Chapter 25 - Something Unfamiliar

It wasn't supposed to feel like this.

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It was just another day.

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Nothing different.

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Nothing worth noticing.

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Jackson saw him before anything else.

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Like always.

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Christopher was already there.

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But this time

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he wasn't alone.

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Jackson slowed slightly.

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A guy stood across from him

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leaning casually against the table.

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Talking.

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And Christopher

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was responding.

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Not just answering.

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Talking.

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There was a small smile on his face.

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Easy.

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Unforced.

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Jackson stopped walking.

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Just for a second.

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Something about it felt… off.

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Not wrong.

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Just

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unfamiliar.

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He moved again.

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Steps slower now.

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By the time he reached them

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Christopher was mid-sentence.

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"…and then I thought I missed it, but it was actually"

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He stopped when he noticed Jackson.

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"…Oh. Hey."

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That smile shifted.

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Softer now.

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Quieter.

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Different.

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Jackson nodded once.

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"Yeah."

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His eyes moved briefly to the other guy.

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"…Hey."

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"Hey," the guy replied easily. "I was just asking him about the assignment."

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Jackson hummed.

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He already knew that.

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Christopher always finished early.

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Always understood things faster than he let on.

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"…He already did it," Jackson said.

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A beat of silence.

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Christopher glanced at him.

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"…I was explaining it."

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"I know."

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His tone was calm.

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Too calm.

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The guy laughed lightly.

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"Yeah, he's actually really good at it."

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Jackson didn't respond.

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His attention wasn't on him.

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It was on Christopher.

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On the way he shifted slightly

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like he wasn't sure where to look now.

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On the way that easy expression had faded just a little.

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"…You didn't have to stop," the guy added.

"We were just talking."

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Jackson's jaw tightened slightly.

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"…I didn't say you had to."

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Christopher blinked.

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"…Jackson"

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"I said it's fine."

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The words came quicker this time.

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Sharper.

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Too sharp.

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A small silence settled between them.

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The kind that didn't feel the same as before.

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The guy shifted awkwardly.

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"…Uh, I'll just

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see you in class."

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Christopher nodded.

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"…Yeah."

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And just like that

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he left.

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The space felt different now.

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Too quiet.

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Christopher looked back at Jackson.

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"…What was that?"

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Jackson frowned slightly.

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"…What?"

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"That."

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Christopher gestured lightly.

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"You were acting weird."

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"…I wasn't."

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"You were."

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There was no accusation in his voice.

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Just honesty.

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Simple.

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And somehow

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that made it worse.

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Jackson looked away.

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"…You were laughing."

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Christopher blinked.

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"…What?"

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"With him."

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The words slipped out before he could stop them.

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A pause.

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Then

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"…Yeah?"

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Christopher tilted his head slightly.

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"I was talking."

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"…You don't usually do that."

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Christopher frowned a little.

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"I do."

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"No, you don't."

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That came out too fast.

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Too certain.

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Christopher stared at him now.

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Really stared.

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"…You don't notice everything I do."

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The words weren't harsh.

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But they landed.

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Hard.

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Jackson went quiet.

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Because he did.

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He noticed too much.

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More than he should.

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"…Whatever,"

he muttered.

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Christopher exhaled softly.

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Then

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unexpectedly

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he smiled again.

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Not the same as before.

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But still there.

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"You're being strange today."

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Jackson didn't answer.

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Christopher picked up his things.

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"…I'm going to class early."

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A pause.

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"…You coming?"

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Jackson hesitated.

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Just for a second.

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Then stood.

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"…Yeah."

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They walked together.

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Side by side.

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But something had shifted.

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Not broken.

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Just… tighter.

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And as they moved through the hallway

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Jackson couldn't stop thinking about it.

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That smile.

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That easy conversation.

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The way Christopher had looked

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like he didn't need him to feel comfortable.

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And that

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that was the part that stayed.

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The part that didn't sit right.

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Because for the first time

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Jackson realized something he didn't like.

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Christopher wasn't just his.

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And the thought of that

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felt worse than it should have.