"It's..."

Connor stared at her patiently.

"It's nothing." She said looking away.

"What?" Connor exclaimed exasperated. "It's nothing!?" A few students passing by glanced at them and Ella mentally sighed.

"It's not something I can talk about, I don't know why I was ignoring you. Honestly, I don't even think I was." She asserted. "I won't ignore you again, I promise."

She glanced up at Connor who still stood in front of her staring at her in shock. "Are you...are you gaslighting me right now?"

"What??" Ella said, reeling back. "No, I'm not!"

She definitely was.

"You definitely are," he said, confirming her thoughts, pulling the cap back over his wavy hair. "And I don't know why you could just tell me what's wrong."

Ella sighed. This was weird. Did friends do this? Did friends talk about their feelings like this with each other in an oddly intimate way while gazing into each other's eyes with snowflakes falling all around them?

Ella didn't think so. Most of the time when she was upset with her friends she took a few days to herself to calm down or she talked it out with them, albeit with a bit stronger words and maybe a few curse words here and there. Then again, she didn't usually get mad at her friends, and definitely not for speaking to another girl.

"Ella" Connor said, reaching for her hand his blue eyes locking onto her brown ones. "Please tell me."

She felt her face heat up at the touch, his gaze stirred the tiny hairs on her neck, sending a shiver into every cell of her body.

A few more students glanced over

Ugh, they probably looked like a hallmark movie poster right now.

She couldn't handle this. Maybe she could just tell him it was because she had a lot of schoolwork, especially with finals coming up. Maybe he would understand. Hopefully, just maybe...

"It's because I saw you and Mya talking at the library." She blurted out before she could stop herself.

Connor's brows furrowed in confusion. "Me and Mya?"

"Yes," Ella squeaked, attempting to retract her hand. He held it firmly in place.

"Mya and I?"

Ella resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Yes Connor, I saw you and Mya talking in the library and she, like, softly caressed your shoulder—"

"I wouldn't really put it like that—"

"And I overreacted, okay? Happy now?"

Ella yanked her hand away, Connor willingly let her go, instead using his now free hand to cover his mouth. He stared at her, his eyes twinkling.

"What?" She said, her face probably completely red now.

He stayed silent, his shoulders beginning to shake.

"What??"

Connor finally couldn't contain his laughter, and he burst out in a hearty chuckle. "You thought Mya "caressing" my shoulder and talking to me meant... what, exactly?"

Ella crossed her arms defensively, embarrassment turning to frustration. "I don't know, okay? It just caught me off guard, and I may have jumped to conclusions."

He grinned, his laughter subsiding. "Jumped to conclusions is an understatement. Mya's just a friend, Ella. Nothing more."

Her shoulders slumped in relief mixed with a tinge of embarrassment before she straightened back up. "I knew that,"

Connor sent her an amused look. "Right, I'm sure you did." His smile softened, and he gently bumped her shoulder with his. "Hey, I'm glad you told me. Promise you won't ignore me now?"

Ella pretended to mull over his words silently. "I don't know I'll have to think about it, maybe if you quit talking about baseball every time we're together."

"Oof, I don't know about that one, Tucker. You're asking me to stop talking about my livelihood."

Ella let out a small laugh, smiling up at him, for the first time in two weeks. He gazed back at her, a warmth in his eyes that mirrored her own.

"Okay, fine," she conceded, still chuckling. "I guess I can endure the baseball talk for the sake of our friendship."

She jerked her head toward the hall. "You still gonna walk me back?"

"Of course, Tucker. I'm a man of my word."

Ella rolled her eyes and began walking in the direction of the dorm before halting suddenly. She turned around. "Also, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be jealous of you talking to Mya, I realize that's not something a friend should be jealous of."

His eyes widened, caught off guard. Before he could respond, she quickened her pace, eager to reach the warmth of her own bed.

Connor muttered under his breath, "Friend?" confused, but Ella, lost in her thoughts, didn't hear him.