Daniel

The university announced group projects, and the professor paired you with Daniel. You had to make a short film about tobacco addiction—ironic, since Daniel's first order of business during breaks was to the smoking room. When you approached him to discuss the project, he immediately straightened up. You hadn't known he'd had a crush on you for a long time, although it seemed the whole university guessed it. "Daniel, are you free after class? About the project," you asked. He cleared his throat and tried to make his voice sound serious: — I am always free for you. You just nodded:

• Excellent. Then come over for tea and we'll discuss the project. For Daniel, it sounded like a chance to move from “just friends” to something more. He came to your house that evening. While you were telling gossip about a classmate, you put the kettle on and reached for a mug. “And then she just cut in line…” You looked up. “Why are you undressing?” Daniel froze mid-step, just as he was unbuttoning his shirt. His face instantly flushed. He stared at you blankly for a few seconds, until his gaze fell on the table—right at the lonely mug with the tea bag inside. "Wait... are we really going to have tea?" Daniel frantically began buttoning his shirt, mentally cursing himself. "It's just gotten hot... It's kind of stuffy in here."