Julian had himself a good, ugly cry.

After the short exchange with Alex, he stormed back to his room, wept while staring at the picture frame by his desk, and then bolted out just in time for his 1:00 PM class.

Having the dorm on campus certainly has its perks.

At present, he's in a queue, waiting for his turn to pick up his library card, his nose still runny but sloooooowly getting better. His eyelids are still heavy, but whatever. No one knows him anyway, and the one person who does refuses to acknowledge him, so all is well.

Yeah, right.

"Here you go," the assistant tells him, handing over the card. Julian thanks her and steps aside, ramming the card into his bag. The AIESEC brochure slips out and falls to the floor.

Before he can pick it up, someone beats him to it. Julian lifts his gaze and finds a guy with curly hair, a few inches shorter than him, donning a band shirt and loose jeans.

"Thanks," Julian says, accepting the pamphlet. He's not even sure why he still has this thing.

"You joining AIESEC?" The guy asks, smiling. "Oh, sorry, I'm Evan. Freshman."

"Julian, and same here," he responds. "I'm from the School of Business."

"No way! Me, too!" Evan beams, then shrinks a bit. "Sorry. There are not a lot of students from my high school, so I'm trying to... Get to know people."

Julian gives a small nod. "Don't worry. I'm in the same boat. What's your major? I'm doing Finance."

"Still deciding." Evan rubs his chin. "I'm leaning towards Entrepreneurship."

"That's cool. That's actually my second choice." Julian checks his watch. It's 12:15. "Anyway, sorry, I've got a class with Prof. Arayon. I better run."

"Oh, Psych? I have that, too. Wanna go together?"

Julian's bad mood dissipates a bit. He's making a friend on his first day. After losing one for real.

Great.

"Sure, let's go."

They head across campus, taking the pedway from the Arts building to the Faculty of Science. As they walk, Evan circles back to his previous question. "So, are you joining AIESEC? I'm considering it. I'd like to do an internship abroad, but there's also that other Entrepreneurship club I've been eyeing..."

Julian purses his lips, unsure. "Not really thinking about it yet. Depends on the workload, y'know?"

"I get that. But it'd be great to know people through clubs. There are a couple of AIESEC members from my high school, but they're our seniors so they're kinda different. Joaquin Chavez and Alexander Lim."

At the mention of Joaquin, Julian tenses.

"Joaquin?" he repeats, keeping his voice steady.

"Yup. Class valedictorian."

Julian's chest swells with pride. But his shoulders slump as the disheartening conversation earlier resurfaces.

He really needs to tinker with his brain soon. For now, he'll allow himself this feeling. He's always rooted for Joaquin, after all. That's not something that would fade in a blink of an eye.

"So? What do you say?"

"Oh, ah. I guess I'll think about it."

No, he won't. Despite it all, he wouldn't be in the same space as Joaquin if he could help it.

******

Five days pass without a single Joaquin sighting. Well, it's mostly because he's avoiding loitering after class by sticking to a routine—school, dorm, take-out meals. It's not the university experience people had made it out to be, but it's keeping him in trouble. Or rather, out of Joaquin's way.

Sadly, he can only try to avoid Joaquin for six days. They share that 8:30 AM class on Mondays, and it's too late to drop. All the other English lit classes are full.

So, Julian wakes up early, aiming to arrive early and snag a seat far away from his former friend.

But because life likes to play with him, his supposedly foolproof fails. He's delayed by a stomach issue, possibly due to his overconsumption of packed noodles and canned goods.

By the time he reaches the lecture hall, most seats are occupied. Fantastic. He's left with three options: sit at the very back (he wouldn't hear a thing), sit at the front of the room (too close to the projector screen), or—unfortunately—sit right behind Joaquin, who's already buried in a book.

Someone marches past him and rushes to the very front of the room. Amazing. Now, he's left with two choices.

Annoyed, he ambles over and takes the seat behind his former friend, his face as blank as it can be, his movements nonchalant yet stealthy. Perhaps Joaquin hasn't even noticed him. He's busy reading. He's always been a reader. Fascinated by fiction of all genres.

Julian puffs out air, irritated by his own thoughts. Who cares about his former friend's hobbies?!

Not him!

Julian impels himself not to look. To avoid glancing at the thick, granite hair, and bony shoulders before him... Yet, his mind is a traitor, and he's forced to acknowledge that the years have been good to Joaquin. Even his eyeglasses make him look... mature.

But Julian knows the truth! He was once a skinny kid who was shorter than him!

Three long hours and approximately seven accidental glimpses later, class is dismissed. The object of Julian's irritation departs right away, leaving Julian to breathe in relief. He makes a quick detour to the restroom, only to find Alexander by the door, waiting for him.

Alexander grins. Julian pretends not to see him and goes the opposite way.

"Thought about it yet?" Alexander presses, walking beside him.

"Nothing to think about," he murmurs. "I'm not interested."

"Why not?"

"I'm checking out other clubs." He isn't. Not yet, at least. He's contemplated looking into other organizations after Evan's persuasion. Might also help him get his mind off things. "Thanks for the invite."

Alexander, however, is not going to take no for an answer. "How about you check out ours first? Just drop by. See how it goes?"

"I'm—"

"Come on!"

Julian's caught off guard when Alexander slings an arm around him. He smells like mint tea. And guess who likes tea?

So, Julian blushes, suddenly conscious of the fact that this seemingly nice guy is truly paying attention to him. His inability to say no has been switched on.

AIESEC's room, like most of the club rooms, is in Humanities, ten minutes away from Arts. Alexander pushes the door and guides Julian into the deserted space. Posters and brochures are scattered everywhere, with a few tables, chairs, and a desktop.

"That's odd. I thought we'd at least have one person here..." Alexander thinks out loud. "Anyway, take a seat."

Julian sits awkwardly on a folding chair, knees drawn together. His eyes wander again around the room, landing on a photo pinned on the board—Joaquin and the members of the org in some outdoor camp.

"You're looking at that?" Alexander straddles a chair next to him. "That was a team-building activity in the mountains. Joaquin's into hiking. Actually, he enjoys a bunch of stuff. Does MMA, too. Did you know that?"

Julian squints at Alexander, taken aback. Why's he talking about him?

"I'm sorry?"

"Dunno. Just thought you'd be curious what he's up to since you haven't spoken in a while. You used to be close, right?"

"How... How did you know?"

Alexander grimaces. "I... overheard. Sorry."

Julian dips his chin. "Yeah, well, it doesn't matter anymore."

"I guess. It's been too long," he quips. "But he didn't forget you. Not at all. He's just putting up this act. If you knew him, you'd understand."

Except Julian doesn't understand, so perhaps he didn't actually know him. He'd had an easier time connecting with Joaquin when they were kids.

But people grow old and change. Currently, he's almost like a stranger, a shell of someone Julian used to like so much.

"Why are you saying these things to me?"

Alexander falters, then rests his chin on a propped fist. "I'm not sure. I guess I enjoy poking fun at Joaquin."

Julian winces, his protective instinct taking over. "Are you guys really friends?"

He laughs out loud. "Yes! Yes, we are. Wow, kiddo. You're really looking out for him, huh."

Julian turns sideways, flushed. "Well, um, K-Kuya Alexander—"

"Alex is fine."

"Okay, Alex... I'm still coming to terms with the fact that we're not buddies anymore. I need some time."

"Ah. You're so adorable," he comments, smiling toothily, exacerbating the blush on Julian's cheeks. "I really want you to join. It'd be great to have you here."

"W-Why...?" Julian stutters.

It's been a while since Julian developed a crush, but he's had enough of those to know when the cute, little feelings are sprouting. They typically fade away on their own. Usually when Julian gets an ick or when he doesn't see them anymore. Gone from view, gone from thought.

It's essentially why he's annoyed that it hadn't worked with Joaquin.

Fine. What he holds—held for Joaquin were hardly cute, little feelings.

"I want to be your friend, too," Alexander states. "You, me, and Joaquin. How's that?"

Julian lowers his head, chewing his bottom lip. How could he possibly refuse this cute chinito before him?!

"Alex?"

Alexander and Julian look at the door. And there's Joaquin, brows meeting together as he sees the two. Unexpected, and quite an unpleasant scenario. He shuts the door behind him. "I was just looking for you."

"And we were waiting for you!" Alexander smirks and sashays to Joaquin. "I've successfully recruited Julian."

Julian opens his mouth but is unable to make a sound. He's annoyed at himself for being fragile. Once he's down for someone, he becomes a goner. Turns into a complete pushover.

Joaquin diverts the subject. "Well, your girlfriend's looking for you."

The word 'girlfriend' erases the glint in Julian's eyes, his mood crashing. Of course, Alexander has a girlfriend. Of course, he's straight. What's new?

Julian would need to suck it up, wouldn't he? After all, these two men are graduating this academic year.

Gone from view, gone from thought.

"Okay," Alexander says, gives Julian another smile, then pats Joaquin's shoulder before leaving the room. His parting words are:  "Alright. Gotta go. Good luck."

Joaquin is inclined to kick Alexander to teach him a lesson.

Aware of his friend's flaring temper, Alexander runs away fast. Joaquin would likely kill him if he stayed for a second more.

Escaping is the most appealing choice for Joaquin; however, he's already inside the club room. Damn that Alexander and his endless antics. How he's become friends with another extrovert is one of his life's major mysteries.

Fuck it. He's the head of the executive committee—he better act like it.

"So, uh, have you filled out the form?"

******

A/N: Okay, I have finished Season 1's outline. We're looking at 21-22 chapters for the first part!

Thanks for your patience as I try to publish three chapters a week. Lots of work, but I'm really having a blast writing this one. Hope you're enjoying it so far!