Distance changed everything and nothing. While Alex filled his Instagram with Spain life - gym selfies, beach adventures and economic forums he attended. There was a girl, Charlotte, who started appearing in his stories. She looked exactly like the type of girl I'd expect Alex to date - tall, sophisticated, probably failing into every of his charming traps. Meanwhile, I was staying up te working on business papers and binge-watching Attack on Titan, occasionally dating but never quite connecting with anyone.

  What started as simple keep in touch began taking on a different tone, something that lived in the space between friendly and flirtatious. Late at night, he'd send things like "Just saw someone reading manga at a tapas bar. Made me think of you". I'd respond with carefully crafted casual replies:

  "Shouldn't you be out charming the Spanish girls instead of texting me at 3 AM?"

  "Maybe I prefer annoying you," he'd respond, followed by that ughing emoji he overused.

  When he finally returned, everything felt both exactly the same and completely different. He was still Alex - charming his way through csses, collecting admirers like some people collect stamps. But now there was this undercurrent I couldn't quite name.

  The annual HEC beer pong tournament changed everything. The evening was a blur of competition and too much alcohol. During one game, Alex slipped behind me in the crowd, his hand finding mine for just a few seconds. The touch sent electricity through my skin, but before I could process it, someone called his name, and the moment broke.

  We separated for dinner - me with my cssmates, him with his old friends. But when we reunited at the club ter that night. Some guy from our Marketing css kept trying to dance with me, his persistence becoming increasingly annoying. I handled it with my usual direct style, but I couldn't help noticing how Alex's eyes would find me across the room, checking if I was okay.

  The night became a dance of near misses and lingering gnces. I'd catch glimpses of him through the crowd - his height making him easy to spot, those green eyes finding mine across the dance floor. When his best friend left and I asked why he wasn't leaving too, the way he looked at me made it clear he was staying for me.

  In the dark corner of the club, I finally gave in to whatever had been building all night. I pulled him toward me, pressed against the wall, looking up at the ridiculous height difference between us. The smile he gave me before kissing me was pure Alex - confident, charming, irresistible.

  When his lips met mine, everything else faded away - the music, the crowd, my carefully maintained composure. His hand found its way to my neck, fingers tangling in my hair as he deepened the kiss. The other hand gripped my waist, pulling me closer until I could feel every hard line of his body against mine. My hands slid under his shirt, tracing the muscles I'd pretended not to notice during all those study sessions.

  What followed wasn't a retionship - we both knew better than that. Alex wasn't the retionship type, and I wasn't looking for complications. Instead, we fell into something that defied bels but felt perfectly us. Late-night study sessions turned into something more, movie nights became excuses to explore this new physical dimension of our friendship.

  He'd come over under the pretense of watching the newly hype tv drama, and we'd end up tangled in each other instead. The physical connection was intense - Alex had a way of making me lose my mind with just his hands and mouth that was almost unfair. But what surprised me were the moments in between - the te-night conversations about everything and nothing, the way he'd listen with genuine interest as I rambled about my complicated retionship with my father, or my dreams of starting my own business.

  Sometimes we'd fall asleep just talking, and I'd wake up to find him still there, making coffee and chatting with my roommate, Liv, like he belonged in our morning routine. It was easy, uncomplicated. I knew it was temporary.

  Then he announced his second exchange, this time to Singapore. Four months away, starting in three months. I told myself it didn't matter - after all, this wasn't a retionship. We were just friends who sometimes kissed, who sometimes shared beds and secrets and early mornings. Nothing more.