We didn't call it a date.
But everything about it felt like one.
"You're late," Tamika said, glancing at me as I walked up to her outside the campus café.
"I'm two minutes late."
"You're still late."
"You're impossible."
She smiled. "And yet, you showed up."
I tried not to react to that.
Failed.
We ordered drinks, found a quiet table, and for once… things felt normal.
No weird statements.
No confusing hints.
Just us.
"So," I said, leaning back, "are you going to actually help with the project today?"
She raised an eyebrow. "You think I brought you here for work?"
I blinked.
"Wait… so this isn't about the project?"
She took a slow sip of her drink, watching me over the rim of the cup.
"What do you think?"
My brain stopped working.
Again.
"I think," I said carefully, "you're confusing me on purpose."
"Maybe I like seeing you confused."
"That's not nice."
She leaned forward slightly.
"Neither is pretending you don't remember me."
That again.
That line.
Every time she said it, something in me shifted.
Before I could respond, a group of students nearby started laughing loudly, breaking the moment.
Tamika leaned back, like nothing had happened.
But I couldn't shake the feeling—
That this wasn't just a random outing.
And whatever this was…
It was pulling me in faster than I was ready for.