Chapter Text
Dani, bleary-eyed, drags herself to the last row of the lecture hall and collapses into the nearest chair. She drops her bag on the floor and folds her arms on the desk, pressing her face into them.
Why did she choose to be a business major? Why did it require this stats class? Why was this class only offered at 8 a.m., on a Monday? And why did she think it was a good idea to go out with Manon and Megan last night when she knew she had to wake up this early?
Her head throbs in punishment for the hangover, the three hours of sleep, and the fact that she hasn’t eaten anything. If she were a Sims character, all her bars would be red.
She could’ve skipped, but this professor is known for random attendance and making it a huge part of the grade. And honestly, he seems like the type to take attendance on the first day just to scare people into dropping.
So here she is. Suffering the consequences of her own actions.
The lecture hall slowly fills with the sound of shuffling feet and quiet conversation, each noise drilling straight into her skull. Dani groans softly and presses her forehead harder into her arms.
She swears if someone even breathes near her, she won’t be responsible for what she does next.
“Hi!”
Dani freezes.
Is this person serious right now? Out of all the empty seats in this lecture hall, they chose the one next to her. Dani, who is very clearly slumped over, hood up, looking like she barely survived the night. Dani, who is wearing a tank top and sweats she slept in, an oversized hoodie she grabbed off the floor, and probably has mascara smudged under her eyes.
Her entire existence right now is screaming Do Not Talk To Me.
Dani sighs and slowly lifts her head, ready to give the most polite please leave me alone she can manage.
“Hi—” she starts, but the word dies in her throat when she finally looks at the girl next to her.
She’s gorgeous.
Soft brown eyes. Light makeup. Hair neatly tied back. A black tank layered under a crisp white shirt, flowy trousers, sunglasses resting on top of her head. She looks put together in a way that feels effortless, like she woke up this morning and simply decided to be beautiful.
“Nice to meet you,” the girl says, holding out her hand. “I’m Sophia.”
Dani stares at her hand for half a second before remembering how social interaction works. She shakes it.
“Daniela. But I go by Dani.”
Sophia repeats it softly. “Dani.”
Why does her name suddenly sound different when this girl says it?
“Not a morning person, I take it?”
Dani snorts. “What gave it away?”
“You were mumbling to yourself earlier,” Sophia says thoughtfully. “I think it was something like fuck my life, fuck my life, fuck my—”
“Oh my god,” Dani groans, dropping her face into her hands.
She hadn’t realized she’d been saying that out loud.
She drags her hands down her face and gestures vaguely at herself. “I swear I usually look more put together than this. It’s just—first day, 8 a.m., poor life choices—”
Sophia laughs, her eyes crinkling. “No, don’t worry. It was cute.”
Cute?
“And for what it’s worth,” Sophia adds, looking at her for a moment before meeting her eyes again, “you look good to me.”
Dani’s brain immediately shuts off. Completely. No thoughts. Just static.
Oh, she's in trouble.
“Uh,” Dani says intelligently. “Thanks?”
Sophia smiles like that was the correct response and starts digging through her bag.
Dani turns back to the front, trying very hard to act normal, when her stomach growls loudly.
Oh no.
Sophia looks up. “You hungry?”
“No,” Dani says quickly.
Her stomach growls again, louder this time.
Dani closes her eyes. There is no coming back from this.
“I didn’t eat breakfast,” she admits.
Sophia brightens immediately and pulls out a small ziplock bag with a granola bar and a juice box. She places it gently on Dani’s desk and nudges it toward her.
“They’re yours.”
Dani stares at the bag, then at Sophia. “Are you sure?”
Sophia laughs softly. “I’m sure. Eat.”
Dani opens the bag slowly, like the food might disappear if she moves too fast.
“Thank you,” she mouths.
Sophia smiles. “You’re welcome.”
And Dani, for some reason she doesn’t fully understand, feels her face get warm again.
–
“Come on, Lara,” Sophia hurries, tugging her toward the café. “I’m going to be late for my next class.”
Lara, dressed like she’s going to a club instead of a Monday morning lecture, does not walk any faster. If anything, she slows down out of spite.
“Babe,” Lara says, “you know I can’t function without coffee before 11 a.m.”
Sophia drops her arm. “Remind me why I agreed to this.”
“Because I’m your best friend,” Lara says sweetly, then plants a loud kiss on Sophia’s cheek.
Sophia shrieks and shoves her away. “Lara!”
She immediately digs through her bag for her pocket mirror, checking for lipstick smudges.
“Why are you so done up this morning?” Lara asks, eyeing her. “Are you trying to impress someone?”
Sophia rolls her eyes, snapping the mirror shut. “I’ve told you before. I feel good when I look good, so I like to look good.”
“I’m just saying,” Lara shrugs. “You look really good today.”
Sophia smirks. “Are you hitting on me?”
Lara lowers her voice an octave and wiggles her eyebrows. “Is it working?”
Sophia stares at her for a second before they both burst out laughing.
“You’re so stupid,” Sophia says fondly, holding the café door open.
The café is warm and a little worn down, the kind of place that’s been around forever and will probably be around forever. The coffee is strong, the pastries are cheap, and the furniture has seen better days, but it’s always full and always comfortable.
They get in line.
“So,” Lara says, “how was your first class? Is the professor a dick?”
“It was Stats,” Sophia says flatly. “At 8 a.m. On a Monday.”
Lara grimaces. “I hate that for you.”
They move up in line.
“What’re you getting?” Lara asks.
“Caramel latte,” Sophia answers. “And a croissant.”
Lara looks at her. “A croissant? Who are you?”
“I don’t have any snacks left,” Sophia admits.
Lara pauses. “You? Out of snacks? That’s a first.”
“I gave them to someone in my class.”
Lara immediately perks up. “Was she cute?”
Sophia thinks about the girl from this morning–Dani, half-asleep, mumbling to herself, looking like she’d rolled out of bed and still somehow managing to be adorable. The way her face had changed when she realized she’d been talking out loud. The way she’d blushed when Sophia said she looked good.
Sophia realizes she’s smiling.
Lara claps her hands. “So she is cute!”
Sophia elbows her. “I don’t even know if she’s into girls.”
“I’m just saying, everyone’s a little gay.”
Sophia doesn’t even look at her. “No, Lara. That is not how that works.”
“It is,” Lara insists. “It’s a spectrum.”
“You can’t just decide other people’s sexualities for them.”
“I’m not deciding,” Lara dismisses. “I’m just saying the straights will get over it.”
Unfortunately, she says this last part a little too loudly, because the cashier looks up from the register.
“I’m sorry,” he says cautiously. “The straights will get over… what?”
Sophia closes her eyes.
Lara, completely unfazed, smiles brightly. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
He does not look reassured.
“It’s just,” Lara continues, gesturing vaguely toward Sophia, “she’s in love with a straight girl. But not really, because everyone's a little gay. Even the straights.”
Sophia makes a strangled noise. “Lara.”
The cashier looks between them, clearly unsure if he should still be part of this conversation.
Lara waves a hand. “It’s fine. We love the straights.”
Sophia turns to the cashier like she now has to fix this. “We don’t hate straight people,” she says, sounding very tired. “Some of our best friends are straight.”
Lara nods enthusiastically. “We’re very inclusive.”
The cashier blinks. “Okay…”
Yeah. She can't salvage this. “Can I just get a caramel latte and a croissant?”
The cashier nods quickly. “Yeah. Sure.”
Lara steps forward. “I’ll get an iced cappuccino.”
They pay, then move to the pick-up area to wait for their order.
Lara leans closer again. “So what’s the plan to find out if Dani has a crush on you?”
“There is no plan,” Sophia says.
“You’re not even a little curious?”
Before Sophia can answer, the café door opens.
Sophia looks up automatically.
She looks completely different from this morning. Baggy jeans, white bodysuit, green bomber, Doc Martens. Hair done, makeup sharp, eyeliner perfect.
She looks beautiful.
“Oh,” Lara says. “She’s hot.”
“That’s Dani,” Sophia points out.
Lara’s eyes light up with mischief, which is never a good sign. Before Sophia can stop her, Lara grabs her wrist and drags her over.
“Lara, what are you–hi! Dani,” Sophia says quickly.
Dani looks up and smiles when she sees her. “Hey. Didn’t think I’d see you so soon.”
“My roommate needed coffee,” Sophia explains.
Lara waves. “I’m Lara.”
“I’m Dani,” Dani introduces.
“I know,” Lara says smugly. “Sophia told me about you.”
Dani laughs nervously. “Hopefully nothing embarrassing.”
Sophia cuts in quickly. “You clean up nice.”
Dani blushes. “Yeah. Early mornings aren’t my thing.”
“Mind if she gets your number?” Lara asks suddenly.
Sophia turns to her in horror.
“I’m straight,” Dani blurts out.
Sophia feels something in her chest drop.
Oh.
Of course.
She nods like that doesn’t bother her. Like that’s fine. Like she expected that.
Lara jumps in immediately. “Not like that. You guys are in the same Stats class. Study buddies, notes, exams, all that.”
“Oh,” Dani says, flushing again. “Yeah. That makes sense.”
“But if you want to keep your options open,” Lara adds, “Sophia’s bi. And so am I.”
“Lara,” Sophia scolds through gritted teeth.
They exchange phones anyway, both of them a little shy about it.
“Order for Dani!”
“That’s me,” Dani says. She picks up her drink, then looks back at Sophia. “See you next week?”
“Next week,” Sophia agrees.
Dani leaves.
Sophia watches her go, then hits Lara’s arm. “What was that?”
“What?” Lara asks. “You’re welcome.”
“She’s straight.”
Lara gives her a look. “Sophia. That girl was nervous, blushing, and could barely look at you. I’m telling you right now, she is not as straight as she thinks she is.”
Sophia rolls her eyes. “Are your crystals telling you that?”
“Yes,” Lara says confidently.
Sophia laughs despite herself.
–
“Stop laughing at me!” Dani yells, repeatedly hitting Manon with a throw pillow.
Manon, sprawled across the sofa, barely bothers to block the attacks, laughing so hard she’s practically wheezing. God, it sounds like five dolphins echolocating in here. At her expense.
“I’m sorry,” Manon manages between laughs. “But as your best friend, it’s basically my job to point and laugh when you do something embarrassingly stupid.”
Dani throws the pillow at her one last time, then covers her face with her hands and groans.
“I don’t even know why I said any of that,” she mutters, dropping her phone onto the couch and collapsing dramatically against the armrest. “It was like my brain just shut off.”
“Sounds like you have a crush on her,” Manon sings.
Dani glares at her through her fingers. “Not funny. You know I’m straight.”
Manon raises an eyebrow. “Not a joke,” she counters. “As a sapphic myself, that was not straight behavior.”
Dani drags her hands down her face. “Ugh, okay, fine. It’s a girl crush. She’s just… intimidating, you know? In an ‘I’ve had my life together since 6 a.m., I’m going to be a CEO by 25, but I’ll also lend you my umbrella when it rains’ kind of way.”
Manon snorts. “That is wildly specific.”
“Shut up,” Dani mutters, grabbing a throw blanket and wrapping herself in it like a burrito. She flops onto her side and pulls the blanket over her head to wallow.
Manon watches her for a moment, amused.
She’s never seen Dani like this before. Dani is usually confident, especially when it comes to dating. Men tend to orbit her, and she’s never been the type to spiral over a crush.
But this Sophia girl has turned her into… whatever this is.
Manon’s eyes drift to Dani’s phone on the couch.
“Girl crush, huh?” she says casually, already reaching for it.
The phone dings.
Dani shoots upright so fast the blanket falls to her lap. She sees her phone in Manon’s hand and lunges.
“What did you do?!”
“Nothing!” Manon says, holding the phone away from her. “I’m just speeding things along. For the plot.”
“For the–give me that!”
Dani finally snatches her phone and looks down.
[Dani: 3:05 PM]
hi sophia :)
The typing bubble appears immediately.
[Sophia: 3:05 PM]
Hey! What’s up?
Dani looks at Manon, wide-eyed. “She said what’s up. What do I say?”
Manon grabs the phone back. “Oh my god, you’re useless.”
“Don’t say anything stupid,” Dani warns, leaning over her shoulder.
“You’ve got that covered already,” Manon says, typing.
[Dani: 3:05 PM]
just wanted to say sry for being weird earlier
no caffeine makes me 😵💫
[Sophia: 3:06 PM]
Lol
Don’t worry you’re fine
Dani exhales, her entire body relaxing. Okay. She didn’t completely ruin everything.
Maybe she still has a chance to not seem like a complete idiot.
She’s so busy spiraling that she doesn’t notice Manon still holding her phone.
“Hey–”
Too late.
[Dani: 3:07 PM]
my friends are having a small get tgt on fri
ur welcome to come its lowkey
Dani makes a strangled noise as Manon drops the phone on the couch and bolts for her room, cackling.
“Manon, I’m going to kill you!”
“Love you!” Manon yells, slamming her door.
Dani’s phone pings again.
She stares at it for a full three seconds before picking it up like it might explode.
[Sophia: 3:07 PM]
Sure! Can I invite a few friends?
Dani’s heart starts pounding.
Whether from nerves, excitement, or impending doom, she’s not sure.
Well. No backing out now.
[Dani: 3:08 PM]
ofc
[Sophia: 3:08 PM]
Cool, text me the address! I’ll see you Friday :)
Dani sends the address, drops her phone onto the couch, then grabs a pillow and screams into it.
What did Manon just sign her up for?
–
“Is this all we have?” Dani asks, staring at their sad collection of alcohol on the living room table: one cheap bottle of wine, a six-pack of Smirnoff Ice with one missing, and a half-empty bottle of tequila.
“Yeah,” Manon says, setting the pizza boxes down. “But don’t worry, Megan’s bringing more.”
“You really trusted her with that responsibility?”
Megan is their childhood friend and a freshman at the same university. She’s incredibly smart, but only about things she actually cares about. Dance. Minecraft. Slime. Anything else, including important deadlines and basic life logistics, tends to… slip her mind. It’s why she’s stuck living in the freshman dorms instead of with them–she forgot to apply for a housing exemption.
“She’ll be fine,” Manon says confidently. “She never forgets anything that involves having a good time.”
“I hope you’re right.”
The doorbell rings.
“I’ll get it,” Dani says, heading for the door.
She opens it to find Megan standing there with two six-packs and a bottle of soju, arms raised in triumph.
“What is up, my mammals!” Megan announces.
“Megan,” Dani laughs, taking one of the packs and pulling her into a quick hug. “You actually remembered.”
“Of course I remembered. Alcohol is a priority.”
They head inside.
“Is your roommate coming?” Manon asks.
Megan flops onto the couch and crosses her arms. “No. She said she was busy.” She pouts. “What if she’s avoiding me because she already thinks I’m weird?”
“It’s not the end of the world if she does,” Dani consoles.
Manon snickers. “You should take your own advice.”
Dani is about to throw something at her when the doorbell rings again.
“Who’s that?” Megan asks. “I thought it was just us tonight.”
“Dani’s special friend is coming,” Manon says in a sing-song voice, emphasizing special.
“Ooh,” Megan sings.
“I’m kicking both of you out,” Dani mutters, already walking to the door while Megan yells, “I take it back!” and Manon shouts, “I’m on the lease!”
Dani opens the door and forgets how to speak for a second.
Lara stands to the side, and next to her is a girl in a hoodie and sweats who looks like she’s quietly judging everything in front of her.
But Dani barely notices either of them, because Sophia is standing in the middle.
She’s dressed casually this time-an oversized off-shoulder sweater, loose sweatpants, soft curls falling around her face, cat-eye glasses resting on her nose. She looks comfortable. Effortless.
Dani is starting to think looking good is just Sophia’s natural state.
“Hey!” Sophia greets.
“Hi,” Dani manages.
“Thanks for inviting us. You remember my roommate, Lara,” Sophia says, gesturing beside her. “And this is my sister, Yoo–”
“Yoonchae?!” Megan suddenly shouts from the couch.
Yoonchae leans slightly to look into the apartment. “Megan?”
Dani, Sophia, and Lara all look between them.
“You know each other?” Dani asks.
“That’s my roommate,” Megan says, pointing accusingly. “The one who said she was too busy to come.”
Yoonchae’s mouth twitches slightly. “I am busy. It just so happens the event I planned on attending with my sister is the same one you invited me to.”
“Whatever,” Megan mutters, already opening a bottle of soju.
Yoonchae turns to Dani, completely serious. “Is she always this dramatic?”
“Okay!” Manon cuts in quickly. “Come in, come in. Food and drinks are on the table. Make yourselves comfortable.”
Everyone filters into the living room, grabbing pizza and drinks before settling down. Sophia ends up on the couch next to Megan, Yoonchae beside her. Lara takes one of the chairs, and Dani and Manon sit across from them.
Dani tries not to stare at Sophia.
She fails.
“Usually we just watch a movie on nights like this,” Dani says, picking up a deck of cards. “But tonight we thought we’d do some get-to-know-you questions.” She places the deck on the table. “Each card has a random question. We go around, pull a card, and answer.”
“Commentary is allowed,” Manon adds.
“Highly encouraged,” Megan chimes in.
“I’ll go first,” Lara says, grabbing a card. She reads it and immediately groans. “What’s the cringiest thing you’ve ever posted on social media?”
“Oh this is going to be good,” Megan says, grinning.
Lara scrolls through her phone, then flips it around for everyone to see.
The room erupts.
In the photo, Lara is wearing a messy bun, smudged eyeliner, a vest, arm warmers, knee-high socks, and heels.
It’s a disaster.
“Oh my god,” Sophia laughs.
“What possessed you to wear that?” Manon asks.
“Let her cook,” Megan exclaims. “She’s a visionary.”
“You look like you belong in an asylum,” Yoonchae says calmly.
“The worst part isn’t even the outfit,” Dani notes, flipping to the next photo. “It’s that you tagged this ‘hashtag blessed.’ This entire post feels like a curse.”
Lara snatches her phone back. “When this becomes trendy in ten years, I’m going to remind all of you.”
“I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Sophia says gently.
They move on.
Megan pulls a card, reads it, and immediately groans. “Oh no.”
“What?” Manon asks.
“It says, ‘Tell us about your most embarrassing moment.’”
“Oh this is going to be good,” Lara says gleefully, sitting up straighter.
Megan covers her face. “I can’t believe I’m telling this story again.”
“You brought this game,” Yoonchae points out.
Megan sighs. “Fine. Okay. But you’re all sworn to secrecy.”
“No we’re not,” Lara objects. “Start talking.”
Megan takes a deep breath. “Okay. So. This was sophomore year in high school. I had the biggest crush on this girl in my chem class, like huge crush. Couldn’t talk to her, couldn’t look at her, the whole thing.”
Dani is already laughing. “Oh no.”
“And one day,” Megan continues, “we got paired as lab partners. So we’re sitting there, and it’s quiet, and I’m already nervous, and then–”
She stops and covers her face again.
“What did you do?” Manon asks.
Megan groans. “I didn’t mean to! It just happened!”
Lara is already losing it. “Megan.”
“I farted,” Megan mumbles into her hands. “I farted in front of my crush. And it was loud. And there was no way to pretend it wasn’t me because we were the only two people at the table.”
There’s a split second of silence.
Then everyone loses it.
Dani falls sideways into Sophia as she laughs, Manon is wheezing, Lara is literally on the floor, and even Yoonchae is covering her mouth, trying not to laugh.
“I dropped the class,” Megan continues, talking over the chaos. "I considered transferring schools.”
“You dropped the class because you farted?” Dani manages between laughs.
“It was not just a fart,” Megan says defensively. “It was a life-altering event.”
Sophia is laughing too, and Dani can feel it where their shoulders are pressed together, the way Sophia leans into her when she laughs, the way she wipes tears from the corner of her eyes.
It takes them a full minute to calm down.
Finally, Sophia reaches for the card deck. “Okay,” she says, still smiling. “My turn.”
She pulls a card and reads it. “What’s a random hobby you’ve picked up?”
“Oh come on,” Lara complains. “She got an easy one.”
Sophia smiles. “I actually have a running bucket list I started when I was a teenager. Things I want to try or do, no matter how small.”
“Do you actually do them?” Megan asks.
“I try to cross one off every few weeks,” Sophia says. “But the list keeps getting longer.”
“Now I want to know what’s on it,” Lara comments.
“Me too,” Dani says without thinking.
Sophia looks at her then. Really looks at her.
“Maybe I’ll share them with you one day,” she says softly.
The room fades for a second.
They hold eye contact just a little too long before Dani looks down and takes a sip of her drink, her ears burning.
The night continues like that-stories, laughter, teasing. The atmosphere slowly shifts from polite to comfortable, like everyone has known each other longer than just a few hours.
At one point, Dani catches Sophia laughing at something Manon says, head tilted back, eyes crinkling, and Dani feels something warm settle in her chest.
This is nice, she thinks.
She’s always been content with just Manon and Megan. Never really felt the need to expand her circle. But watching everyone together now, she thinks maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if their world got a little bigger.
She doesn’t realize she’s staring at Sophia until Sophia looks over and catches her.
Sophia raises an eyebrow, a small smirk forming.
Dani quickly looks away, blushing.
“Let’s do one more before Megan falls asleep,” Lara says.
Manon hands Dani the deck. “Last question.”
Dani pulls a card.
“What’s the last lie you told?”
Immediately, a thought flashes through her head.
I’m straight.
Her stomach twists.
She pushes the thought away quickly.
“You know the lasagna you made last week?” Dani says to Manon.
Manon narrows her eyes. “Yeah?”
“It wasn’t good,” Dani admits. “I threw it away. I’m sorry. It was really bland.”
Manon gasps. “I’m never cooking for you again.”
“No, you make instant noodles really well!” Dani says quickly.
Everyone laughs.
Then a loud snore cuts through the room.
Megan is asleep.
“I guess that’s our cue to go,” Sophia says, standing.
“You can leave her here,” Manon says. “She’s slept here before.”
Yoonchae shakes her head. “I’ll take her back.”
Megan leans heavily against her as they head to the door. “You’re so warm,” Megan mumbles into her shoulder. “Like a cat.”
Yoonchae’s ears turn pink.
“I’ll wait outside,” Lara says to Sophia, winking. “Don’t take too long, lovergirl.”
Sophia rolls her eyes.
Dani walks Sophia to the door, hands behind her back.
“Thanks for coming,” she says quietly.
“Thanks for inviting us. This was really fun.”
“Who knew our friends would get along so well?”
Sophia nods. “I have a good feeling about us.”
Dani’s heart stutters. Us?
Sophia’s eyes widen slightly. “I mean-our group. I have a good feeling about our group.”
“Oh,” Dani says softly. “Me too.”
They reach the door but neither of them opens it right away.
“Text me when you get home?” Dani asks.
Sophia’s expression softens. “I will.”
She hesitates, then opens her arms.
Dani steps into the hug, and immediately she’s surrounded by the soft scent of lavender and vanilla. Sophia’s arms wrap around her, warm and steady, and Dani feels her heart flutter in a way that’s becoming dangerously familiar.
She doesn’t want to let go. Wonders if Sophia can tell.
But Sophia pulls back.
“See you soon?” Sophia asks.
“Yeah,” Dani nods, watching her walk away until she disappears down the hall.
When Dani closes the door and turns around, Manon is standing there, watching her.
“What?” Dani asks.
Manon crosses her arms. “Should I be offended that you never ask me or Megan to text you when we get home?”
Dani feels her face heat immediately. She turns away. “Goodnight, Manon.”
She goes to her room and falls onto her bed, staring at the ceiling.
So she has a tiny crush. That’s not a big deal. People have girl crushes all the time.
It doesn’t mean anything.
It doesn’t mean she wants to date women. It doesn’t mean she wants to date Sophia. It doesn’t mean anything that she likes the way Sophia smiles, or laughs, or hugs, or smells.
And anyway, she’s straight. Dani has always been straight.
…right?