Felix Duvall had three rules: 1. Never wear the same outfit twice at a party. 2. Never fall for a girl who spells her name with a heart over the "i". 3. And never—under any circumstances—text after 1 a.m.
He broke all three by breakfast.
⸻
Leon walked into the dorm to find Felix on the floor, covered in open snack bags and self-pity.
"She left me on read, bro," Felix groaned. "It's a blue tick massacre."
Leon arched an eyebrow. "Who are we mourning today?"
Felix raised a single tragic finger to the ceiling.
"Beatrice. With a C. From Debate Club. We had a moment."
Rafael entered just in time to hear the tail end. "You met her on Monday. She sneezed in your direction."
"It was a flirty sneeze," Felix muttered.
Adrian didn't look up from his tablet. "Statistically, you are rejected 84% of the time. Do you enjoy failure?"
"It builds character," Felix said with a smirk. "Also, the 16% are worth it."
⸻
Leon chuckled and dropped onto his bed. The room smelled faintly of instant ramen and masculine despair.
"I think you fall for the idea of girls," Leon said.
Felix gasped, hand over his heart.
"I fall for the hope of humanity. There's a difference."
Adrian added, "You also fall for anyone who owns lip gloss."
"Wrong," Felix replied, pointing. "I have standards. I once rejected a girl who said 'literally' three times in one sentence."
"You're a hero," Rafael said dryly.
⸻
Felix sat up suddenly, eyes wide. "Okay, new mission. I need to find someone real. Like… real real. Someone who makes me forget my own punchlines."
Leon glanced toward the window, where sunlight broke through yesterday's rain.
"Then maybe stop chasing everyone," he said."Let someone walk into your life instead."
Felix blinked. Then smiled.
"Damn. Rainboy got deep."
Leon threw a pillow at his face.
⸻
That night, in the library, Felix bumped into a girl who didn't even glance at him.
She was reading physics.Wearing two different socks.And she didn't laugh at a single one of his jokes.
Felix stood there for five minutes—confused, frustrated, fascinated.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Naomi," she said, still not looking up. "You're blocking the light."
Felix stepped aside.
And for the first time in years…
He didn't know what to say next.