Gemotions

The announcement hit him like a physical blow. The scholarship, the only reason he was even at this university, was for someone else. But it wasn't the money that truly bothered him. It was the potential loss of the casual interactions, the proximity to her. The woman who ran the campus bookstore.

He'd started frequenting the store, buying things he didn't need. He'd linger, pretending to browse, just to catch a glimpse of her. He knew he was being foolish, but he couldn't help himself. He felt a constant low hum of excitement, a flush creeping up his neck when she smiled at him.

The scholarship's absence was a tragedy, but the real catastrophe was the possible end of this burgeoning, fragile feeling.