Elco's POV

It was 4:25 in the morning, and my body already felt like it had gone through a full day. My head was heavy, my neck stiff, and my tote bag—stuffed with notebooks, folders, and God-knows-what—felt like it weighed as much as an entire apartment.

I adjusted the strap and reached for the small inhaler pendant hanging from my necklace. I opened it, inhaled the minty scent, and let it calm me down. For a moment, it felt like the world slowed. Then I continued walking toward the Glasshouse cafeteria, the only place awake this early in the university.

The glass doors slid open, and the barista greeted me instantly.

“Good morning, sir.” he greeted.

I gave a short nod and a small smile before dropping my bag on the nearest table. My phone was already in my hand as I walked to the counter.

“One strong coffee, with creamer, one pump sugar,” I muttered.

I paid online, and the app took forever to confirm. My eyelids grew heavier, threatening to shut completely. Finally, the barista handed me the receipt.

“Signature and number, please. Thank you.”

I look at him again... he has a pure white skin-almost look like dracula, and he is tall. Like for real. I instinctively grab my pendant and inhale for a bit.

I signed quickly and returned to my table. My head dropped straight onto the surface, the coolness of the wood against my cheek too tempting. The café’s air-conditioning, mixed with the comforting smell of roasted beans, almost felt like a lullaby.

Still, I forced myself upright, opened my laptop, and spread out a pile of notebooks, and then i read, study, take notes and read again. I barely caught the time—4:40 a.m.—before sleep won. (T_T)

When I opened my eyes again, it was already 5:30. I stretched, groaned a little, and finally reached for my coffee and the cheesecake.

I took a bite,

again..

and again..

Then...

Did i order a cheesecake?

There, right in front of me, was a slice of cheesecake.

I frowned. “Wait… huh?”

I blinked, checked my cup, and checked my receipt. No mistake—coffee only. But the cheesecake was there. Half-eaten, actually. My fork was already sticking into it.

“What the—did I…?” My eyes widened. “No way.”

Tf!? did i get a wrong order?

I looked around. The place was nearly empty. Impossible. I stood and walked to the counter. A new barista was there, shorter than the one earlier, and smiled politely when I approached.

“Excuse me, may I ask? Did you serve my order?” I pointed to my table.

“Oh, I’m sorry, sir. That was my co-worker. He already left. Is there a problem?”

I shook my head quickly. “No, it’s just… Did anyone else order cheesecake? Aside from me?” God, I sounded like an idiot. I hate you, Elco!

The barista tilted his head. “I can ask him later, sir, but I need to accommodate the other customer now.”

I turned and realized someone was already waiting behind me. I smiled awkwardly and shook my head. “No need, it’s okay. Thank you.”

Back at my table, I noticed something else. My coffee was still hot. It's really hot. Which didn’t make sense at all, not when it had been sitting in a paper cup for almost an hour in a cold, air-conditioned room.

I exhaled sharply and shook my head. “Elco, stop overthinking.”

So I took another bite of the cheesecake, savoring the sweetness that melted perfectly in my mouth. My lips curved into a smile despite myself.

“To whoever you are,” I whispered under my breath, snapping a quick photo of the cheesecake and coffee, “thank you for this delicious surprise.”

^^^Hello, everyone. It's shairaxj. First of all, for sure, you would notice the chatstory i posted, but pfft! I actually can't process that much to that kind of setting in writing stories. So here i am, trying to continue one of my work. Actually, it was a draft story from my wattpad. Yes, i have stories there, too (Shaira_Jung) it's all BL stories, too, so if you are interested, feel free to just pass on them.^^^

...—...

...Character Information...

^^^this is my original art/work,^^^

^^^please do not repost/reupload.^^^

Devion "Devi / Vion" Avelar

Age: 22

Height: 5’9 "

Course & Year: 2nd year, Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering

Personality: Quiet, shy, and nonchalant. Rarely joins university events and often disappears during orientations and meetings. Despite his reserved aura, he is observant — always watching his surroundings with sharp eyes. Prefers hoodies, sweaters, and “Tito/ Expensive Uncle fashion” outfits. Always has his headphones on.

Style: Hoodies, sweaters, Expensive Uncle fashion, baggy pants, and headphones/headset

Notable Habits: Disappears without warning, secretly attentive to details about people he cares about.

Other: Lives alone, independent, and manages his own income/business.

...——...

^^^this is my original art/work,^^^

^^^please do not repost/reupload.^^^

Elco Asael "EA"

Age: 21

Height: 5’5”

Course & Year: 2nd year, Bachelor of Science in Business Management (Scholar)

Personality: Bold, hardworking, and naturally friendly. Surrounded by many people due to his involvement in multiple organizations since his first year. Despite his confident and sociable side, he easily gets tired and overwhelmed.

Style: Long-sleeved polo layered with a blazer; also loves baggy pants.

Notable Habits: Carries a heavy tote bag everywhere, often massages his nape when tired, uses a necklace pendant with a calming mint-scented inhaler. Loves fragrances and has a habit of sniffing scents.

Other: Always in demand at school but rarely has time to be alone.

Devion’s POV

I don’t know what’s wrong with me today.

Usually, when class is over, I just… disappear. Straight home, or sometimes I hide in the farthest corner of the library with my hoodie up, headset on, pretending the rest of the world doesn’t exist.

But not today.

Today I’m here, sitting on a bench, phone in my hand, acting like I’m busy. In reality? I’m listening. Not to everyone. Just to him. That guy.

“Hey, don’t you ever get tired? You’re carrying too much,” one of his org-mates said, a girl with a notebook full of sticky notes.

“Maybe a little,” the guy answered. I didn’t need to look at him. I could already imagine his smile.

“Wow, future manager! You’re in charge of schedules, files, meetings—”

“Stop it, I might believe you,” he joked, and the group laughed with him.

I rolled my eyes. Why is he always the center of attention? He’s not even that tall, not the type that screams presence in the hallway. But whenever he’s around, the atmosphere changes. Everyone notices.

And I hate to admit it, but… I notice too.

Seriously, Devion? Since when do you care about random conversations?

I scrolled through my phone. Empty notifications, dead chats, boring emails. Nothing interesting. Still, no matter how hard I tried to ignore it, my ears kept catching his voice.

“Guys, we’ll have a short meeting tomorrow morning. I just want to finalize the event details.”

“Tomorrow? That’s too early!”

“It won’t take long. And don’t worry, I’ll bring food.”

“Wow, free food? We really love you!”

Wait. He’s paying? Isn’t he on scholarship? Why is he spending his money on them?

I frowned. I don’t know what annoyed me more — that he’s too kind, or that I actually care about where he gets the money.

Stop it, Devion. Stop caring. This isn’t your business.

I opened Spotify, turned up the volume. Didn’t help. My eyes still drifted back to him, whether I liked it or not.

Three minutes passed like that. Just me, staring and thinking. And then it hit me: I’m acting weird.

I talk to myself a lot when I’m alone in my room. But now? Here, with so many people around? My brain won’t shut up.

Why are you listening to him? Why do you care if they have a meeting? You’re not invited. You’re not required. So why are your eyes following that guy?

I sighed quietly. Annoyed. At myself.

“I brought a new scent for tomorrow. Want to try?” the guy suddenly said.

“Another perfume?!” someone laughed.

“Not perfume. More like essential oil. It helps you relax.”

“Wow, Mr. Wellness!”

Essential oils? Collecting scents? What kind of hobby is that?

It sounds shallow, but somehow, when it comes from him… it doesn’t. Maybe because of his tone. Gentle, genuine. Like he really wants to share something that might help other people.

I shook my head. Devion, stop analyzing people like some therapist. You’re not one.

Still, I caught myself smiling a little. Just a little.

Then his phone rang. “Hello? Yeah, I’m still here,” he said softly, turning away so no one else could hear.

His group was still laughing, but me — I was staring again.

I didn’t catch everything, but I heard the last words clearly:

“I’m fine. Don’t worry. I can handle it.”

Then he went back to smiling, like nothing happened.

But inside me, something shifted.

‘I’m fine. Don’t worry. I can handle it.’

I’ve said those words myself, more times than I can count. And nine out of ten times, they were lies.

So when I heard him say it, I just knew. He wasn’t fine.

And for some reason, I wanted to tell him: You don’t have to pretend.

Of course, I didn’t. That’s not me. I don’t join conversations. I don’t comfort strangers.

Instead, I just sighed again. Stood up. Pretended I was leaving.

But before I walked out, I noticed him leaning against the table, fingers touching the necklace around his neck, breathing slowly like he was calming himself down.

I don’t know why I did it. Maybe I wasn’t thinking. Maybe I didn’t want to think.

But I left a small bottled water on the table near him. No words. No explanation.

He’ll probably think it’s from one of his org-mates. And that’s fine.

I don’t need him to know it was me.

As soon as I stepped outside, I realized what I’d done.

Devion, what the hell was that?

I don’t give water to people. I don’t go out of my way for anyone.

But I did. For him.

And the worst part? I still don’t know why.

-

End of Episode 2