Chapter 1: The First Glance

Jamie sat at the back of the lecture hall, doodling absentmindedly in his notebook. The professor's voice faded into the background as Jamie’s eyes wandered across the room, eventually landing on him—Chris Evans, the most popular guy in their class.

Chris had it all: the effortless smile, the charm, and a presence that seemed to command attention without even trying. Jamie couldn’t help but stare. He’d always admired Chris from afar, but lately, his admiration had turned into something more.

“Hey, you coming to the study group later?” his friend, Jules, nudged him.

Jamie blinked, snapping out of his trance. “Huh? Oh… no, I’ve got a paper to finish,” he lied.

Jules raised an eyebrow, following Jamie's gaze to where Chris sat, casually chatting with his friends. "Right… a paper," she smirked. "Or are you just staring at your secret crush again?"

Jamie blushed and quickly looked away, shoving his notebook into his backpack. “Shut up,” he muttered.

Jules chuckled. “You know, if you spent half as much time actually talking to Chris as you do staring at him, you might get somewhere.”

Jamie scoffed. "Yeah, right. Like he’d ever notice me."

As if on cue, Chris glanced in their direction, his blue eyes locking with Jamie’s for a split second. Jamie’s heart skipped a beat, but before he could even process it, Chris turned back to his conversation, laughing at something his friend said.

"See? He doesn’t even know I exist," Jamie mumbled, sinking into his seat.

Jules sighed and gave him a sympathetic pat on the back. “You never know, Jamie. People can surprise you.”

Jamie didn’t respond. His eyes drifted back to Chris, but this time, they were drawn to the girl sitting next to him—**Heather**. She was beautiful in a way that made Jamie feel painfully inadequate. Her long, wavy brown hair framed her face perfectly, and her soft laughter filled the room like music. She leaned closer to Chris, playfully shoving him as he teased her about something.

"Of course, she's perfect," Jamie thought bitterly.

Heather was everything Jamie wasn’t: confident, radiant, feminine. The way Chris smiled at her, the way his eyes sparkled when he talked to her—it hurt in a way Jamie hadn’t expected. He wanted to hate her, but how could he? She was too... perfect.

"I want her hair," Jamie thought as he watched Heather flick a strand over her shoulder. "I want to wear what she wears. I want to smell like her perfume. Do everything like her. Maybe then Chris would notice me."

Jamie snapped out of his thoughts when Jules spoke up again.

"Hey, Jamie, earth to Jamie? You okay?"

He forced a smile, though the lump in his throat made it hard to speak. "Yeah, I’m fine. Just… distracted."

Jules studied him for a moment, then leaned in with a teasing smile. "Distracted by Chris or Heather?"

Jamie felt his face heat up again. "Neither," he lied, avoiding her gaze.

Jules rolled her eyes but didn't press further. The lecture was almost over, and Jamie couldn't be more relieved. As the professor wrapped up, everyone began packing up their things. Jamie watched as Chris stood, effortlessly slinging his bag over his shoulder. Heather was right beside him, her hand brushing against his arm.

Jamie swallowed hard. He wished he could be Heather for just one day. He wished he could know what it felt like to have Chris look at him the way he looked at her.

As the students began filing out of the room, Jamie hung back, his eyes still on Chris and Heather. Just as they were about to leave, Heather turned and locked eyes with Jamie. She gave him a small, polite smile—nothing more than a friendly gesture—but it felt like a punch to the gut.

"Come on, let’s go," Jules said, tugging Jamie's arm.

Jamie followed her out of the room, his heart heavy with the weight of his unspoken feelings. He glanced back one last time to see Chris and Heather walking away together, laughing as if they didn’t have a care in the world.

"I'll never be her," Jamie thought, the realization sinking in. "And he’ll never look at me the way he looks at her."

But deep down, Jamie knew that his feelings for Chris were only part of the story. Because for some reason, he couldn’t stop thinking about Heather, too. Not just as Chris’s girlfriend, but as someone he wanted to be closer to. Someone he wanted to understand.

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