~ Chapter 7 ~
Basketball had always been the one constant in Reed's life.
Not in a romantic, everything-makes-sense-when-I'm-on-the-court kind of way, but in a steady, dependable way.
It was structure. Routine. Something that existed whether he felt like existing or not.
So when his alarm went off at six-thirty and his body automatically rolled out of bed, Reed didn't question it.
He pulled on sweatpants, shoved a hoodie over his head, and headed to the gym with the same quiet resolve he carried into most things.
Morning practice was brutal in the way only early mornings could be.
The gym smelled like rubber, sweat, and faintly burnt coffee.
Sneakers squeaked against polished wood.
Someone cursed after missing an easy shot.
Coach barked instructions while pacing the sidelines with a clipboard tucked under his arm.
Reed moved through drills on autopilot, muscle memory taking over as his mind drifted somewhere far less productive.
He made his shots.
Ran his laps.
Defended when told.
Nodded when spoken to.
On the outside, he looked locked in.
On the inside, he felt oddly hollow.
It wasn't that he hated basketball.
He didn't.
It just didn't feel like enough.
Not anymore.
When practice finally wrapped up, Reed grabbed his water bottle and towel, listening half-heartedly as a couple of teammates talked about last night's party, about who hooked up with who, about who got kicked out, about who embarrassed themselves.
Reed didn't contribute.
He hadn't gone.
He didn't regret it.
He showered quickly, changed, and headed out with Vinod and Ryan, the three of them cutting across campus toward their next class.
It was somewhere between the engineering building and the quad when Reed felt it.
That strange, subtle pull.
The kind that didn't come with logic or explanation.
He lifted his gaze without really knowing why.
And there she was.
Eva.
She was walking alone, sweater sleeves pulled over her hands, backpack hanging slightly crooked on one shoulder, head tilted down like she was trying to make herself smaller than she already was.
Her hair fell loose around her face, soft and slightly messy, framing features that were gentle in a way Reed wasn't used to noticing.
Not sharp. Not intimidating. Just... pretty.
No.
Beautiful.
Not in a loud way.
Not in a look-at-me way.
In a quiet, easy way that snuck up on him before he could guard himself against it.
His chest tightened.
Not with panic.
Not with fear.
With awareness.
With interest.
With something warm and unfamiliar spreading slowly through him.
His steps slowed.
Not on purpose.
Not consciously.
She looked up.
Their eyes met.
Reed felt it everywhere.
A small pull low in his stomach.
A tightening in his chest.
A steady hum under his skin that made him acutely aware of his own body in a way he hadn't been a second ago.
He didn't think, She's hot.
He didn't think, I want her.
He thought:
She's beautiful.
And immediately after:
Is she okay?
She looked nervous.
Not scared.
Not distressed.
Just... small.
Like crowds overwhelmed her.
Like the world felt a little too loud around her.
Something protective rose in him before he could stop it.
An instinct he didn't analyze.
Didn't question.
Just felt.
Reed had the sudden, unreasonable urge to step closer. To stand beside her. To make himself something solid she could lean against if she needed to.
It was ridiculous.
He didn't know her.
But the feeling stayed.
He gave her a small nod.
Not a performance.
Not a move.
Just acknowledgment.
She didn't look away.
That mattered more than it should have.
By the time Reed got back to the apartment later that afternoon, the place felt like it always did—slightly chaotic, slightly loud, and oddly comforting.
Reed dropped his bag near his bedroom door and kicked his shoes off by the wall.
Caleb was sprawled out on the floor, scrolling through his phone, one arm tucked behind his head. When he noticed Reed, he sat up slightly, rubbing a hand over his face like he'd been debating whether or not to say something.
"She texted me," Caleb said.
Reed paused. Just a beat.
"Oh yeah?" he asked, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge.
Caleb nodded, eyes still on his phone. "Asked if I got home safe. Then asked if I wanted to grab coffee sometime."
Ryan immediately looked up from the couch. "Ohhh. So she didn't ghost you. That's a win."
Felix turned from the stove, wooden spoon in hand. "That's not just a win. That's a green light."
Caleb groaned. "Can you both shut up?"
Reed took a sip of water. "You sound nervous."
Caleb scoffed. "I'm not nervous."
Ryan raised an eyebrow. "You just checked your phone three times in ten seconds."
Felix nodded seriously. "That's clinically nervous behavior."
Caleb grabbed a pillow and chucked it in Felix's direction. "I hate all of you."
Reed smirked.
"So?" Reed said. "You gonna go?"
Caleb was quiet for a moment, staring at the ceiling like he was trying to find the right words. "Yeah. I mean... yeah. I actually want to. She's different."
Felix tilted his head. "Different how?"
Caleb shrugged. "She doesn't act like she's trying to impress anyone. She was funny. Smart. And she didn't treat me like I was just some dude from the team."
Ryan softened. "That matters."
Caleb nodded. "Yeah. I don't know. I just... I like her."
Simple.
No bravado.
No bullshit.
Just honest.
Reed felt something settle in his chest.
"Good," Reed said. "You deserve that."
Caleb glanced over at him, surprised for half a second, then nodded. "Thanks, man."
Felix clapped his hands once. "Wow. Growth. Vulnerability. Love to see it."
Ryan snorted. "Don't get used to it."
Caleb flipped them both off.
Reed felt a small smile pull at his lips.
Ryan leaned back into the couch. "Cassie says her project partner's roommates are cool. Apparently they cook. Like... actually cook."
Felix stopped stirring. "I would sell my soul for consistent home-cooked meals."
Reed didn't comment.
Didn't mention that a certain girl with soft eyes and nervous hands worked in a library and probably knew her way around a kitchen.
He didn't know why he thought that.
He didn't unpack it.
Vinod finally looked up from his laptop, blinking like he'd just remembered other people existed. "By the way, stats study group's forming. Anand's organizing it."
Reed didn't react.
Which, in Reed language, meant he absolutely reacted.
Vinod continued, scrolling. "Couple bio kids. A business analytics guy. Some computer science students too."
Felix glanced over from the stove. "Sounds miserable."
Ryan shrugged. "Sounds like passing."
Caleb snorted. "Which we all desperately need."
Reed grabbed his water bottle and leaned against the counter. "Cool."
Vinod tilted his head. "You wanna be added?"
Reed paused for half a second.
"Yeah. Let me know when it is."
Felix slowly turned toward him like he'd just witnessed something unnatural. "You... voluntarily joining a study group?"
Reed shot him a look. "Don't make it weird."
Ryan grinned. "It's already weird."
Caleb smirked. "Who are you and what have you done with Reed Taylor?"
Reed shrugged. "I'm trying to not fail."
Felix pointed the spoon at him. "That's growth."
Ryan nodded solemnly. "We love growth."
Reed rolled his eyes, but the corner of his mouth twitched.
Later that night, Reed lay on his bed with one arm tucked behind his head, staring up at the ceiling fan as it spun lazily above him.
The apartment had settled into its usual nighttime quiet—distant laughter from Ryan's room, the soft clink of dishes from Felix cleaning up, Vinod's keyboard tapping faintly through the wall.
His mind, unfortunately, was not quiet.
He didn't know what this thing with Eva was.
He didn't know if it was a crush, or curiosity, or something in between.
He just knew that when he saw her, something in him shifted.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
Just enough to notice.
Something warm.
Something steady.
Something protective.
Something he wasn't ready to put a name to.
And for now, that was enough.