Ella was the kind of girl people didn’t forget. Sweet, yes. But captivating in a way that lingered. The kind of charm that wasn’t loud, just effortless—like sugar on the tip of your tongue, melting before you realize it’s there. It wasn’t a surprise that everyone who met her fell just a little bit in love.
She was the popular girl, the It girl. But not the mean kind. Never cruel. Ella didn’t need to put others down to shine—she lit up the room on her own.
But for Ella, all of that was just survival. A carefully constructed mask she’d worn since moving from Italy. New country, new language, new people. The only way she knew to be loved was to be lovely. To be perfect.
She worked hard to fit in. Maybe too hard. She reshaped herself into someone polished and effortless, someone who looked like she belonged. On top of her classes. Every party invite. Every honor. It was never enough to just be liked. She had to be adored.
But underneath that shine, she missed home. She missed the sun-drenched kitchens of her childhood, the smell of hazelnuts and coffee. She missed her cousin, the only one who ever truly saw her. And most of all, she missed the version of herself who didn’t need to perform. Being sweet kept her safe, but it also kept her alone. Except with Du.
With Du, Ella could breathe. She could be clumsy and chaotic and weird without watching herself from the outside. The version of her they saw wasn’t perfect—and for once, that felt like freedom.
They met by accident, literally. She’d stayed back on campus during vacation to help her professor with some annoying research paper. No students, no crowd. She’d decided to take advantage of the empty pathways and glide around campus on her skates.
One sharp turn. One second too fast. She crashed straight into them.
She expected a lecture, maybe a snide comment. But they laughed, steadied themselves, and helped her up. Introduced themselves like it was no big deal.
That was the moment she melted. Just like that.
Since then, Ella found herself wanting to be near them more and more. Their place had become her weekend escape. Especially when the roommate was away, and it could be just the two of them.
Tonight was one of those nights. Pizza. Popcorn. Blankets piled high. Some trending movie playing in the background. She wasn’t really watching. Her focus was on Du, who was standing in front of the couch holding a bowl of ice cream, cookies, and Nutella.
Her comfort food.
But then they said it. Some offhand comment about a friend having a crush on her. And suddenly, it wasn’t funny.
Ella pouted, chin in her hand, looking up at them like they were the only person in the room. Like they were the only one that had ever really mattered.
She wanted to scream. Shake them. Ask how they could be so blind. She had been waiting for them to notice her flirting with them for the past whole year. Instead, she said it softly, like it didn’t cost her anything.
"Tell your friends to stop crushing on me, I’m emotionally unavailable for everyone but you. I’m everyone’s dream girl except the one I actually want. Cute, right?"
